The COLOURS Organization, Inc., has named a new executive director, who said he will use his professional and personal experiences to grow the organization.
Mark Wilson, 26, began his tenure as executive director of the organization, which primarily serves LGBT people of color, late this winter. For the past two years, he served as social-service supervisor at Bethesda Project, overseeing case managers and social workers at the organization’s emergency men’s shelter.
The New Jersey native and self-described Army brat moved around often as a child. He settled in Philadelphia about six years ago.
Wilson, who is openly gay, studied at Camden County Community College and became a Certified Alcohol and Drug-Abuse Counselor.
“I started this work basically right out of high school,” he said. “The CADC program propelled me to go into social services.”
He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in clinical psychology from Lincoln University, working with youth and as a drug and alcohol-dependency counselor before joining the Bethesda team.
Wilson said he has been familiar with COLOURS’ work for several years. About three years ago, Wilson’s husband committed suicide, and he sought counseling through a COLOURS men’s support group.
He formalized his relationship with the organization this past fall by joining the board. Wilson owns homes in Northeast Philadelphia and Lindenwold, N.J., where he sits on the town’s school board, an experience he said motivated him to increase his LGBT community leadership.
“Being on the school board started to get me excited about board work, so I thought, OK, let me look for something that’s tailored to me being a gay man of color, and COLOURS was a fit,” he said. “And then when I learned they were looking for an executive director, I thought maybe I should step down and apply; it was an organization I had been connected with for several years and it seemed like a great opportunity.”
Wilson’s hiring follows a string of leadership changes at COLOURS. The most recent director, Ralph Godbolt, was fired last year after being arrested for stealing money from the organization. His trial was set to begin Thursday.
Godbolt took over as director of COLOURS after former director Robert Burns died suddenly at the end of 2011. Prior to Burns’ tenure, another director, Dorena Kearney, who served at the helm from 2001-07, was indicted for embezzling more than $130,000 from the organization.
Wilson said he plans to be transparent about the past leadership positions, and seek to repair any image problems caused by Goldbolt and Kearney.
“I think it’s important to stand in our truth. It’s important to talk to the community — funders, providers, whoever — about these issues. My challenge is coming in and dealing with the things my predecessors left for me,” he said. “Part of that is looking at fundraising a little bit differently.”
To that end, Wilson said, he’s eager to put a face to the organization, investing one-on-one time with constituent groups, leaders of LGBT and HIV/AIDS organizations, former donors and potential donors, especially those not from expected circles.
“I recently did a career day at a local elementary school and got talking to one of the owners of a local business, whose brother is a co-owner and who’s gay. So there’s some buy-in there,” he said. “I don’t want to just talk to the same players, the same people, going to just the gay bars, but with all people who can develop an investment. There are relationships we have to rebuild, some we may have lost and that’s OK, and a lot that we can start to create.”
Organizationally, Wilson said he plans to undertake a needs assessment, expand and diversify the COLOURS board, offer new professional-development opportunities for staff and spearhead a new strategic plan.
Wilson said he envisions the creation of a community center catering to LGBT people of color within the next decade.
“Something tailored to the people-of-color community where they can feel comfortable, with a drop-in center, and where they can be creative, using art as an expressive way of therapy,” he said. “We need a structure in place and resources available for people of color, especially given the climate right now. It’s important our community has a space where they feel comfortable and where dialogue can happen.”
Wilson said he’ll be directly involved in that dialogue. He said his clinical training coupled with his creativity will allow him to be an effective leader, while his other real-world experiences will help him be a relatable figure to COLOURS clients.
“I’ve experienced homelessness. I’m HIV-positive. I understand our clients and the people we serve because I’ve walked similar paths,” he said. “I got to a place where I started to apply all of the lessons I’ve learned as building blocks and said, How can I use these challenges in my life to help someone else?”
For more information on COLOURS, visit coloursorganization.org.