“Olivia is a remarkably talented professional and a true leader in her field.  In prominent positions on presidential campaigns, in the Obama Administration, and throughout her tenure at SKDKnickerbocker, she’s proven to be a deeply skilled, effective communicator and strategist,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.  “Our work to ensure LGBT people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work, and in every community is far from over. With some of our biggest battles still ahead of us, Olivia’s leadership and expertise will prove key to our future successes in the fight for full LGBT equality.”

Dalton comes to HRC from strategic communications firm SKDKnickerbocker, where she served as a Senior Vice President. She has worked with HRC on marriage equality since early 2013, when SKDKnickerbocker was hired to manage a communications war room for the Respect for Marriage Coalition – an effort which included HRC, Freedom to Marry, AFER, GLAD, and the ACLU.  PR News named Dalton to its annual People to Watch in PR list of rising stars in 2013 in recognition of her work for the Coalition. Over the last several years, Dalton has continued to support HRC’s work on marriage equality as well as Project One America – a campaign to expand LGBT equality across the South.

Dalton is a versatile communicator with a decade of experience advising the nation’s leading public officials. Prior to joining SKDKnickerbocker, she served as a spokesperson for First Lady Michelle Obama, former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and then-Sen. Joe Biden.

“While we celebrate a monumental victory for nationwide marriage equality, the fight for full equality is far from over,” said Dalton. “Millions of LGBT Americans continue to face persistent discrimination in the workplace, at school, in housing, and in public places all across the country.  They deserve the same legal protections that their friends and neighbors have long enjoyed, and I'm honored to be joining the talented team at HRC to continue the fight for full equality under the law at this crucial moment in history.”

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. HRC envisions a world where LGBT people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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