Laura Fortman

Laura A. Fortman (born 1954)[1] is an American government employee, non-profit executive, and women's rights activist. Since 2013 she has served as deputy administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the United States Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. Previously she was commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor, and executive director of the Frances Perkins Center, the Maine Women's Lobby, and the Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Center of Augusta. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 2007.

Laura A. Fortman
Fortman at U.S. Department of Labor signing ceremony in 2014
Born1954 (age 65–66)
NationalityUnited States
EducationB.A. history, University of New Hampshire
M.A. leadership, Northeastern University
OccupationDeputy administrator, Wage and Hour Division, United States Department of Labor
Years active2013–present
Known forExecutive director, Maine Women's Lobby, 1993–2003
Commissioner, Maine Department of Labor, 2003–2011
AwardsMaine Women's Hall of Fame, 2007
Websitewww.laurafortman.com

Early life and education

Fortman was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1954. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire, she went on to complete a certification course in Senior Executives in State and Local Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government Harvard University. She earned her master's degree in leadership at Northeastern University.

Run for State Senate

In January 2018, Laura Fortman announced that she would seek election to the Maine State Senate in District 13 (Alna, Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, Edgecomb, Hibberts Gore, Jefferson, Louds Island, Monhegan Island Plantation, Newcastle, Nobleboro, Somerville, South Bristol, Southport, Waldoboro, Washington, Westport Island, Whitefield, Windsor, and Wiscasset).

In her race for Maine Senate, she's earned the endorsement of President Barack Obama, as well as organizations that represent, women, teachers, workers, and state employees.

Career

Fortman dedicated the early part of her career to improving the lives of women and girls, particularly related to policy work advancing support for victims of sexual and domestic violence. As a survivor of sexual assault, Forman's resilience and courage led her to work as a direct service provider at the Women's Resource Center in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. When she came to Maine in the mid-1980s, she successfully directed the Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Center and was a founding member of the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

As Executive Director of the Maine Women's Lobby and the Maine Women's Policy Center for over a decade, she was the voice for women and girls in the Legislature, speaking to the full array of circumstances affecting women, including health care, reproductive rights, economic security, discrimination, and education. In the legislative and policy arena, she helped to pass Maine's Reproductive Privacy Act, insurance coverage for contraception, a resolution requiring the Department of Labor to implement Maine's Equal Pay Act, Maine's Parents as Scholars program empowering welfare recipients to access higher education, the ground-breaking employment leave for victims of violence law, and unemployment insurance protection for part-time workers and for victims of violence, among many others. Through her leadership on the Commission to Study the Unemployment Compensation System, the Commission to Study the Costs and Benefits of Paid Family Medical Leave, the Maine Health Care Performance Council, and many others, she brought the voices of women to the policymaking process. She coupled her advocacy on behalf of women and girls with nurturing leadership in others, mentoring many women.

Governor John Baldacci nominated Fortman to be the next commissioner of the Maine Department of Labor in April 2003.[2] Fortman assumed responsibility for 490 department employees and also chaired the Governor's Workforce Cabinet.[3] During her tenure until the end of 2010, the gender pay gap was decreased and the state created more and nontraditional employment services for women.[4] Afterward she served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maine at Augusta.[5]

From October 2011 to May 2013 Fortman was the executive director of the Frances Perkins Center in Damariscotta.[6] In June 2013 she was named deputy administrator of the Wage and Hour Division at the United States Department of Labor.[7]

Awards and honors

In 2001 Fortman was the recipient of the Maryann Hartman Award from the University of Maine.[1] In 2010 she received the Frances Perkins award from the Lincoln County Democrats.[8] In 2012 she received the Friend of USM Women & Gender Studies Award from the University of Southern Maine.[9] She has also received awards from the Maine Women's Fund, the Maine Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance, and the Maine People's Alliance,[3] and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Maine at Augusta.[3]

She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 2007.[10]

Personal life

Fortman and her husband reside in Nobleboro.[1]

gollark: It'd just spread less, probably.
gollark: Viruses don't do long-term planning or indeed any, so a deadlier variant *could* happen.
gollark: Wide deployment, I mean.
gollark: These things always take a while to actually be usable. I expect it's a year out.
gollark: The "other ones lasted longer than a year so the estimates are too optimistic" thing ignores the fact that we can develop vaccines now.

References
  1. Higgins, A.J. (23 October 2001). "Winning Women: Laura Fortman". Bangor Daily News. pp. C1–C2.
  2. Adams, Glenn (17 April 2003). "Women's lobbyist tapped to head Labor". Bangor Daily News. p. B1.
  3. "Meet Maine's Laura Fortman" (PDF). Prevailing Times. National Alliance for Fair Contracting: 14. Fall 2009.
  4. "Maine Women's Hall of Fame – Honorees: Laura Fortman". University of Maine at Augusta. 2016. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  5. "Adjunct Faculty". University of Maine at Augusta. 2016. Archived from the original on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  6. Bayly, Julia (12 October 2011). "Frances Perkins Center names new executive director". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  7. "Deputy Administrator, Wage and Hour Division – Laura A. Fortman". United States Department of Labor. Archived from the original on 12 August 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  8. Miller, Kevin (24 April 2010). "Lincoln County Democrats honor labor commissioner". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  9. "Laura Fortman Receives USM Women & Gender Studies Award (press release)". University of Southern Maine. 5 April 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  10. "Maine Women's Hall of Fame Celebration Honors Longtime Lobby Leader, Laura Fortman" (PDF). The Maine Women's Advocate. Maine Women's Lobby: 4. Winter 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
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