MassEquality begins board recruitment campaign

This month MassEquality launched a campaign to expand its board of directors from 10 to 18 members, with a particular emphasis on increasing the board's diversity. Board president David Wilson said he plans to complete the board expansion within the next three to four months.

The campaign follows the first board elections since the board voted to expand its mission statement to cover a wide range of LGBT issues in addition to marriage. Wilson said all board members were invited to put forward their names for re-election, and ten did so. All ten were reelected Jan. 23. Among the board members who did not reapply were some who opposed MassEquality's expanded mission.

Wilson said the board and MassEquality campaign director Marc Solomon have began reaching out to community organizations to recruit prospective board members. The board hopes to attract new members with a commitment to MassEquality's mission and experience in fundraising. Wilson said MassEquality is also working to expand the board's diversity, adding new members from the transgender community, from communities of color, and from youth and elder communities.

"The plan right now is in the upcoming months, starting with February, we're going to be bringing two to three board members on until we get to the full complement of 18," said Wilson.

He said all resumes from prospective board members will go to Jonathan Scott, head of the board's nominating committee. The board plans to vote on between one and three new members at its February 13 meeting.

The current 10-member board includes Wilson, Scott, Valerie Fein-Zachary, Barbara W. Grossman, Vickie Henry, Jack Hornor, Sue Hyde, Robyn Ochs, Johanna Schulman, and Katherine Triantafillou.