I am pleased to announce several staffing changes at Funders for LGBTQ Issues.

First, Lyle Matthew Kan, who has been working with us as our strategic communications consultant since February, has now joined us on a full-time basis as our Director of Communications and Education. In the past five months, Lyle has revamped Qnotes to make it a more useful tool for our members, expanded our social media presence, strengthened the branding of our annual retreat, and developed a comprehensive communications strategy for the organization. In this new, expanded role, Lyle will not only lead our communications efforts, he will also spearhead the educational aspects of our programming, with a focus on developing messaging strategies to educate the wider funding community about how LGBTQ issues connect with a range of philanthropic priorities. I’m thrilled to have Lyle as a core member of our growing team.

(Click here to see Lyle’s bio on our staff page)

Second, I’m pleased to welcome Danilo Machado as our Immigrant Rights Intern for the summer. Danilo is a student at the University of Connecticut –Stamford and brings to us a rich background in organizing. He has been a leader with the group Connecticut Students for a Dream and is also involved in the national group Queer Undocumented Immigrants Project (QUIP). Danilo comes to us through the Queer DREAM Summer Internship Program, and his internship with us is made possible by the generous support of the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. This summer, he’ll be working to assess opportunities and challenges for funders working at the intersection of immigration and LGBTQ rights in the aftermath of the current legislative debate on comprehensive immigration reform.

We are also continuing our search for a Director of Engagement. We’re thrilled to have received nearly 150 applications, and we have an exceptionally strong and diverse pool of applicants. We’re working diligently to consider each applicant, and expect to make a hire by the end of the summer at latest. Given the large pool of candidates, we are setting a hard deadline of July 8 for any additional applications.

All of these staffing changes constitute the next phase of the organizational restructuring that we began in February. With the establishment of two new positions – a Director of Engagement and a Director of Communications and Education – we are strengthening our capacity to work in close collaboration with our members and to engage the wider philanthropic community in LGBTQ issues. This summer’s Immigrant Rights Intern also marks an important shift, as we begin making greater use of highly qualified interns and consultants to advance our work in specific issue areas and population groups.

Please join me in congratulating Danilo and Lyle as we look ahead to an exciting summer!

Take care,

Ben Francisco Maulbeck