Skye L. Perryman
Skye L. Perryman is a lawyer and the President and CEO of Democracy Forward, a national legal organization that advances democracy and progress in the courts. Under Skye’s leadership, Democracy Forward has played a leading role in protecting the American people from harmful and unlawful federal executive action, including securing a nationwide order stopping the freeze on funding and essential services; blocking executive actions that undermine diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility; and opposing attempts to undermine public education.
Democracy Forward’s work in state and local communities, which Perryman launched during her tenure as CEO, is also nationally recognized. Named as one of the 2025 100 Most Influential People In The World by Time magazine on the TIME100, Perryman is known for developing innovative legal strategies, building unique communities and coalitions, and values-based leadership.
Prior to joining Democracy Forward as CEO, Perryman served as the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, where she oversaw a wide range of legal, policy, and communications initiatives in the COVID-19 pandemic, including a legal strategy that led to the distribution of mifepristone by mail for the first time in U.S. history and a policy strategy that extended Medicaid coverage for hundreds of thousands of women.
She was a member of Democracy Forward’s founding legal team and previously held litigation roles at WilmerHale and Covington & Burling. Featured as a Woman to Watch by The New Republic, one of the 500 Most Influential People Shaping Policy by the Washingtonian, and a Rising Star in litigation by Super Lawyers, among others, Perryman frequently appears on both network and cable television and her work is routinely covered by The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Associated Press, Politico, MSNBC, NPR, and Texas Monthly.
She serves on the boards of the Interfaith Alliance, the Texas Observer, the Baylor Line Foundation, and the Rise Up: Federal Workers Legal Defense Network. She is a graduate with honors from Baylor University and the Georgetown University Law Center and a proud product of K–12 public schools.