Dr. Nancy O'Reilly Joins the Board of the ERA Coalition
September 26, 2024
June 13, 2023
Contact: cwest@eracoalition.org
Washington, DC –– Today, the ERA Coalition and the Fund for Women’s Equality announced that Ben Crump and Lisa Ann Walter are joining the organizations’ boards. The ERA Coalition Board, newly chaired by former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, and the Fund for Women’s Equality, newly chaired by Jamia Wilson, represent a diverse group of civil rights and equality leaders and advocates nationwide.
“The movement to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution began a century ago, and we’re still fighting today. Congress has the power to act to protect our rights, and we’ll keep fighting until equality is preserved in the 28th Amendment,” said Zakiya Thomas, President and CEO of the ERA Coalition/Fund for Women’s Equality. “We’re proud to welcome these incredible, accomplished individuals to our board at such a critical time in the movement for equality on all fronts.”
Ben Crump is an American attorney specializing in civil rights and catastrophic personal injury cases. He is the President of the National Civil Rights Trial Lawyers Association and served as President of the National Bar Association. He was also the first African-American to chair the Florida State University College of Law Board of Directors. In 2021, Crump was included on the Time 100, Time’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2023, St. Thomas University in Florida renamed their College of Law after Crump, marking the first time such an honor had been bestowed upon a practicing black lawyer in U.S. history.
Lisa Ann Walter is an actress, creator, producer, and writer currently starring in ABC’s #1 show, the Emmy-nominated, SAG AWARD Best Comedy Ensemble winning “Abbott Elementary.” Walter’s career also includes stand-out performances in “The Parent Trap” with Dennis Quaid, “Shall We Dance” opposite Richard Gere, and “Bruce Almighty” with Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston. Walters authored “The Best Thing About My Ass Is That It’s Behind Me” about women and self-esteem, which was on the New York Times Bestseller list. She chairs the SAG-AFTRA LA Women’s Committee and the force behind the union informing members on reproductive rights and health care plans, flying members to safe states for care.Walter also co-created, produced, and starred in several network sitcoms, including Fox’s “My Wildest Dreams” and ABC's “Life's Work.”
Meet the ERA Coalition and Fund for Women’s Equality boards at www.eracoalition.org/our-team.
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The ERA Coalition was founded in 2014 to bring concerted, organized action to the effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA Coalition has a sister organization, the Fund for Women’s Equality, which promotes public education and outreach on the need for constitutional equality. Composed of nearly 300 organizations across the country, the Coalition provides education and advocacy on constitutional equality.