The longtime board president of The COLOURS Organization, Inc., recently stepped down and the agency has named a new interim leader.
Lynette Medley-Thurman will take the reins from John Clayton, who helmed the board for about eight years.
“John got to a place where he felt confident that the organization would sustain itself,” said COLOURS executive director Mark Wilson. “He had some other things going on with his church and felt like this would be a good time for a transition.”
Wilson called Medley-Thurman a “very dynamic individual.”
“She’s going to bring to the table diversity in the ways we look at strategy and funding,” Wilson said. “She’s also going to be very vocal and very visible for the community. She’ll bring a new energy, passion and outlook.”
Medley-Thurman is a sexual-awareness educator, coach and consultant who holds a bachelor’s degree from Drexel University in mental and behavioral-health sciences and a master’s degree from Widener University in human-sexuality education.
She is currently the director of Enhanced Services at Consortium, Inc., which works with underserved populations. She previously served as a social-services manager at the Department of Human Services.
Wilson said the board is currently working to expand its numbers. They have identified about six candidates they will interview this month and make decisions by their September board meeting. Then they will decide if Medley-Thurman will stay on as permanent president or if they will begin a wider search, he said.
The organization is also gearing up for an Aug. 14 mini ball in collaboration with the African American Museum of Philadelphia.
Held from 6-11 p.m. at the museum, 701 Arch St., the event will mark the closing of the site’s “Legendary” exhibit, which features the work of Philadelphia photographer Gerard Gaskin focusing on the African-American and Latino ballroom communities.
“We wanted to work with the museum and thought this would be a great opportunity to have a ball, so people not familiar with the ballroom scene can get an idea of what it looks like,” Wilson said.
For more information, visit www.coloursorganization.org.