Adrienne van der Valk began her career in social work, advocating for homeless and runaway youth and survivors of sexual violence. Her graduate studies led her to political science and journalism, and she has been using her editorial skills in a variety of social justice settings ever since. She served as deputy director for Teaching Tolerance for many years before moving on to become the communications director for the Center for Genetics and Society. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Grinnell College and master’s degrees in political science and magazine journalism from the University of Oregon.