NHA Press Release - May 4, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2005

National Humanities Alliance Announces New Executive Director

Washington, DC - The National Humanities Alliance, a coalition of more than eighty nonprofit organizations, has named Jessica Jones Irons as its new Executive Director. She succeeds John Hammer, who retired in December, 2004, after seventeen years in the position.

Irons has served in a variety of capacities at the Alliance, including Assistant Director and most recently Interim Executive Director. The appointment was made by the NHA Board of Directors and will be announced formally at the 2005 NHA Annual Meeting, which takes place on May 7 in Philadelphia, PA.

Robert Vaughan, President of the National Humanities Alliance and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, praised Ms. Irons for her dedication, leadership, and advocacy as Interim Director during the past four months. "I am personally delighted, as is every member of the Board, that NHA has attracted such a gifted and committed professional to challenge the Alliance and its diverse constituencies as we consider together the future of the humanities nationally and internationally."
"The humanities are at the center of our understanding of ourselves as individuals and as a society. I am delighted to work with so many dedicated professionals and organizations, here in Washington and nationally, to carry the work of the Alliance forward," Irons said.

Since joining the Alliance in 1999, Irons has worked to strengthen the infrastructure for communications and advocacy on behalf of the humanities through development of the Alliance's grassroots network and on-line advocacy tools. She has advocated on national and federal issues on behalf of the Alliance membership, represented the organization to Congress and the Executive Branch, and coordinated with other associations and task forces to advance the organization's objectives in areas of common concern. Irons is responsible for launching Humanities Advocacy Day in 2000, an annual event bringing faculty, students, administrators and others to Washington to communicate the importance of the humanities to lawmakers.

As Special Projects Coordinator from 1994-1998 for New Boston Systems, a Boston-based recruitment firm, Irons providing technical training and support to offices nationwide and overseas, and developed business proposals for government and private-sector clients. Irons earned a B.A. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University in 1994, where she also worked in the Harvard University Library Office of Information Technology.

For more information, contact Leah LaPorte, National Humanities Alliance at 202.296.4994 x150.

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The National Humanities Alliance advances the cause of the humanities by promoting the common interests of its members with regard to national policy affecting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The Alliance monitors and takes action on a variety of legislative, regulatory and judicial issues, including federal funding, copyright and intellectual property, freedom of expression, and access to government information.