Press Release

Victory Fund and Leadership Institute announce new board chairs

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Denis Dison (202) 842-7308, denis.dison@victoryfund.org

Washington, D.C.—The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Leadership Institute elected new officers and members of their boards of directors at meetings here last weekend.  The new Victory Fund board chair is  Susan Atkins of San Diego, Calif.  Brandon Hernandez of San Francisco, Calif., was elected chair of the Leadership Institute board.



“I am honored to lead the Victory Fund as it celebrates its 20th anniversary and enters its third decade working to grow the number of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elected officials in government. Helping to elect the LGBT people who fight for equal rights for all every day, the Victory Fund is engaged in a mission that’s focused and effective.  Our win rate was 65% this year. That's phenomenal. Now more than ever it will be important for leaders from our community to be heard, and I look forward to leading the national organization that’s making that happen,” said Atkins.



“The Leadership Institute plays a unique role in building the capacity of LGBT people to lead as government officials and political professionals.  I am proud to have been chosen to lead the board, and I’m ready to help guide the organization as it continues to prepare strong and committed LGBT leaders whose voices are so necessary in the public debate,” said Hernandez.



Atkins, a member of the Victory Fund board since 2004, has 20 years of communications management experience in life sciences and technology. In 1999, she founded one of the most successful agencies in the United States providing investor and public relations exclusively to life science companies and organizations, and sold the firm to Porter Novelli in 2005.  Atkins becomes the first woman to chair the Victory Fund board since it restructured in 2006.



Hernandez manages governmental affairs for Pacific Gas & Electric Company at the company’s San Francisco headquarters.  Hernandez also manages relationships with statewide and national stakeholders, focusing on Latino and LGBT organizations. He began his political career working for U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.  Hernandez is the first Latino to chair the GLLI board.



The Victory Fund board also elected Robert Gleason of San Diego as vice-chair, Steve Elmendorf of Washington, D.C., as secretary and Harvey Hurdle of Philadelphia as treasurer.  Frank Selvaggi of New York, N.Y., was also elected to serve on the Victory Fund board.



The GLLI board also elected Commissioner Debra Shore of Chicago, Ill., as vice-chair, Commissioner Rob Saltzman of Los Angeles, Calif., as secretary, and Jim Roth of Oklahoma City, Okla., as treasurer.  Paige Ennis of Cambridge, Mass., and Commissioner Alan Roth of Washington, D.C., were also elected to the GLLI board.