Date: Wed, 24 Aug 94 13:11:12 EDT From: RAKNGLTF@aol.com NATIONAL GAY & LESBIAN TASK FORCE POLICY INSTITUTE NEWS RELEASE Contact: Peri Jude Radecic: (202) 332-6483, ext. 3302 Chris Collins (415) 979-0220; Deborah Johnson-Rolon (408) 688-6113 PERI JUDE RADECIC NAMED NGLTF DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY, STEPS DOWN AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Washington, D.C., August 24, 1994...The board of directors of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) today announced that Peri Jude Radecic will step down as executive director at the end of her one-year contract in November. Radecic, who for the past year as head of NGLTF oversaw several successful grassroots gay rights campaigns, will move over to become NGLTF Director of Public Policy following the naming of her successor. The NGLTF Board will immediately begin a nationwide search for a new executive director. To ensure a smooth transition during the search, Chris Collins, NGLTF board co-chair, will come to the D.C. NGLTF office and assist with fundraising and other organizational duties. In addition, the board will hire and interim Chief Operating Officer this month to oversee day-to-day mana gement of the organization. Radecic served as executive director during a period of transition at NGLTF and the movement. During her tenure, NGLTF established and built the highly recognized Fight the Right Project, which has organized and trained scores of activists in more than 25 cities and 20 states. The project has assisted activists and campaigns around the country battle proposed anti-gay initiatives and has seen the number of threatened ballot measures drop from 10 to 2 this year. Radecic also oversaw NGLTF's involvement in helping Georgia activists get the Olympic Volleyball competition pulled from Cobb County; has personally advocated to the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of Brenda and Wanda Henson of Camp Sister Spirit in Ovett, Mississippi; and directed NGLTF's efforts around Apple Computer staying in Williamson County, Texas, following that community's anti-gay attack on Apple's support of gay rights. Radecic will serve as executive director until a replacement is named. As Director of Public Policy, she will coordinate the Task Force's advocacy programs, including lobbying, Fight the Right, anti-violence and lesbian health work, Workplace and Campus projects, and other work. Prior to being named executive director one year ago, Radecic served as NGLTF Director of Public Policy, Legislative Director and lobbyist for nearly six years. It was during that time that Radecic championed gay and lesbian rights during the 100th, 101st and 102nd Congresses, an explosive time of political progress with the passing of the federal Hate Crime Statistics Act, Americans with Disabilities Act and other historic legislation. "Peri is an accomplished strategist. Her skills are best used in bringing various program issues together, developing and harnessing the power of the grassroots, and translating that power into action on Capitol Hill," said NGLTF Board co-chairs Chris Collins and Deborah Johnson-Rolon. "NGLTF will now shore up its fundraising, strengthen its programs, manage its operations and redouble its commitment to serve the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities," said the co-chairs. "I relish the opportunity to deal with overall program coordination that is needed to make NGLTF work for our colleagues at the grassroots," said Radecic, 34. "We need information and energy to flow from activists to Capitol Hill, and we also need to inform our constituents of policy issues in Washington. That's what I do best." Grassroots activists saluted Radecic's advocacy during her tenure as executive director. In a recent letter to the NGLTF Board, the leadership of the Olympics Out of Cobb Coalition said, "Seeing...us...on stage at Stonewall 25 with Peri Jude calling for one million people to descend upon Atlanta in 1996 is one of the most important actions that made us successful. They moved the [volleyball] venue out of Cobb County. Not because they wanted to, but because Peri Jude...said, 'We will tie the city in an Olympic knot.' I want to thank the Task Force for not ignoring us. For asking us, How can we help?" --end--