Secular Coalition for America appoints public policy expert Ron Millar as legislative assistant
Sept. 1, 2005
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Secular Coalition for America announced today the appointment of Ron Millar as legislative assistant.
Millar has held administrative positions at the National Research Council / The National Academies, the School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University and the Virginia affiliate of the National Abortion Rights Action League. He has also worked in political campaigns, lobbied at state and national levels, and owned a publishing company specializing in legislative monthlies.
Millar completed his Ph.D. at the Virginia Tech Center for Public Administration and Policy in December, 2005. His research examines the involvement of interest groups in Supreme Court cases addressing the funding of sectarian schools. He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration from Virginia Tech and a B.A. in Political Science from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
"Ron Millar's background is a perfect match for our issues," commented coalition president Herb Silverman, adding that Millar will assist the coalition's director/lobbyist, former Nevada State Senator Lori Lipman Brown, in tracking legislation and lobbying members of Congress. "I am excited to welcome him as an advocate for the rights and interests of America's non-religious citizens."
Organized in 2002 as the nation's first 501(c)4 lobbying organization for freethinkers, the Secular Coalition for America works to increase the visibility and respectability of nontheistic viewpoints within the larger culture and to protect and strengthen secular government as the best guarantee of freedom for all.
"I am thrilled that nontheistic interest groups have united to form a political entity to counter the influence of the religious right at the national level," said Millar, who will join the coalition's staff on Sept. 19.
Founding members of the coalition are the Atheist Alliance International, the Institute for Humanist Studies, the Secular Student Alliance, and the Secular Web (Internet Infidels). The American Humanist Association joined the coalition in 2005. The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers is an honorary member.