WAND empowers women to act politically to reduce
violence and militarism, and redirect excessive military resources
toward unmet human and environmental needs.
Marie
Rietmann serves as Public Policy Director for
Women’s Action for New Directions, a post
she has held since early 2003. Prior to joining
WAND, she worked for Oregon elected officials
for a dozen years, including Sen. Mark Hatfield,
Rep. Elizabeth Furse, and Rep. Earl Blumenauer
where she was responsible for defense and foreign
policy issues.
Marie’s
legislative accomplishments included staff work on the
1993 Spratt-Furse ban on low-yield nuclear weapons (would
be a third the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima).
Her work enabled Rep. Blumenauer to become the national
leader on cleanup of unexploded ordnance, the bombs
and shells that did not go off as intended and subsequently
litter the landscape.
Marie’s partner, Keo Cavalcanti,
is a sociology professor at James Madison University
in the Shenandoah Valley. Her brother and his family
live on the family wheat and cattle ranch she grew
up on in north central Oregon. She is a lifelong member
of the United Church of Christ.
