Twelve Emerging LGBT Leaders Selected for Arcus Leadership Fellowship
The Arcus Foundation, a global foundation promoting respect for diversity among peoples and in nature, announced today the selection of 12 executive directors to participate in the Arcus Leadership Fellowship.
The Arcus Leadership Fellowship is an 18-month-long program established to support early-stage executive directors of LGBT and allied nonprofit organizations based in the United States.
The 2017 fellows include a diverse cross-section of leaders from every region of the United States. In addition:
- More than four-fifths of Arcus Leadership Fellows identify as people of color;
- More than half of the fellowship cohort identify as women; and
- A quarter of fellows identify as transgender or non-binary.
“Now more than ever, the LGBT movement needs adept leadership responsive to the intensified realities facing our communities,” said Desiree Flores, Arcus’ U.S. Social Justice Director. “This group of emerging leaders reflects Arcus’ commitment to ensure a diverse pipeline of talent is poised to lead for the long-term.”
Among this year’s fellows are a longtime grassroots activist organizing around issues of social, economic, and environmental change in the Appalachia and South; a former immigration attorney who co-founded a national federation to build the capacity of nearly 50 LGBTQ Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations; and a Baptist-ordained faith leader working to create a more inclusive Black Church.
Arcus Leadership Fellows announced today include Cedric Harmon (Many Voices: A Black Church Movement for Gay and Transgender Justice); Phyllis (Seven) Harris (LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland); Noah Lewis (Transcend Legal); Glenn Magpantay (National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance); Aaron Morris (Immigration Equality); Daniel Ramos (One Colorado); Imani Rupert-Gordon (Affinity Community Services); Bamby Salcedo (The TransLatin@ Coalition); Beverly Tillery (New York City Anti-Violence Project); Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson (Highlander Research & Education Center); and Ani Zonneveld (Muslims for Progressive Values).
As part of the program, Arcus fellows are paired with dedicated mentors with decades of experience and leadership in a range of fields in the nonprofit sector. Mentors provide counsel and support over the 18-month period.
Past mentors have included Kevin Cathcart, Sarah Gould, Patricia Jerido, Derek Hodel, Kate Kendall, David Mensah, Johnny Manzon Santos, and Terry Stone, among others.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to have been an Arcus Leadership Fellow,” said Kimberly Zieselman, executive director of interACT and member of the 2015 fellowship cohort. “Being matched with a seasoned executive director to mentor and coach me in the early stages of my own career was truly a gift. The experience continues to support my growth as a leader in the Intersex rights movement.”
Fellows will also attend two retreats with their mentors to establish personal and professional goals and to develop a network of support within their cohort.
The program is managed by Desiree Flores, Arcus’ U.S. Social Justice Director, and Richard Burns, a nonprofit management consultant who is both a former Arcus Chief Operating Officer and past executive director of New York’s LGBT Community Center.