Soon our board of directors will vote on three new at-large members: Michael Lewis, Julia Rosen, and Curtis Thornhill (the exceptional candidates we introduced to you just a few weeks ago).

These incredible leaders will help to expand the board’s reach in order to better equip the Equality Federation and the Equality Federation Institute to be the strategic partner to the state-based movement.

Michael, Julia, and Curtis are exciting additions to our board, and you’ll have the opportunity to meet each of them at Summer Meeting (register now!) in just a few weeks. In the meantime, get to know them a bit more right now!

Michael Lewis is a Director at PepsiCo, Inc., and has significant experience working with non-profit organizations — whether it be on their boards or leading their marketing strategy. Michael hopes to partner with the Federation to do the work that’s needed to keep the organization thriving fiscally and effectively supporting state-based organizations that are pushing the equality agenda forward in their respective states.

Michael’s connection to the state-based LGBT movement goes back to 2008 when he was involved in the Prop 8 campaign. Michael used the marriage defeat as motivation to do more to move our nation toward equality. This motivation has led him to join the Federation board, where he feels he can help strengthen the state-based movement:

“The movement for LGBT rights in this country is far from over, and the Equality Federation is a key organization that is empowering state organizations to win more local battles, which is imperative. Until the rights of all LGBT citizens are protected across every corner of this country, our collective work is not done.”

So what does this collective work look like? How do we achieve full equality? Michael believes the pathway is threefold:

"The first aspect of moving toward equality is based on human interaction and understanding — the more people who feel comfortable enough to come out, the people they work with and live around will start to see members of our community as their family members, colleagues, and neighbors. Second, we must build partnerships with other organizations focused on equality as well across numerous communities because our strength derives from a large collective across a diverse spectrum advocating for equality. Lastly, it is important that we have a political apparatus that can mobilize the LGBT community and our allies to advocate for inclusive policies that move our country toward full equality."

Julia Rosen is the Digital Director at ActBlue, and she’s easily one of the best online organizers working in the progressive movement. She’ll bring more than a decade of experience on digital campaigns, from issue lobbying to ballot initiatives, to the Federation’s board. In fact, Julia has already emerged as a resource for our members. She trained Communications Boot Camp participants on the art of writing emails, and at Summer Meeting, she’ll be leading a training on effective online fundraising.

Like all of our board members, Julia has a deep connection to the state-based movement. She worked at Courage Campaign and was involved in the fight against Prop 8. Today, she knows that despite all we’ve accomplished across the country, we have much more work to do:

“The equality movement is at such a dynamic, exciting and challenging time. Things are moving rapidly on the marriage front, but there are so many victories left to win for the most vulnerable among us. There are a number of big strategic questions we need to answer, and tough battles to fight ahead. I'm excited to have an opportunity to help, even a little bit, with those fights.”

So what are the big opportunities and fights ahead? What does full equality look like to Julia?

“I'm most concerned with ensuring we have legal protections in place to ensure LGBT people can live full, respected and empowered lives. We get there by trying new tactics, and learning from both our victories and losses. The Federation serves as an invaluable piece of infrastructure to share those lessons and increase efficiency and speed.”

Curtis Thornhill is the CEO and Founder of Apt Marketing Solutions. He brings his extensive management and operations knowledge to the Federation board to help deepen our partnerships with state-based organizations. With community building as a deeply personal goal, he has connected with state-based LGBT movement programs in half a dozen states, including his home state of Utah through our member group Equality Utah.

Because of his interest in state-based work, Curtis has joined the Federation board to have the opportunity to more actively support the goals of state organizations — those who know what’s needed most to see lasting change. He believes the Federation will help him focus his service and giving in the three areas of community, education, and social justice:

"The Equality Federation is well positioned to provide transformative services and scale to state-based partners. Serving on the board of the Equality Federation is a meaningful opportunity to serve the LGBT community and coordinate with groups that know best what's needed in their geographies."

So how does Curtis feel we can achieve full equality?

"For me, the intersection of rights of all groups carries the most meaning. By representing and moving forward the rights of our country's diverse community, we all become more secure in our individual freedoms. In addition, the learnings we've seen in the rights of women, immigrant, and minority groups has strengthened and improved these movements individually and collectively through shared learning. An emphasis on policy at the local, state and national level are necessary to accomplish lasting change; and most importantly, conversations within our local communities to foster respect and understanding are cornerstone to this success."

We’re thrilled to welcome Michael, Julia, and Curtis to the Federation family! Stay tuned over the next several weeks to learn more about our other board member candidates!