LGBT grantmaking organization Delaware Valley Legacy Fund announced this week that it had selected two local leaders to guide the organization through its transition period.
DVLF selected Christopher Bartlett and Sandra Thompson as interim co-executive directors. Current executive director Perry Monastero is set to depart the organization next week to take up a post as the director of development with LGBT health clinic the Mazzoni Center.
The organization’s search committee interviewed five potential candidates for the posts and found that Bartlett and Thompson, who together have more than 40 years of experience in fundraising, research, program development and other leadership positions, to be the most qualified.
Bartlett served as the executive director of SafeGuards Men’s Health Project for 10 years, was a lead consultant to the Philadelphia LGBTI Community Assessment and is now co-facilitator of the Gay Men’s Health Leadership Academy.
From 1997 until May of this year, Thompson served as the executive director of HIV/AIDS service organization St. Mary’s Respite Center; took on managerial roles at Blacks Educating Blacks About Sexual Health Issues; and is currently secretary of the board of directors of Prevention Point Philadelphia and a five-year member of DVLF’s Advisory Council.
Bartlett and Thompson will spearhead the next leg of DVLF’s Donor Challenge: An anonymous donor has pledged to donate $10,000 if the group can raise $20,000, and the agency so far has collected $6,400 toward this initiative. The interim directors will also prepare the group for TOY 2009, DVLF’s third-annual holiday toy drive for the youth in the HIV/AIDS unit at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Bartlett and Thompson started this week and will each invest 20 hours per week to DVLF.
DVLF will launch its national search for a permanent executive director in the next few weeks under the guidance of Nancy Cunningham, former executive director of National Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].