Joe Solmonese
President
As president of the Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solmonese has demonstrated that he has the political, strategic and communications skills to make the organization a powerhouse both in Washington and around the country. Under his leadership, the National Journal has rated the organization the second most successful interest group in all of Washington during the 2006 election.
Effectively Communicating with the American People
His vision for equality is clear: to make sure that HRC is wherever there are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans, and to equip them with all the assistance and resources he can to help secure equality. Whether it’s listening to gay families tell their stories over coffee in Kansas or advocating for GLBT workers on factory floors in North Carolina, he’s working tirelessly to win the hearts and minds of the American people.
Breaking Down Barriers and Building a Coalition for Fairness
Committed to making clear that nobody has a monopoly on religion, Joe launched HRC’s Religion and Faith Program in 2005. The program provides new innovative resources for GLBT and straight-supportive people of faith so that they can stand up to those who use religion as a weapon.
He has also worked hard to engage a younger generation whose commitment to equality is greater than any of their predecessors. He has mobilized hundreds of students, including those at historically black colleges; overseen HRC’s highly success Youth College campaign trainings; and spoken on several campuses, including Columbia University and Cornell University. Joe understands that this next generation is the one that will lead us to full equality for all Americans.
Strengthening Successes and Leveraging Experience
Before coming to HRC, Joe was chief executive officer of EMILY’s List, overseeing one of the nation’s most successful efforts to elect progressive women in every part of the United States. Joe brings that experience to HRC and is leveraging his experience to make the organization a national model of effective advocacy.
Heading up an organization with more than 700,000 members and supporters, as well as an annual budget of more than $30 million, Joe understands that the fight for equality is a people-powered movement that is only as strong as the troops “on the ground.” That is why he implemented an unprecedented field and political operation in the last two years.
During that time, HRC has seen several impressive victories. The House of Representatives passed a hate crimes bill for the first time ever. The Senate and the House of Representatives both soundly rejected the discriminatory Federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. And, despite the bitter and divisive climate, HRC convinced Congress to pass groundbreaking new pension benefits for same-sex partners.
With Joe at the helm, HRC was instrumental in moving the Congress, the Senate and state legislatures all over the country toward more fair-minded majorities. He leveraged HRC’s political action committee, the largest PAC in the nation for GLBT rights, in critical races nationwide. Out of the 225 candidates endorsed by HRC in the last election, an astounding 211 were elected. And HRC successfully flexed its electoral muscle in several high-stakes races, such as the defeat of the notoriously anti-gay senator, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.
Changing Hearts and Minds
Joe also understands that equality doesn’t come only from legislative solutions. Since joining HRC, he has worked with corporate leaders across the country and helped guide influential businesses, like Microsoft, to take strong public stances for fairness. With the release of HRC’s Corporate Equality Index 2006, 86 percent of Fortune 500 companies now include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies and 51 percent offer same-sex partner benefits.
Whether adding expertise and resources to HRC’s Workplace, Family and Coming Out Projects, appearing on CNN or in The New York Times, or hosting his weekly XM radio show, “The Agenda with Joe Solmonese,” Joe is committed to educational work that changes public opinion and ultimately moves our country forward.
A native of Attleboro, Mass., Joe is 42 and lives in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Boston University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in communications.
As president of the Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solmonese has demonstrated that he has the political, strategic and communications skills to make the organization a powerhouse both in Washington and around the country. Under his leadership, the National Journal has rated the organization the second most successful interest group in all of Washington during the 2006 election.