Press Release
New AHA President Elected
For Immediate Release - January 13, 2003
Tony Hileman, (202) 238-9088
(Washington, DC) The Board of Directors of the American Humanist Association
(AHA) is proud to announce the election of Melvin S. Lipman of Las Vegas,
Nevada, as president. He replaces Edd Doerr who leaves office after serving
as AHA's president for the past eight years. The new Board, which took
office on January first, also elected Vice President Lois Lyons, Treasurer
John Nugent, and Secretary Ronald W. Fegley.
Lipman, a retired attorney, is currently working as an arbitrator and
mediator while teaching constitutional law at the Nevada campus of the
University of Phoenix. A chartered bank auditor and former supervising
examiner for the Federal Reserve Board, Lipman brings business savvy to the
world of Humanism. He is a former board member of the Nevada Civil Liberties
Union and remains active in many ACLU efforts. A Humanist minister, Lipman
is a member of the Las Vegas Interfaith Council (a subsidiary of the
National Conference for Community and Justice) and frequently lectures on
church-state issues. Lipman continues to serve on the board of the Humanist
Association of Las Vegas and Southern Nevada (HALVASON) as he has since its
inception. As HALVASON’s spokesperson, Lipman is often quoted in regional
news stories.
Lipman hopes to establish, protect, and promote the position of Humanists in
our society during his presidency. “I am honored to lead the members and
staff of the AHA at such a critical time in our nation's history. Now more
than ever civil liberties and church-state separation are in grave danger.”
Lipman continues, “My goal is to reach out to the large number of Humanists
in our communities so that we can remove the negative stigma our society
places on those who do not share traditional religious beliefs. I want to
publicly challenge the Religious Right’s exclusive claim to morality.”
Elections of the new officers are effective immediately and they will serve
for four years.
Mel Lipman's Bio
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The American Humanist Association is the oldest
and largest Humanist organization in the nation. The AHA is dedicated to
ensuring a voice for those with a positive outlook, based on reason and
experience, which embraces all of humanity.
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