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National NOW Conference: 2009

National NOW Officer Slate Information

"NOW is the Time" Slate

Latifa Lyles for President

Sonia Ossorio for Executive Vice President

Janice Rocco for Action Vice President

Liz Gilchrist for Membership Vice President

Ticket Platform

Campaign Website

Latifa Lyles
Candidate for: President
Chapter Affiliation: Washington, D.C.
Member Since: 1999
NOW Offices Held: Elected: National VP Membership (2005-present); DC-NOW Program Coordinator (2001- 2005); National Board (2002-2005); Mid-Atlantic Regional Director (2004-2005) Appointed: WOCA Summit Committee (2005); National Young Feminist Taskforce (2003- 2005)
Personal Statement: It has been my great honor and privilege to serve for the past four years as a National Vice President. When I marched on Washington for the first time at 16, I didn't know I would devote my career to women's rights. But having grown up as an athlete, daughter of a single mother, and a young community volunteer, I knew I would find my place on the front lines in the fight against inequality. I didn't get here alone, but with the mentorship of NOW leaders who paved the way for me and countless other young women to work alongside them in the fight for justice. I believe we must forge ahead in this spirit of unity and leadership to build a stronger, more powerful organization. I am asking not just for your pledge of support for my candidacy, but also for your commitment to NOW's future and our common vision for equality.

Sonia Ossorio
Candidate for: Executive Vice President
Chapter Affiliation: NOW-NYC
Member Since: 1999
NOW Offices Held Elected: President, NOW-NYC (2005-2009); VP of Public Information, NOW-NYC (2001- 2003); Chair of Women and Media Project, NOW-NYC (1999-2001)
Personal Statement: As President of NOWNYC, I've been on the frontline fighting for women's rights. Our chapter brought thousands of activists to the March for Peace, Justice and Democracy in 2006. We created campaigns that led to the repeal of the statute of limitations on rape and strong laws against human trafficking. We've held the television/film, music and fashion industries accountable for the images of women they mass market.
Under my leadership, NOW-NYC has significantly grown its operating budget and visibility. El Diario/La Prensa and NY1 News have profiled me as a leading Latina activist. As a new mother, I am even more motivated to create a world for the next generation where true equality for women exists. If I am elected, my commitment to you is that I will work each day to strengthen and grow our organization so that we can be an even more influential voice shaping the national and local agenda on women's issues and a bigger force taking action to bring justice for women.

Janice Rocco
Candidate for: Action Vice President
Chapter Affiliation: Los Angeles
Member Since: 1991
NOW Offices Held Elected: President, Los Angeles (1996-1998), Santa Barbara (1993-1995); California NOW, Action VP, (2001-05), Treasurer (2008-09), State Board (1993-2009), PAC (1996-2009); Southwest Regional Director (2004-06, 2008- 09); National Board (2002-2006, 2008-09); National PAC (2005-2009)
Personal Statement: In 1992, I participated in the March for Women's Lives and NOW's "Elect Women for A Change" campaign. These events helped chart my course in life. As an activist, I learned to organize, fundraise, attract media attention, and make public policy changes. As President of L.A. NOW, I had the opportunity to get NOW's message out through the national media and I will continue working to end sexism in the media. I've spent ten years working as a Chief of Staff in California's state capitol. Fighting for marriage equality, California's Violence Against Women Act, and the law to require abortion training for medical residents has taught me to fight for what is right and never give up. I've worked on the most competitive political campaigns in the state – raising money, developing messages and running successful races. I'm committed to increasing NOW's reach working alongside all of our members.

Liz Gilchrist
Candidate for: Membership Vice President
Chapter Affiliation: Northern Virginia
Member Since: 1980
NOW Offices Held Elected: Northern Virginia NOW, Coordinator (2005-2007), Vice President (2003-2005); Mississippi NOW, Assistant State Coordinator (1983-1985); Jackson NOW, Vice President (1981-1983)
Appointed: Director, Major Gifts and Planned Giving, National NOW staff (2000-present)
Personal Statement: As Vice President- Membership, I will work to take NOW's fundraising and membership outreach to new levels of effectiveness and sophistication. I have worked for more than 15 years as a development professional at two national advocacy organizations, including nearly 9 years at NOW, where I have doubled our income from gifts of $1,000 or more and built a strong planned giving program. I also serve on the national boards of two large social justice organizations -- ACLU and Greenpeace -- where I have been closely involved in financial and investment management and overall governance. I was a practicing attorney for nearly 13 years, and will continue to bring those skills and experiences to bear on the legal issues that every non-profit regularly faces. Most importantly, I am a deeply committed feminist activist whose organizational home for nearly 30 years has been NOW. I would appreciate your support.

Platform
Our job as feminist activists is to change the world. In 1966, NOW battled sex-segregated want-ads, illegal abortion, and job discrimination, giving names to problems that had none, including sexual harassment and domestic violence. NOW recognized early that no one can be free when another faces discrimination and that women's rights are human rights. And our fight includes the struggles for LGBTQ rights, immigrant rights, and racial and economic justice.

We have won landmark battles, but the struggle continues as the unrelenting effort to roll back our gains carries on. The economic downturn is used as an excuse to slash programs, scapegoat immigrants, and step up discrimination against women in the workplace. But we can't let it be an excuse to let our activism or women's rights fall by the wayside. It's true we face enormous challenges, but we also have great opportunities we must use to our advantage to move our organization, movement and women's equality forward through the next generation.

We pledge to work our hardest and smartest for our organization and for women and girls and to steer our organization through these difficult financial times. As officers for the next term, we intend to lead NOW not just to survive, but thrive. We will strive to continue NOW's cutting-edge legacy by:

• Reinvigorating our grassroots activists and network, as they are the cornerstone of our legacy and success and what makes NOW stand out from the crowd.
• Continuing to not only change policies and laws but also to change minds using media and social networks to move forward a feminist agenda in our society.
• Broadening our reach across communities for a more diverse organization using time-tested in-the-street organizing and new technology.
• Not limiting the scope of our work and our core issues but prioritizing and developing cutting edge campaigns including organizing resources.
• Examining, evaluating and innovating our organizational structure and processes to maximize our resources to achieve our vision, goals and NOW's mission.

The "NOW is the Time" team is up to the challenge. Together, not only do we bring a depth and breadth of experience and perspectives but also critical skills in development, marketing, public policy, grassroots and political organizing, media outreach, coalition building and management. We have a broad range of experience in NOW at the local, state, and national levels; we have worked in large and small chapters, and we cherish the vast diversity in NOW.

We invite you to join the conversation as we work to build and grow. Visit our website for updates, find us on Facebook, follow our Twitter feed, and let us know what you think. We're in this together, and we need you with us. We hope to see you in Indianapolis.

More info: www.nowsthetime09.com