Las Vegan Sandra Jolley appointed to US Commission on International Religious Freedom

WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Wednesday announced Las Vegan Sandra Jolley’s appointment to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

“Sandy Jolley is a Nevada icon and church leader recognized in the Silver State and throughout the country for her tireless advocacy for faith, women and families,” Reid said.

The commission is an independent, bipartisan federal organization defending freedom of religion abroad, he said. It reviews religious freedom violations and recommends policy to the president, secretary of state and Congress.

Reid said Jolley, a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, will be invaluable to the commission. She has served as co-chairwoman of the church’s Las Vegas area public communications committee.

“Religious minorities continue to face persecution throughout the world, and the United States has a duty to take a stand against intolerance and bigotry,” he said. “Sandy’s breadth of experience and unique perspective will serve the commission well as it addresses these important issues.”

Jolley is a UNLV graduate with a degree in women’s studies with special emphasis on women’s religious history. For five years, she was president of the Las Vegas South Stake Relief Society and for two years an assistant director of Life Line, a women’s resource center serving Southern Nevada.