National Council of Churches, Church Women United
name Robin L. Fillmore as their advocacy coordinator

New York, July 21, 2011 -- Dr. Robin L. Fillmore, a long-time activist in ecumenical and interfaith organizations in Washington, has been named to the joint position of advocacy coordinator for the National Council of Churches and Church Women United.

Dr. Fillmore will begin her assignment August 1 in the NCC's Washington office on Maryland Avenue.

She is currently director of outreach for the Faith & Politics Institute in Washington, where she designed and implemented the organization's communication strategy. As director of the institute's signature program, she worked closely with Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) to introduce 200 people a year to historic sites of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.

Fillmore also worked for Sojourners for ten years, as director of integrated marketing, conference director, and director of interns and education.

The role of the NCC/CWU advocacy coordinator is to create an effective joint presence in Washington for advocacy by and for women and girls. She will create a communication and outreach strategy that will promote the visibility of both organizations among member communions and in society at large.

"I have a tremendous energy for this position, as well as a strong sense of calling to work with the unique issues of women and girls within the context of the church," Fillmore said in accepting the assignment.

Elements of her new assignment will be to work with Church Women United to prepare for the Quadrennial Meeting of the Common Council and the CWU 70th Birthday Celebration in Atlantic City November 30 - December 3.

She will also represent the National Council of Churches on the Interfaith Committee on Domestic Violence, and in planning for the annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days event.

Fillmore earned the Ph.D. degree at Kent State University in 2006. She holds a masters degree in political science from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, and a bachelors degree in history and political science from Otterbein College, Westerville, Ohio.

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for shared ecumenical witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 37 member communions -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office), 646-853-4212 (cell), pjenks@ncccusa.org