Stacey Sobel to Speak on February 10, 2004

Stacey Sobel is a long time advocate on issues related to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. She joined the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights (Center) in April 2001. As the Center's executive director, Stacey oversees the organization's educational and policy efforts, as well as fundraising and administration activitities.

She is one of the LGBT community leaders who organized efforts to amend Pennsylvania 's hate crimes law to include actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, mental and physical disability, and ancestry. Her work on this legislation included drafting its text, which is one of the most comprehensive in the country and the first Pennsylvania law to recognize the LGBT community.

Stacey is also a leading authority on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" policy. Prior to joining the Center, she served as the legal director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), where she assisted military members who were harmed by the policy and monitored the policy's implementation. Her efforts, along with the SLDN's co-executive directors, lead to significant policy changes in the military, including obtaining new policies condemning anti-gay harassment.

Stacey has been invited to share her expertise with many groups, including Members of Congress and their staffs, the Department of Defense, attorneys and universities. Regarded as an expert in her field, she has been interviewed by numerous newspapers, as well as radio and television shows.

Prior to working at SLDN, Stacey worked for Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, managing it's day-to-day public affairs efforts to AT&T's Atlantic Region to effectiely implement provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. Stacey started her own consulting business in 1992, where she provided legal and government affairs services for clients including the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, among others.

She also worked with the Clinton/Gore transition team where she assisted in the preparation of the Federal Communications Commission briefing book for the new Clinton administration and the White House of Presidential Personnel. From 1992 through 1996, Ms. Sobel was also an assistant professorial lecturer at law at the George Washington University Law School .

Before she attended law school, Stacey worked for the New York State Assembly House Operations Committee and the New York State Governor's Office of Employee Relations.

She received her B.A., cum laude, from the University at Albany , State University of New York and her J.D. from the George Washington University where she was a Dean's Fellow.

Stacey lives in Philadelphia with Michelle, her partner of nine years, and their two cats.