COUNCIL WELCOMES NEW EDUCATION DIRECTOR IN PREPARATION TO LAUNCH NATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

   RICHMOND, Va. (May 21, 2004) - As project momentum for the First Freedom Center increases, the First Freedom Center has expanded its staff, adding an Education Director. As Education Director, Isabelle Kinnard Richman will be responsible for planning, developing and executing programs to increase the understanding of and appreciation for religious freedom.
   "We are delighted to have her on board," said Tommy Baer, Council President. "Education is key to opening minds and changing lives with regard to religious freedom. This position is essential to what we're doing, and after a competitive search, I am confident that we have found the right person to entrust with this important responsibility," he added.
   Kinnard will work with content experts and designers to develop and continually improve the substance, appeal and effectiveness of the First Freedom Center's permanent exhibits. Ralph Appelbaum, exhibit-designer of the National Holocaust Museum, was chosen to design the First Freedom Center's exhibits and will work with Kinnard to further develop their educational content.
   Kinnard's responsibilities also will extend outside the Center. A core curriculum for teachers has already been outlined by Constitutional scholars, historians and educators from around the nation. Through this curriculum, students will learn the dramatic but little-known story of the development of religious freedom in America. Kinnard will work with educators to develop and deliver a range of educational outreach programs and services, including content workshops, instructional materials and Web-based resources.
   Eventually, teachers will be able to access lesson plans on the Web, attend workshops at the Center that teach this crucial and sometimes controversial topic, and enjoy countless other resources to supplement and creatively explore their curricula. She will also work with educators to develop and deliver field trip visits by classes.
   Kinnard commented, "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute materially and conceptually to the education of students, teachers and the general public on the critical topics of religious freedom and religious tolerance."
   Before joining the Council, Kinnard taught in the Department of Religious Studies at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., where her list of classes included "New Testament Origins" and "History of Christianity."
   After graduating cum laude from the University of Chicago in 1985, Kinnard earned her law degree from DePaul College of Law. In 1988 she was admitted to the Illinois Bar and practiced law in Chicago for five years before beginning graduate studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School. In 2001, she received her Ph.D. in Church History.
   Kinnard has volunteered extensively for various cultural, community service, legal aid and educational foundations in both Chicago and Williamsburg.