Press

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force recently appointed three new members to its Board of Directors. Their terms begins this weekend when the Board convenes its second quarter meeting in Washington, D.C..

New NGLTF Board Members:

Clarence Bagby of Houston, Texas. Bagby is a longtime Houston activist who helped found the Houston Lesbian and Gay Community Center. He has also been active in the Houston Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus for nearly ten years. In addition, he served as co-chair of the Human Rights Campaign Houston Federal Club. Bagby has been involved in a number of Houston civic groups, including the Houston Enterprise Community Governance Board and the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance. He is currently self-employed as a fundraising and public relations consultant. Bagby's efforts as a new Task Force board member will include increasing Task Force visibility in Texas and fostering partnerships with local gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender groups in the state.

John Huebler of Lansing, Michigan. Huebler is active in the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Faculty and Staff Association of Michigan State University (MSU) and until recently was its president. He is employed at MSU as an Information Technologist. He has extensive community organizing and fundraising experience and has been active in many organizations, including the Lansing Association for Human Rights where over a ten year span he served as the group's president and later as a board member. Huebler's other community organizing includes involvement in the Michigan Organization for Human Rights, the Capital Area United Way of Lansing, and the University Wide Task Force on Lesbian and Gay Issues at Michigan State. Huebler will work to increase Task Force visibility and activities in Michigan and the Midwest.

LJ Irving of Oakland, California. Irving is the first openly transgender person to serve on the Task Force Board. Along with providing a voice on behalf of the transgender community, she also brings extensive community organizing and electoral experience to the Task Force. Irving previously served as a staff person to San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano. She is the founding member of Lesbians and Gays of African Descent for Democratic Action and has been involved in the Harvey Milk Democratic Club as well as the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center. Irving is especially active in welfare rights and youth and recovery issues. She was active in the establishment of the San Francisco Youth Commission and currently works as a drug counselor and case manager at Jelani House in San Francisco. Along with development activities, as a Task Force board member Irving will work to further incorporate the voice and vision of low income and young people in the organization.

NGLTF BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Clarence Bagby - Public Relations Consultant; Houston, TX
• Leslie Belzberg - Film/TV Producer; Los Angeles, CA
• Roberta Bennett - Attorney at Law; Los Angeles, CA
• Margaret A. Burd - Software Engineer; Thornton, CO
• Michael Chapman - Fundraising and Marketing Consultant; Washington, DC
• Jerry Clark (Board Treasurer) Ð Consultant; Washington, DC
• Kelvin Lynn Cothren - Assistant to Mrs. Coretta Scott King; Atlanta, GA
• Don Davis - James City County Chief of Comprehensive Planning; Williamsburg, VA
• John R. Dreyer - Public Health Educator; Boston, MA
• Joseph Hall (Board Co-Chair) - Development Consultant; Washington, DC
• John Huebler Ð Information Technologist; Lansing, MI
• Pat Hussain (on leave) - Co-Director of Southerners On New Ground; Atlanta, GA
• L.J. Irving - Drug Counselor/Case Manager; Oakland, CA
• Lani Ka'ahumanu Ð HIV Prevention and Education Consultant; San Francisco, CA
• Arturo Nava - Harvard Business School Graduate Student; Boston, MA
• Rachel Rosen (Board Co-Chair)- Retired Scraps Metal Dealer; Santa Fe, NM
• Russell Roybal (Board Secretary) - Asst Development Dir. Lesbian & Gay Men's Community Center; San Diego, CA
• Catherine Saalfield - Film Producer and Community Activist; New York, NY
• Curtis Shepard - Writer; Los Angeles, CA
• Gordon VeneKlasen - Director Michael Werner, Inc.; New York, NY
• Carla F. Wallace - Community Activist; Louisville, KY
• Michele A. Zavos - Attorney and Consultant; Washington, DC

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The mission of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is to build the political power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community from the ground up. We do this by training activists, organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation, and by building the organizational capacity of our movement. Our Policy Institute, the movement’s premier think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality and to counter right-wing lies. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a nation that respects the diversity of human expression and identity and creates opportunity for all. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis and Cambridge.