Laura Bryant Hanford
Laura Bryant Hanford served from 1996-2001 in the Washington office of Congressman Bob Clement, a Democrat from Tennessee's 5th District. During her time on Representative Clement's staff, she led and co-led numerous Congressional efforts on behalf of persons imprisoned or mistreated for their religious beliefs. Among her most significant legislative involvements was the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. She was a principal drafter and one of the primary negotiators of this landmark Act. She has also served in Bucharest, Romania with the State Department from 1993 to 1994, as Acting Human Rights Officer at the US Embassy and as an interim director of the US Embassy Office in Cluj.