Joe Solmonese was the president of the Human Rights Campaign of the United States and its affiliate the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. He was appointed to this position on March 9, 2005, replacing Cheryl Jacques. A native of Attleboro, Massachusetts, Solmonese lives in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Boston University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Science degree in communications.
Solmonese is the former Chief Executive Officer of EMILY's List, where he oversaw one of the nation's prominent pro-choice Democratic political action committees, including its Political Opportunity Program.
Solmonese has worked for numerous campaigns and in government positions. He held top fundraising positions at the 1992 Senate campaign of Les AuCoin and Barney Frank's 1990 Congressional campaign. Solmonese began his career as an aide in the office of Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis.
Solmonese hosted The Agenda with Joe Solmonese on XM Satellite Radio.
In February 2008, Solmonese appeared on two episodes of The Colbert Report.
On August 27, 2011, the Human Rights Campaign announced that Solomonese would step down as president of HRC on March 31, 2012. On February 22, 2012, the Obama 2012 campaign announced the appointment of Solmonese as one of 35 national co-chairs of the campaign. On March 2, 2012, the HRC announced that Chad Griffin will replace Solmonese as president with Solmonese continuing in that role until June 11, 2012
Famous quotes containing the word joe:
“While we were thus engaged in the twilight, we heard faintly, from far down the stream, what sounded like two strokes of a woodchopper’s axe, echoing dully through the grim solitude.... When we told Joe of this, he exclaimed, “By George, I’ll bet that was a moose! They make a noise like that.” These sounds affected us strangely, and by their very resemblance to a familiar one, where they probably had so different an origin, enhanced the impression of solitude and wildness.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)