May Mailman, a former deputy assistant to the president and senior policy strategist in the early months of the current administration, is returning to Independent Women to lead Independent Women’s Law Center (IWLC). Mailman previously served as a senior fellow and then director of the Law Center beginning in 2021. According to the organization, she took a leave for the 47th Presidential Transition and the first seven months of President Donald J. Trump’s second term, during which she worked closely with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on a series of high-profile policy initiatives.
Independent Women credits Mailman with helping drive strategy behind executive actions and investigations related to defining sex in federal policy, preserving women’s sports, reviewing Title IX enforcement on college campuses, and encouraging accountability for universities. IW leaders praised her return, calling her a results-focused strategist with a sharp legal mind. Mailman said she is rejoining the organization to push for policies that, in her view, reflect the real stories and priorities of women and families and to advance the group’s “Tell Her Story, Change The World” mission.
During her earlier tenure directing IWLC, Mailman focused on sex-based legal definitions and single-sex protections, work the organization says influenced the administration’s day-one approach to related federal policy. She also served as lead counsel in Westenbroek v. Kappa Kappa Gamma, a case that drew national attention for its challenge over single-sex sorority membership. After the Tenth Circuit declined to reach the core claims, Mailman continued pressing related issues in public forums and legal advocacy, warning in an op-ed that if the term “woman” loses legal clarity, other protections could be affected.
Independent Women attributes several developments to Mailman’s counsel and leadership, including: Kansas lawmakers’ override of a gubernatorial veto to enact the group’s Stand With Women policy options, which IW says helped spur similar measures in multiple states; updates to transgender participation policies by the LPGA and USGA; platform policy changes at Meta related to speech and biological sex; a court ruling involving campus civil rights claims brought by Payton McNabb; and a decision upholding Sweet Briar College’s women-only admissions policy.
Returning as director, Mailman will guide IWLC’s litigation, testimony, and media work; support individuals pursuing legal remedies; and collaborate with IW’s storytelling initiative to elevate cases that could shape policy and public understanding. Independent Women leaders say her remit is to advance game-changing legal strategies while amplifying the voices of people directly affected by these disputes.
Additional context and analysis:
– The debates Mailman is stepping back into—Title IX enforcement, eligibility rules in women’s sports, and legal definitions of sex in law and policy—are rapidly evolving in courts, statehouses, and national governing bodies. Many of these questions will likely see further litigation and regulatory clarification, meaning IWLC’s work could influence not just legislation but also how schools, associations, and platforms implement their rules.
– Supporters of IWLC’s approach say clearer definitions offer fairness, safety, and predictability in women’s spaces and sports. Critics argue such measures can conflict with anti-discrimination protections for transgender individuals. Expect continued legal and policy tests at the federal and state levels, as well as within sports and higher education, where compliance obligations and civil rights claims often intersect.
Summary:
– May Mailman returns to lead Independent Women’s Law Center after serving as a senior policy strategist at the White House.
– IW credits her with shaping strategies behind executive actions and investigations on sex-based definitions, women’s sports, and Title IX.
– Her prior high-profile work includes leading the Kappa Kappa Gamma case and advising on state-level and institutional policy changes.
– As director, she will focus on litigation, oversight, and amplifying individual stories to advance the organization’s legal priorities.