New York–The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)announced four new Board Members and the results of its annual election of officers. Laurie Perper will join Yvette Burton as Co-Chair, Collin Sam will serve as Treasurer, and Mike Schaefer will serve as Secretary. GLAAD is a national advocacy organization dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representations of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Yvette Burton, Ph.D., a Global Business Development Executive with the IBM Corporation, begins her second year as Co-Chair. "We congratulate our new Board Members and officers, all who share our commitment to changing hearts and minds," Burton said.

Laurie Perper will join Burton as Co-Chair of the Board of Directors. Previously, Perper served as Co-Chair of GLAAD's New York Media Awards for three years from 2005-2007. She is currently a Managing Director at Barclay's Capital. An alumnus of Princeton University, she resides in New York City with her partner and their three sons. She succeeds John Hadity, of consulting firm Hadity and Associates, who served as Co-Chair since 2004.

"After being part of the Board of Directors since June 2007, I am honored to have the opportunity to lead and work with GLAAD's top-notch board and staff whose advocacy work plays an integral role in advancing the LGBT movement," Perper said.

Collin Sam, who was elected Treasurer, has been a board member since February 2008. He is based in Los Angeles where he is a Director of Business Strategy Reporting & Implementation at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. Mike Schaefer, the newly elected Secretary, is currently an independent consultant and the surviving partner of an early Microsoft executive. He has participated in the 2007 distribution of more than $165 million to charitable organizations, half of which supported LGBT causes. He is based in Seattle, Washington and joined the Board of Directors in February 2008.

The new Members of the Board of Directors include Troup B. Coronado, Rob Marcolina, Sally Hammel and Aaron Walton.

"GLAAD welcomes our new Board Members, officers and their commitments to strengthen our advocacy work," said GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "The talent and diverse experiences of our Board has always been one of GLAAD's key assets as we continue to change hearts and minds."

Troup B. Coronado is currently a Vice President of External Affairs at AT&T where he manages external, governmental, and charitable affairs in the cities of Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Malibu, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood, California, and is the lead executive in managing relationships with national LGBT organizations. Coronado has served as a Board Member of several organizations including Equality California (EQCA). He was also the Executive Chair of the 2008 GLAAD Media Awards San Francisco ceremony. Coronado earned his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School and his B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin. He resides in Los Angeles, California.

Rob Marcolina is a partner at Bain & Company, a global management consulting firm, where he works in the media and entertainment practice. He earned his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He resides in Los Angeles with his partner and their daughter. 

Sally Hammel has over 20 years experience in the business of advertising. She is currently the Chief Financial Officer of GroupM Interaction, where she is responsible for financial and operational oversight of the online media planning and search marketing company. She holds a M.B.A. from New York University's Stern School of Business and a B.S. from the University of Connecticut. Hammel lives in New York with her partner and their daughter.

Aaron Walton is the co-founder of Walton | Isaacson, a full-service advertising and brand-building firm formed with the mission of using entertainment and pop-culture to achieve traditional corporate marketing. He received his B.S. from Babson College and now serves as a Trustee. Walton resides in Los Angeles, where he and his partner were the first gay couple ever married at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Century City.