We have some exciting updates for you about the future of Lambda Legal. But first — if you haven’t been following our latest updates – Rachel B. Tiven recently announced her plans to step down as CEO to take the fight for equality to the ballot box in time for the mid-term elections.
And today, we are thrilled to announce that Richard Burns, former board member and former executive director of the LGBT Center in New York, will be joining our team as interim CEO as Lambda Legal conducts an intensive search for permanent leadership. His first day will be Tuesday, October 9th.
Richard brings over three decades of experience in our movement as a leader and advocate. And as an active board member in Lambda Legal’s early days, he is also – like you – a member of the Lambda Legal family.
His deep appreciation for the LGBTQ and HIV civil rights movements was clear to the Lambda Legal staff and board that interviewed him. You can read more about him here. In his new leadership role, Richard will provide support to the Lambda Legal team as we tirelessly battle Trump in court, advance our civil rights nationwide, and provide support to our thousands of callers to our Legal Help Desk.
Take a moment to learn more about Richard’s decades in the movement and experience during the AIDS epidemic.
As one of our supporters in the fight for equality, Drew, you are the driving force behind our hardest-fought court battles and sweetest victories. Whether you’ve been with us since our founding 45 years ago, or you’re still getting to know our critical work at a time when our rights are under constant attack, I invite you to extend a warm welcome to Richard with a reply to this email.
You may already know that Lambda Legal is the oldest and largest national organization dedicated to litigating and advocating for LGBTQ people and everyone living with HIV; and we provide all legal services completely free of charge to our clients. You should also know we will continue to litigate landmark cases that make the greatest impact in our community under new leadership. We owe our past victories and future successes to you. From everyone here at Lambda Legal, we cannot wait to see what we’ll accomplish together.
