Vitrac, King join BHI staff

Noted political activist Dorothea Vitrac has joined the Beacon Hill Institute as its Director of Development.

In her new position, Vitrac will be responsible for all aspects of BHI's fundraising and grantwriting. She will also lead a campaign to help the institute expand its operating budget.

In addition, Stephanie F. King joins BHI as its Legislative Analyst. She will track legislation related to research projects such as tax rate reduction and tax credits for charitable contributions. King brings years of public affairs experience to her new position. From 1992 to 1996, she served as Legislative Director for Brandon Associates, an issues management firm.

Vitrac entered public affairs in 1980 when she was first elected to the position of Selectman in New Braintree, a post she held until 1983. She ran again for the office in 1987 and served for another three years. In 1986 she spearheaded a grassroots campaign against a multi-million dollar state prison project proposed for this rural Central Massachusetts town with a population of 800. The campaign ended successfully in 1990 when Governor William F. Weld ordered the prison project stopped.

In 1990, she founded the nonpartisan Massachusetts term limits group, LIMITS. She coordinated the successful passage of an initiative petition which imposed term limits for Massachusetts officials in 1994. In July 1997, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled the law unconstitutional.

Known for her organizational skills, Vitrac will apply her experience to better position BHI as a much-needed resource for informed public policy analysis. "I look forward to spreading the word about the crucial work BHI is doing in Massachusetts and across the nation," said Vitrac. "People will be more willing to see themselves as stakeholders in key policy debates once they learn about the value of the institute's research."

Vitrac, a Massachusetts native, is married and the mother of two teenage children.

King is a candidate for a Master of Business Administration degree at Suffolk University's Sawyer School of Management. She received a BA in Public Administration from Suffolk University. A lifelong resident of the Bay State, King is a member of the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus.

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Revised on 9/9/02 4:13 PM