Bio - Lisa Maatz,

Commemoration of Equal Pay Day - April 28, 2011

Lisa Maatz, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations, American Association for University Women

As AAUW's top policy adviser, Lisa Maatz works to advance AAUW's priority issues on Capitol Hill, through the executive branch, and in coalition with other organizations. Maatz is a sought-after speaker across the nation and on Capitol Hill and provides leadership to several coalitions working to advance opportunities for women and girls. Recently featured in the book Secrets of Powerful Women, Maatz has developed a reputation for her strategic approach to legislation and advocacy. She has done similar work for the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Older Women's League and was a legislative aide to U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY). Her grassroots advocacy career began when she was the executive director of Turning Point, a battered women's program recognized for excellence by the Ohio Supreme Court.

Maatz is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Ohio University, has two master's degrees from Ohio State University, and holds an adjunct appointment with the Women and Politics Institute at American University. Her honors include the Women's Information Network's Young Woman of Achievement Award (she now serves on that organization's Advisory Council) and the Mentor Award from the Public Leadership Education Network. Maatz was also a congressional fellow for the Women's Research & Education Institute and has received a mayoral appointment to the Washington, D.C., Commission on Women.

Maatz has served as the director of public policy and government relations at AAUW since 2003. During that time, she also spent 16 months serving concurrently as the interim director of the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund.