Mary Beth Maxwell

A longtime leader in social justice movements, Mary Beth (M.B.) Maxwell leads the groundbreaking and innovative efforts of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC)'s educational arm, the HRC Foundation. She oversees the organization's public education and programmatic initiatives covering a wide range of issues affecting LGBT people in the United States and around the globe. Her portfolio includes the programs focused on the workplace, children and youth, LGBT families, health and aging, HIV and AIDS, religion and faith, and LGBT issues abroad. Maxwell previously served in the Obama Administration as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) where she was a key figure in shaping the Administration’s policy agenda for working families, including raising the minimum wage, expanding paid leave, ensuring labor standards for home care workers, and advocating for collective bargaining rights and workers’ voice in the workplace. She played a lead role in the Administration’s many accomplishments for LGBT workers. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Maxwell was the Founding Executive Director of American Rights at Work, a leading voice for modernizing and reforming our nation’s labor laws. She has also served in various other senior-level positions at Jobs with Justice, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the United States Student Association. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her 15-year-old son.