Patricia Ireland

"Just a year ago, I returned from an overseas trip weak, short of breath and with a racing heart. When I went to my doctor, she rushed me to the emergency room. I was told that I had congestive heart and respiratory failure and, they suspected, leukemia. Thus, 2007 became for me an ongoing struggle to save my life and regain my health."

"That first night, believing I might be facing imminent death, I was surprised and happy to find how satisfied I was with the life I had led. I was ready - not eager, but ready - to die. On the third night, after a diagnosis of acute myelogenous leukemia had been confirmed, I awoke with more than just an overwhelming feeling of contentment. I was positively exhilarated by the strong conviction that my life had had meaning and purpose and that it was the work I had done in the women's movement, the close friends I had made with whom I had shared a passion for improving women's lives that had led to such a fulfilling life."

"We have made great progress during my three decades as an activist, and I have benefited personally in so many ways from those years of work in the National Organization for Women. Yet fewer people today seem willing to commit time to causes. I would love to change that by telling my story."

Currently Accepting:

Ms. Ireland is currently accepting speaking engagements in Southern Florida area.

She is also available for TV and Radio interviews.

Spring 08 Topics Include:

Women's History - the Changes in My Lifetime

Election 2008: Perspectives of a Presidential Campaign Manager

Where Do You Go From Here? Activism as a profession.

Ms Ireland also speaks on:

LGBT rights and equal marrige

Ending Violence Against Women

Equality NOW more than ever

From the School Board to the White House: Why women Should Run for Political Office

Women Leaders: Our Common Values and Goals

Women's Rights ARE Human Rights

The Media vs. Feminism

How women can challenge and change the Democratic Party

Feminist Law

The Law and Women

Leader in the Worldwide Feminist Movement
	Patricia Ireland is one of the most influential feminist leaders in the country. During her ten years as president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), she used her experience as a lawyer to move NOW to the forefront of the political scene and establish herself as a groundbreaking activist.

Currently
	practicing law in Florida, Ms. Ireland credits the job discrimination she faced as a flight attendant with leading to her life's work on issues of equality.

Political Organizing
	Ms. Ireland brings a unique understanding to political organizing. She initiated NOW's "Elect Women for a Change" campaign that played a pivotal role in making 1992 the "Year of the Woman", and she has built on that success. In 2004, she served as campaign manager for Carol Moseley Braun's bid for the White House. She is featured in the 2005 book Campaign for President: The Managers Look at 2004.

Key Player

Widely recognized as a key player in improving social and economic conditions for women in the United States and around the world, Ms. Ireland is especially adept at challenging people to make the connections between women's rights and other human rights issues. A hallmark of her work has been to forge stronger links among the women's, antipoverty, civil rights, disability rights, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights movements.

Must Quote

Ms. Ireland has had a continuous presence in media outlets that shape public opinion. She has discussed childcare on ABC's Nightline, Supreme Court nominees on PBS's Jim Lehrer News Hour, the impact of the women's vote on NBC's Meet the Press, and women as policy-makers on CNN's Larry King Live. Ms. Ireland is considered a "must quote" for articles that concern women, and she frequently appears in the nation's most widely-read newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and USA Today. She has been the subject of numerous feature stories, in publications ranging from The New York Times Sunday Magazine to People.

What Women Want
	Ms. Ireland wrote about her path to personal and political power in What Women Want. The 1996 book has had popular success and is used in history and women's studies courses. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements each year, engaging audiences at venues as diverse as rallies, universities and the National Press Club.

Attorney
	In 1975, Ms. Ireland graduated cum laude from the University of Miami Law School, where she served on the Law Review and the Lawyer of Americas, an inter-American law journal. Before moving to the nation's capital, she was a partner at a prestigious Miami law firm where she practiced business law while serving as NOW's pro-bono legal counsel.

Global Issues
	Ms. Ireland has emerged as a leading figure in the world-wide feminist movement. She initiated NOW's Global Feminist Conference in 1992, bringing together women from more than 45 countries. She has worked with women in England, France, Germany, Brazil, Cuba, China and Kenya.

Continuing Leadership
	Patricia Ireland promises to be a major figure in the women's movement during the next decade and beyond.

All Topics Welcome