College’s First Coordinator of LGBT Resources Begins New Job

Lisa Maurer, who has nearly two decades of experience as a sexuality educator, began her duties on October 8 as the College’s first coordinator of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) education outreach and services. The Ithaca College Board of Trustees approved creating the new half-time position in February 2001.

Working in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Maurer will provide College-wide leadership in establishing the Center for LGBT Education Outreach and Services, which will open November 12 and will be located in the Hammond Health Center. She will provide educational workshops, seminars, and programs to enhance campus awareness, understanding, and appreciation for issues and concerns that affect LGBT students, faculty, and staff.

"Lisa comes to us with administrative and teaching experience working with the LGBT community in a variety of professional settings, including higher education," says Roger Richardson, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs. "She will be a strong advocate for those students who wish their concerns to be heard regarding issues of gender and sexual orientation."

"As a student, I didn’t have a college-run center to turn to for support or resources," Maurer says. "I am excited to make that different for Ithaca College’s LGBT community and their straight allies by providing them with an accessible LGBT center to meet their needs."

The center and a coordinator to run it have long been priorities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.

"Lisa’s appointment is groundbreaking for Ithaca College because it is the first time LGBT students have unequivocally been given the message that their needs matter," says Shelley Facente ’02, copresident of Created Equal: Allied in Fighting Homophobia, a student organization working to provide solutions to problems facing the LGBT community. "Lisa is a resource for all those who need somewhere to turn and for students, faculty, and staff who have questions or concerns and previously didn’t know where to address them."

"This is a crucial step toward creating a safer environment for all students on campus," adds Jennifer Addonizio ’03, president of BiGAYLA, a campus organization that aims to educate and inform the College community about LGBT issues. "Lisa brings a wealth of knowledge about all aspects of the LGBT community and is herself an incredible resource. The opening of this center will ideally mean more programming targeted to minority students in order to promote acceptance and awareness on campus. It’s a big step for the College to recognize the large and intricately diverse LGBT population on campus and to make a commitment ensuring the College is a friendly place for all people."

Before coming to Ithaca College, Maurer was a freelance consultant, providing training on such issues as sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity, curriculum design, and developmental disabilities. She has worked as a sexuality educator for nearly 20 years, most recently serving as family life education director for the Seven Lakes Council of the Girl Scouts of the USA, where she ran a comprehensive sexuality and family life program that provided education and support for a 13-county area covering central New York and northern Pennsylvania. While serving as LGBT resource coordinator at the College, she will continue her work as part-time grant writer for the Ithaca Community Childcare Center.

The recipient of a Women Making History Award, bestowed by the City Federation of Women’s Organizations in Ithaca, Maurer has published several articles in national publications on sexuality, sexual orientation, and gender identity. She is a contributing author to two books, GenderQueer: Voices from beyond the Binary and Sexual Lives: Theories and Realities of Human Sexualities.

Maurer has been designated a certified family life educator by the National Council on Family Relations. She holds a master’s degree in health administration and community wellness promotion from California College for Health Sciences in San Diego and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and philosophy from the University of Delaware.