Komen group names director

Lisa Wolter, new Laguna resident, will head the Orange County organization working to defeat breast cancer.Lisa Wolter, a Laguna Beach resident, has been named executive director of the Orange County affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

The foundation recently announced a total of $748,000 in grants would be provided to community groups in Orange County, its largest-ever grant program.

The organization’s mission is to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening and treatment. The organization has raised $750 million since its inception.

Wolter has a 30-year background as a fundraiser and manager of nonprofit organizations. Most recently she served as director of development and communications for Project Angel Food in Los Angeles.

She was also vice president with MZA Events Inc. in New York and Los Angeles, where she worked with major corporate sponsors on the AIDS Walks in various cities, and the Revlon Run/Walk for Women in New York City.

“My commitment and driving passion is in women’s health issues,” she said.

For Komen Orange County, Wolter will serve as the primary liaison between the affiliate and government agencies, collaborative partners, community and the public, as well as overall leadership of the organization.

Wolter is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where she obtained a degree in mass communications and journalism. She began her career as a journalist with the Milwaukee Sentinel before leaving to help found a rape crisis center and women’s shelter.

She recently moved to Laguna with her husband, John Wolter, owner of the Hotel Metro in Milwaukee and a developer of special-needs and affordable housing in Southern California.

Information: (714) 957-9157 or www.ockomen.com

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