[Waltham, MA] October 10, 2006 ? Denise Leclair, Executive Director of the International Foundation for Gender Education, has been selected to be a representative of the Transgender Community at the Nonprofit Congress National Meeting, to be held October 16 ? 17 in Washington, DC. Over 400 individuals from 48 states and the District of Columbia applied to be delegates for this unprecedented initiative to unite nonprofits and strengthen the charitable sector.

The Nonprofit Congress is national movement to build a diverse network of local leaders to identify and address the challenges that all nonprofits face in meeting and advocating for community needs. Nonprofit Congress organizers Audrey R. Alvarado, executive director of the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, and Robert Egger, founder and president of D.C. Central Kitchen, were recently honored as NonProfit Times? Power and Influence Top 50, an annual list of ?leaders shaping the nonprofit world.?

At the National Meeting, hundreds of delegates from across the country will converge on Washington, DC to identify the values that all nonprofits share, develop a vision and priorities for the nonprofit sector, and exercise a collective voice. Their work will be informed by data gathered from over 100 Town Hall meetings in 40 states and the District of Columbia.

Nonprofit Congress delegates will represent the broad interests of the nonprofit sector and mirror the geographic and issue diversity of charitable organizations. Additionally, delegates will bring forward the concerns of traditionally underrepresented groups.

Registration for the National Meeting is open to at-large participants at www.nonprofitcongress.org.

?I am honored to be a representative at the Nonprofit Congress National Meeting.? said Ms. Leclair, IFGE Executive Director. ?It is incredibly empowering to be able to bring the values and needs of the transgender community to such an influential and motivated group of leaders.?

The International Foundation for Gender Education is a Massachusetts based non-profit working to promote acceptance for transgender people through education, and one of the oldest transgender advocacy organizations. Ms. Leclair has held several key positions within IFGE since 1998. She was appointed Executive Director in 2002.

###