Lambda Announces New Director of Midwest Regional Office

(CHICAGO, Thursday, December, 20, 2001) —Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund announced Wednesday that Mona Noriega will bring her years of public relations, activism and marketing experience to the Midwest office she helped open in Chicago nearly a decade ago. In addition Jim Faucett, a new senior member of Lambda’s development team, has been promoted to associate director for Midwest development.

As of January, Noriega will be regional director of Lambda’s Midwest Regional Office, which advances civil rights of lesbians, gay men and people living with HIV/AIDS throughout an eight-state region. After successfully launching the MRO with Senior Counsel, Patricia Logue, Noriega returned to graduate school for her business degree in marketing and strategic planning. Since graduation from the University of Illinois at Chicago, she has worked in a variety of nonprofit and management jobs.

“Mona brings a wealth of expertise to this position,” said Lambda Executive Director, Kevin M. Cathcart. “Lambda’s Midwest office will no doubt benefit from her years of experience and deep commitment to our community.”

Most recently, Noriega was founding co-chair and senior bid consultant for Chicago 2006, Inc., an organization working to bring the Gay Games Sports and Cultural Festival to Chicago. She worked to develop diverse community support for the bid to host the Games, mobilized hundreds of volunteers, raised thousands of dollars, and created partnerships with municipal and state governments.

A seasoned community activist, Noriega has served for years on the executive committee of Amigas Latinas, a lesbian community group committed to the empowerment and education of Latinas in the Chicago area.

“I am excited at the opportunity to return to Lambda and continue my work on behalf of our many communities,” Noriega said. “As discrimination continues to be an everyday reality, the fight for social justice and securing our civil rights is more important than ever. As the Midwest Regional Office approaches a decade of wins, the need for Lambda’s work continues to grow.”

As assistant publisher for Windy City Times, Noriega crafted marketing, managed client relationships, and oversaw all phases of operations for the weekly newspaper. In addition, she created marketing programs for the Chicago Park District’s Garfield Park Conservatory, and wrote a marketing report for the Institute for Public Safety Partnership, a regional nonprofit policing organization.

Noriega is a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University and the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a member of the National Society of Hispanic MBAs, Horizons Community Leadership Council, and a Trustee of the Girls Best Friend Foundation.

Jim Faucett has been active in the Chicago arts community as a program and executive director for over 12 years. Most recently, he was program director of ArtsBridge, the nation’s first business incubator for the arts. A graduate of University of Illinois, Chicago and Florida State University, Faucett also served as executive director of Joel Hall Dancers, where he was responsible for administration of the nonprofit dance organization.

"In his six months at Lambda, Jim Faucett has become essential to regional fundraising, using his broad range of past non-profit experience," said Logue.

The oldest and largest legal organization dedicated to the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, and people with HIV and AIDS, Lambda has its headquarters in New York and regional offices in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta. Lambda will to open an office in Dallas in 2002.

Contact: Pat Logue 312-663-4413 x 30
Amanda Scioscia 212-809-8585 x 230, 888-987-1971