Petrelis Files

January 6, 2004
Bay Area Reporter
(Not on line)

HRC Begins Search Process
By Bob Roehr

A 25-member search committee will select the next executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, according to an announcement made Tuesday, January 4. Both the HRC and the HRC Foundation boards of directors must approve the choice. HRC hopes to complete the process by the spring.

One provision that drew instant criticism was that the names of those service on the search committee would not be made public. HRC reversed course within 24 hours and said the name would be released.

HRC Foundation co-chairs Gwen Baba and Vic Basile will chair the search committee, which, according to HRC, has a diverse membership, including three HRC employees.

San Francisco activist Michael Petrelis quickly reacted to the initial news release with a widely distributed email.

"If only to bring about full transparency, something desperately needed at HRC, Basile and HRC should release the names of those on the search committee," he wrote.

Basile agreed. In a conversation the following day he grudgingly gave credit to Petrelis for sparking the debate. "There is a lot of confidentiality that goes into a process like this," he said. "But it ought to be as transparent as possible."

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www.hrc.org
For Immediate Release:
Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005

HRC ANNOUNCES SEARCH COMMITTEE MEMBERS

WASHINGTON — Based on numerous inquiries from Human Rights Campaign members and the community at large about the makeup of the committee which will lead the search process for a new president and executive director of HRC, the committee co-chairs announced the individuals who will serve on that search.

“We want this process to be as transparent as possible, while preserving the integrity of the search,” said Gwen Baba, the co-chair of the board of directors who is heading the search with Vic Basile, the co-chair of the foundation board. “We are pleased by the broad interest in the search and we decided to release the committee names. It is important to remember, however, that the final hiring decision rests solely with the full boards of the foundation and directors.”

The foundation board, board of directors and board of governors, staff and business council members who have agreed to serve are:

Gwen Baba, BOD co-chair, Los Angeles, CA
Vic Basile, FD co-chair, Baltimore, MD
Joe Barrows, BOD, Denver, CO
Bruce Bastian, BOD, Orem, UT
Terry Bean, FD, Portland, OR
Mike Berman, BD co-chair, Washington, DC
Ken Britt, BOD, Atlanta, GA
Lawrie Demorest, FD co-chair, Atlanta, GA
Amy Errett, BOD, San Francisco, CA
Anne Fay, BOG co-chair, Dallas, TX
Emily Giske, BOD, New York, NY
Julie Johnson, BOD, Dallas, TX
Kevin Layton, general counsel, Washington, DC
Marty Lieberman, BOD, Seattle, WA
Andrew Linsky, BOD, Palm Springs, CA
David Medina, BOD, Washington, DC
Cathy Nelson, development director, Washington, DC
Victoria Raymont, BOD, Chicago, IL
Henry Rosales, BOG co-chair, Denver, CO
Donna Rose, HRC business council, Round Rock, TX
Hilary Rosen, FD, Washington, DC
Winnie Stachelberg, political director, Washington, DC
John Sullivan, BOD, Minneapolis, MN
Tony Varona, BOD, Tuckahoe, NY

“We wanted to ensure that the staff representation reflected a broad breath of the organization as well as its history,” said Basile. “Cathy Nelson, our director of development, has been at HRC for 15 years. Kevin Layton, our general counsel, began as an intern and has been here for 17 years. Winnie Stachelberg, our political director, has worked at HRC for 10 years.”

Both Baba and Basile asked that anyone interested in the search process or in proposing candidates use the e-mail address managed by Isaacson, Miller — the search firm assisting the committee. That address is 2529@imsearch.com.

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that LGBT Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.

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