Allyson (Ally) Crays is the 2024/25 Maeve McKean Women’s Law and Public Policy – O’Neill Institute Fellow.
During her fellowship, Crays will be working closely with the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), a national organization that seeks to advance the health rights of low-income and underserved individuals and families. This work will focus on reproductive and sexual health, as well as increasing access to Medicaid.
While in law school, Crays served as the chair of the If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice Chapter and editor of the Online Forum for Northeastern University Law Review. She completed full-time co-ops with the ACLU of Massachusetts, Massachusetts State Senator Jo Comerford, and Reproductive Equity Now. Crays has contributed to legal scholarship on reproductive and menstrual justice, publishing in the Northeastern University Law Review and the UCLA Journal of Gender & Law.
Prior to law school, Crays served as a City Year AmeriCorps member in Columbus, Ohio. In her free time, she continues to mentor young people looking to attend law school or advocate for menstrual equity. Currently, Crays serves as vice chair of the board of directors at PERIOD, a global youth-fueled nonprofit that works to end period poverty and stigma through service, education, and advocacy.
Crays received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. She also holds a graduate certificate in women, gender, and sexuality studies from Northeastern University, as well as a B.S. in public health from Baldwin Wallace University.