Neil G. Giuliano serves as President of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

Prior to GLAAD, Mr. Giuliano served for ten years as the mayor of Tempe, Arizona (1994-2004) and also had a 25-year career as a senior administrator at Arizona State University (ASU), the largest public university in the United States. His posts with ASU included directing student leadership development, alumni relations, federal government relations and community relations. Mr. Giuliano also served as lead organizer and co-chair for the final 2004 Presidential Debate held at ASU.

As mayor of one of the largest cities in the generally conservative state of Arizona, Mr. Giuliano was among the nation's most visible openly gay elected officials, whose track record of successful coalition building won him endorsement by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and overwhelming public support. He was active with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, served on the Board of Directors and as Vice-Chair of the National Advisory Council of the National League of Cities, and is profiled in the book Trailblazers: Stories of America’s Openly Gay Officials.

Mr. Giuliano established a Human Relations Commission, sought appointment of a Hate Crimes Liaison officer in the Police Department, secured management support for a non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity, and cast the tie-breaking vote providing domestic partner benefits for city employees.

Mr. Giuliano received a BA degree from the Hugh Downs School of Communication in 1979 and a M.Ed. degree in Higher Education Administration in 1983, both from Arizona State University, where he served as Student Body President.

About GLAAD

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) www.glaad.org, with offices in New York City and Los Angeles, is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

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