Pride Placements
Capital Pride announces board changes, new executive director
Capital Pride, the organization responsible for the annual LGBT event of the same name, announced changes to the board and staff this morning, which were effective Oct. 1.
In the top spots, Capital Pride’s former board vice president, Bernie Delia, is now Capital Pride president, while Ryan Bos has joined as executive director.
”The board is quite thrilled to have Ryan, someone of his caliber and quality,” says Delia. ”We’ve been without an executive director for the last year. We did very well without, but I think we’re going to phenomenally well with Ryan.”
Bos says he’ll be serving as director on a part-time basis, but moving into a full-time commitment as the calendar nears the spring event, which includes a more than a week of cultural and community events, culminating in a Saturday parade and Sunday festival, one of the city’s largest – which will likely have Bos’s full-time commitment moving well into overtime.
”Capital Pride is an opportunity to really showcase the LGBT community in the area,” says Bos, who currently serves as president of Team DC, the umbrella organization for dozens of area LGBT sports teams. ”It’s an opportunity to educate and celebrate who we are. I have a passion for management.”
While Bos’s Team DC term ends in January 2012, he says he’s not yet decided whether he’ll seek another term. Regardless, his vast volunteer experience in that capacity will likely give him a special understanding for the hundreds of volunteers who make Capital Pride possible.
”In the transition, I’ll be spending time getting to know the volunteers, getting to know what they’re excited about,” says Bos. ”My hope is to continue to strengthen the foundation of Capital Pride.”
Other changes announced today include board member Mary Paradise joining the executive committee as vice president, and board member Scott Mallan joining the committee as treasurer. Raymond Panas will continue as secretary.
”We’ll try and make sure everything is running as smoothly as possible, as good as before and even better,” Delia says of the volunteer board. ”It is unpaid work, but it’s very important work. It’s a way to come together, to recognize our successes, to build on those successes and give us a great deal of visibility.”
Delia says that planning for 2012 is slightly ahead of schedule, but that a theme has not yet been chosen. To that end, Capital Pride is currently soliciting ideas via the organization’s website. Capital Pride 2012, the 37th anniversary of the celebration, is scheduled to run from May 10 to June 10.
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