WE WELCOME OUR NEW PRESIDENT

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WE WELCOME OUR NEW PRESIDENT

By: Andrew Wallace on November 6, 2016

Grantmakers at retreat

We at Funders for LGBTQ Issues (Funders) are excited to welcome our new President on December 3, Ben Francisco Maulbeck, who will be the third leader in our 30-year history. Having served in the sector for several years, Ben is no stranger to Funders. He’s served on several of our advisory committees, including, most recently, for our GBTQ Men and Boys of Color Initiative. As a Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP) representative to the Joint Affinity Groups (JAG), he frequently worked in collaboration with Funders and our other affinity group partners. Other highlights of his work in our philanthropy and LGBTQ communities include:
  • Ben started his career in philanthropy at The Philadelphia Foundation, the community foundation for the Greater Philadelphia area, where his portfolio included many of the region’s LGBT organizations as well as a special initiative to expand immigration services and advocacy in the wake of anti-immigrant legislation in the 1990s.
  • For two years, Ben served as the Director of Programs and Volunteers for the William Way LGBT Community Center, where he worked in collaboration with community leaders to establish new programs for women and transgender people. He is also known for founding the “volunteer velada,” a monthly volunteer event that continues to this day. (Velada is Spanish for soiree, which is French for “a dinner/cocktail party or other social evening.”)
  • Ben has also served on and chaired the boards of GALAEI (the Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative) and CHAMP (Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project).
  • Most recently, Ben was the Vice President of Hispanics in Philanthropy, where he led many initiatives and projects, including the convening of the Enlaces philanthropy roundtable on LGBT-Latino movement building.

Richard Burns will continue to serve as interim executive director until December 21. Ben Francisco Maulbeck begins his tenure as president with us on Monday, December 3. Join us in welcoming him to this leadership role in our Funders community. If you have not met Ben in person already, we hope you be able to join us and meet him at our annual grantmakers retreat in New Mexico next March. See our full press release here. Also, see coverage in Philadelphia Gay News and South Florida Gay News.

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