Date: Tue, 25 Nov 1997 15:05:58 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAAD WELCOMES NEW BOARD CO-CHAIRS GENE FALK AND STEVEN J. WEISSMAN TAKE ON ROLES AFTER SUCCESSFUL NATIONAL TRANSITION MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Liz Tracey, (212) 807-1700 e-mail: tracey@glaad.org pager: (800) 946-4646, pin # 1423527 GLAAD WELCOMES NEW BOARD CO-CHAIRS GENE FALK AND STEVEN J. WEISSMAN TAKE ON ROLES AFTER SUCCESSFUL NATIONAL TRANSITION NEW YORK, NY, NOVEMBER 25, 1997-The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced the election of Gene Falk and Steven J. Weissman as Co-Chairs of its Board of Directors. The two take on the positions formerly held by David Huebner and Peggy Brady, who helped spearhead a successful transition from a local chapter-based organization into a highly visible national one. Gene Falk is a Senior Vice President at Showtime Networks Inc. in New York City, involved in the marketing, promotion and sale of entertainment programming. He previously was an executive at HBO. Within Viacom, Showtime's parent company, Falk has been an advocate for lesbian and gay issues in the workplace. He has been a director of GLAAD in New York for the past five years, the last two as a national board member. Steven J. Weissman is a former partner at the entertainment law firm of Leavy, Rosensweig & Hyman. He has been a GLAAD Board member since 1992. He is a private attorney in Los Angeles, and is planned giving counsel to the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center. His pro bono work for non-profit organizations has included Design Industries Foundation for AIDS and Community Research Initiative on AIDS. Falk and Weissman succeed Brady, of the New York law firm Silverstein Langer Newburgh & Brady, and Huebner, managing partner of the Los Angeles office of the international law firm of Coudert Brothers, as GLAAD's Board Co-Chairs. Brady and Huebner oversaw GLAAD through the highly successful transition from a chapter-based organization into a well-respected national organization with a staff of twenty in six offices nationwide. "We are extremely enthusiastic about the vision, energy and talent that Gene and Steven bring as new co-chairs," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry. "We are sad to see Peggy and David step down considering their outstanding record and their guidance through the challenging national transition." "On my own behalf, and on behalf of the other directors and staff of GLAAD, I wish to thank Peggy Brady and David Huebner for doing an incredible job for our community," said Weissman. "They are entitled to much of the credit for the success which GLAAD has seen, and for laying the groundwork for the even more important work yet to come." GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in the media as a means of combating homophobia and all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. -30- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's DISPATCH AND QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.