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The Indy Star asked Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky's president and CEO, Betty Cockrum, If you had 10 minutes with Vice President Mike Pence, what would you say? Michelle Pemberton/Indy Star

Betty Cockrum (right), leader of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky, at a rally for inclusion, Monument Circle, Indianapolis, Friday, January 20, 2017. The rally, involving about 250 people, was called to coincide with the inauguration of Donald Trump as the nation's 45th President.(Photo: Robert Scheer/IndyStar)Buy Photo

Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky President and CEO Betty Cockrum has announced that she willretire June 30 after 15 years of leading the organization.

She started with Planned Parenthood in 2001 after working as state budget director and head of the Department of Administration for former Gov. Frank O'Bannon and earlier asBloomington's city controller.

"When I was given the opportunity to come on board here 14 years ago, I was completing nearly three decades of public service, and I was sure that when I stepped into this role, it would be my last real tour of duty," Cockrum said. "Fifteen years is long enough."

Cockrum's path to her role atPlanned Parenthoodstarted on a pig farm in LaGrange Countyas the youngest of eight children of a Methodist family. Two of her four brothers got their high school girlfriends pregnant, and Cockrum said she often would babysit the children.

Now 63, she has led the organization through expansions as well as tumultuous times.She looks forward to more time for movies, wine and cooking with friends. She sat down with IndyStar to answer questions solicited from readers, explaining her challenges, resiliency and lack of success in ever getting a sit-down with Vice President Mike Pence, Indiana's former governor.

Question: If Hillary Clinton had won, would your decision to leave change? (Her retirement date was set early last year.)

Answer: No. It would've been incredibly exciting, and I probably wouldve been in D.C. on the morning of Jan. 21 instead of hiding under my bed inIndiana. There reallyhave been those mornings where I've said, "Get up, get up. You have to get up."

Q: What's a day in the life of Betty Cockrumlike?

A: You could argue that its a full-time job to get up in the morning and have health care facilities open in 19 locations in two states with 170 employees and a $16 million 501(c)3 and a (c)4 and a PAC and aneducational program and an advocacy program thats about public policy and dealing with legislatures and such. Mostly what I do and what the board was very clear about in 2002 was that it was my job to make surethat we had a respected and known profile out there across the state ofIndiana. And I was to be the voice and face.

Q: What is itlike to lead an organization, perhaps more than any other organization, that is constantly under scrutiny?

A:(American Civil Liberties Union's) our competition. I wouldnt recommend it for just anybody and everybody.And certainly with every passing encounter that's unpleasant, you get a little more stoic about it, you grow a little more skin. But when it's all said and done, you come back to truth. And truth is, we do good stuff, and we make a real difference in real people's lives every single day.

Q: Does the continuous controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood ever get to you personally?

A:It does sometimes. There are mornings when its a little tougher to get out of bed than others. Thats certainly been true lately. But the fact of the matter is that once you get through that initial reaction,you get back to why are we here. Were about to celebrate our 85th anniversary. And in tandem with that, were celebrating the 100th anniversary across the country with Margaret Sanger.And when its all said and done, there are hundreds of thousands of women and men across this country and 50-some-thousand here in Indiana and in Kentucky who come to us for their health care who in many cases wouldnt have any otherhealth care provider.

Q: If you had 10 minutes with Vice President Mike Pence, what would you say?

A:Oh, I tried so hard to get an audience with that man. I've got really great Republican friends and have for years you cant get anything in this state thatsmeaningful if you, as a Democrat,you cant cross the aisle and none of them were able to get me an audience with him. And I even sent a personal letter to his home. So that's just something I wasn't able to get done. My answer to your question today isdifferent than it would've been six months ago, and one of the reasons that I said all this time that I wanted time with him was, I cannot understand how anybody in today's world thinks it is possible for abstinence to work.How does he think it is actually possible to suggest to the world that you will limit your sexual activity to when you're married and actually prepared to be a parent?Centuries of reality would tell you differently. And the fact of the matter is, if youtruly wanted to reduce abortion, you do that by reducing unintended pregnancy, and thebarriers dont do it. They introduce risk and danger to women. So that would've been my question to him: "Dude, how can you possibly think that this is real?"

Q: If not Planned Parenthood, what would your next move had been?

A: I always thought at some point in time that I would end up out there in some consulting role, whether it was with a financial firm or a law firm or a government affairs undertaking. Although I'm also someone who has always known that I'm not someone who should spend my time in the halls on a regular basis. If you're a full-time lobbyist, you're over there in the halls. If you're really doing your job the way you need to, you're over there in the halls paying attention to every little nuance that's going on. And I dont do that very well. I don't stand around or sit around very well.

Q: IndyStar reported in 2012 that you were funny.Were weright?Your line of work tends to be very serious.

A: I met with the development team again yesterday, and they talked about when would would I have my own stand-up comedy show. I have no interest in having a stand-up comedy show. I do, however, enjoy clever conversation. It's a really intense job, I am a pretty intense person. Part of the reason a person survives this kind of role is by having a sense of humor and inviting levity in and taking it out to the edge sometimes. But there are those who think thats inappropriate, and I've gotten whacked a time or two.

Q: Whatcan the average person do to support Planned Parenthood outside of donating?

A: I actually think in the bigger scheme of things, the single most important thing that needs to come out of this extraordinary response to what's happening and what's happened in the last couple of months is for people to decide they will run for office. Let them run for school boards, city council and move it on up so that eventuallythe school board member becomes a state legislator, becomes a member of congress. That's a long-time response, but it just seems to me that thats the onlything that will turn this around.

Q: Whats your next move?

A: I'm going to go home and take a long summer's nap.

Call IndyStar reporter Amy Bartner at (317) 444-6752. Follow her onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.

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Retiring Planned Parenthood CEO speaks of triumphs, challenges and Mike Pence - Indianapolis Star