As the first openly gay president of the Temple Law Alumni Association begins his second term this summer, he has diversity on the brain and even began to think of his successor.
Larry Felzer, a 1994 graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law, accepted his new term at a June 13 meeting. It was the day after the mass shooting at Pulse, a popular LGBT nightclub in Orlando.
He took the opportunity to address discrimination with the alumni association.
“I focused on: People are not born intolerant or hating others,” Felzer said. “It’s something that’s learned and it’s something that everyone in the room could work against.”
First elected as president in June 2015, his second term will conclude in June 2017. The alumni association has a two-term limit.
Felzer said diversity is important to the alumni association because “people with different life experiences can bring different ideas.”
“If you want to engage as many alumni as possible and have the association reflect the alumni as a whole, to not have as diverse leadership as possible is [not helpful].”
Felzer said the alumni association has had female presidents and now an out president. But it has never had a person of color at the helm.
“I really want to see that happen,” he said. “I’ve appointed new people to the board that I hope will ascend.”
The alumni association has a volunteer executive committee of about 40 people. They plan events throughout the year, like the annual women’s leadership and diverse leadership events that take place every spring. The association also gives awards each spring for outstanding female and diverse leaders.
This year, Felzer said his top priorities include promoting diversity among the executive committee and having its members perform more service projects.
Felzer has worked in the nonprofit sector since he graduated from Temple. He now works with SeniorLAW Center in Center City, which offers free legal advice to older adults. He said he wanted to study law to help improve people’s lives.
While not working, Felzer volunteers with GayBINGO, the long-running fundraiser for AIDS Fund, and the dmhFUND, an organization that gives grants to support HIV/AIDS education and programs.
Any Temple law-school graduates who would like to get involved with the alumni association can email Felzer at [email protected].
