Richard Hayes and Marcy Darnovsky, both scholars, activists, and organizers based in the San Francisco Bay Area, found the Center for Genetics and Society (CGS) to advocate for: "socially responsible uses and effective governance of emerging human biotechnologies."

According to their website, they build strategy across spheres of organizers, scientists, bioethicists, and scholars to: "shape public debate and policies on biotechnologies with a particular lens on reproductive rights, LGBTQ communties, disability and racial justice."