Loretta James is passionate about helping others.

"You can't just live this beautiful life and not think of others," she says. "If you're as lucky as we are, you have to do something."

The Madison resident on July 1 began a two-year term as co-president of the shoreline branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), a position she shares with fellow Madison resident Vicki Littel, daughter of Mary Littel, who founded the shoreline chapter of the AAUW in 1951. The shoreline branch is the state's largest with 113 members of 100,000 nationwide.

"You can live your life and go day by day and just look out the door and say, 'Isn't this pleasant? We live in Connecticut and we're on the shoreline and we have no floods, no fires, no devastation.' But you have to think of other people," Loretta says.

Residents of Madison for the last 13 years, both Loretta and husband John like to give back and, though John is retired, Loretta says he is "busier than ever" as an active volunteer with Christian Community Action in New Haven.

"Not only are we fortunate to be in this town, but we're fortunate to be American women," says Loretta, who is soft-spoken with an easy laugh. "We take so much for granted. Your face isn't covered, you drove here yourself, you don't need to worry about stepping on a land mine, and you probably won't be raped on the corner while you gather wood to cook your food tonight. Think of the life you lead."

A member of the AAUW since the 1970s, Loretta says she joined the organization because she "liked the idea that it would look at society from the point of view of women and girls." The AAUW's mission is equity for women and girls through advocacy, action, learning, and research. The group also holds events and sponsors special interest groups.

For seven years, Loretta was a non-governmental organization representative to the United Nations for the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), fighting to win rights for girls all over the world.

"I was working very hard to put the word 'girl' into all the legislation because we talk about women's rights, but girls have a different perspective and their rights are equally as important, but often overlooked," Loretta says.

Prior to working with the IFUW, Loretta chaired an Adopt a Minefield program raising funds to clear minefields in Cambodia. The program raised $50,000, enough to clear a parcel of land with a temple, a school, and a clinic.

"It just brought the world to the town," Loretta says. "Suppose you were walking to school, but didn't know where you could step. The enemy leaves and you're stuck with what's left. It's a terrible scourge."

The experience of working to clean up minefields, she says, only made her want to "continue my activity," which led to her work with the United Nations and the AAUW.

"We've got to put our energy where we think we can make a difference," says Loretta, who says she is most passionate about violence against women, a women's museum in the nation's capitol, and Social Security, explaining that because women live longer, are out of the workforce longer, and earn less than 77 cents on the dollar relative to men, the issue is vitally important to women.

Born in the Panama Canal Zone and raised in New Jersey, Loretta earned a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in French from George Washington University.

She says that studying in the nation's capital opened up the world for her at a young ago. She also studied in Paris and traveled widely in Europe when John worked abroad.

"So, I've had great exposure," says Loretta, adding that one of her first jobs was as a guide at the international arrivals building at JFK airport in New York.

Loretta is also involved with the First Congregational Church and is chairman of the Ye Olde Meetinghouse Christmas Fair. She and her husband have four children, two sons and two daughters. Loretta says she's very proud her children took calculus before they left high school.

"If you can do calculus, you can do anything."

During the next two years with the AAUW, Loretta says she would like to reach out more to college students, work with middle-school girls, and help women learn to negotiate for their first jobs, adding that she'll confer with her co-president, Vicki.

"They find that if women start lower on their first jobs, that's where they're pegged."

To nominate a person of the week, contact 203-245-1877, ext. 6146 or s.bosco@shorepublishing.com.