The Council for America's First Freedom has a new president and CEO.

The Richmondbased organization's board of trustees recently announced the appointment of Lawrence W. Rosser, former president and chief executive officer of the Chicago-based Brighter World Futures, where his consulting work included domestic and international foundations and nonprofit organizations.

Before that he served as president, CEO and director at Opportunity Inc., a nonprofit company that employs people with disabilities to do contract manufacturing and other services. In that position, he secured more than $25 million in donations, bequests, grants and contracts for job training and capital investments, Tommy P. Baer, chairman of the First Freedom council's board of trustees, wrote in a letter this week announcing Rosser's appointment.

Baer wrote that Rosser "brings the skill-set to advance our fundraising and educational initiatives and, by doing so, expand the visibility of the council as a leading international advocate and educator for mutual respect and freedom of conscience."

Rosser will lead the council as it expands. It was founded in 1984 to educate the public about religious freedom and to commemorate the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the first law to protect the right of people to worship.

A new First Freedom Center is planned to open in downtown Richmond in 2010.

Rosser succeeds Robert A. Seiple, who retired Oct. 1. Seiple was the first U.S. ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom.