The Mautner Project, The National Lesbian Health Organization, Announces New Executive Director

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2008

THE MAUTNER PROJECT, THE NATIONAL LESBIAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

WASHINGTON - The Mautner Project, the National Lesbian Health Organization, named Leslie J. Calman, Ph.D. as the new Executive Director. The announcement was made today by the Mautner Project’s Board of Directors and Board Chair Dr. Linda Spooner.

“The Mautner Project’s evolution from a local health group that primarily supported lesbians with cancer to the national health organization for lesbians is a phenomenal testament to the depth and breadth of the work that has been completed,” said Dr. Spooner, a practicing physician in Washington, D.C. “For this ‘go-to’ organization that works to improve the health of women through advocacy, education, research and direct services, we could not have made a finer choice for the position of Executive Director.”

Dr. Calman comes to The Mautner Project with a long track record of success in non-profit advocacy work. She has held various leadership positions and is an experienced manager, educator, advocate and activist. Calman has been engaged throughout her career both domestically and internationally in issues of human rights, social change and social justice, with a focus on the rights and empowerment of women.

“Isolation, stigma and the potential for discrimination have been major obstacles for lesbians seeking appropriate health care in the United States,“ said Calman. “I am grateful that The Mautner Project’s Board of Directors is giving me a chance to work on rectifying this issue and others for lesbians across the country.”

Most recently, Calman was at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), an organization with 80 employees and a $12 million annual budget, where she was Vice President for External Relations supervising ICRW's advocacy, communications and fundraising efforts. Prior to her work with ICRW, she was Executive Vice President of NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Prior to ICRW, Calman was a professor of political science and women's studies at Barnard College in New York and also served as Director of the Barnard Center for Research on Women.

Calman holds a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University and has published two books and a number of articles on political movements and on women's rights. She moved to Washington, DC from New York in 2004 and lives with her partner, Jane Gruenebaum, and her 17 year old son, Ben Calman, a senior at Wilson Senior High School.

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About The Mautner Project, the National Lesbian Health Organization:

Founded in 1990, The Mautner Project works to improve the health of lesbians and their families through advocacy, education, research, and direct service. The Mautner Project envisions a healthcare system that is guided by social justice and is responsive to the needs of all people.