FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JULY 3, 2013 OutServe-SLDN Announces Plans Moving Forward
The Board of Directors
and Chapter Leaders have joined forces in a “transition”
committee, which will seek new leadership and direction for the organization and has called for the space to rebuild.
The OutServe-SLDN Board of Directors is pleased to announce the formation of a transition committee, a group of four Board Members and four Chapter Leaders who will be working side-by-side to appoint new leadership to the Board of Directors and begin to see the organization in a new direction. The members who have been selected by their peers to represent the OutServe-SLDN membership are Tania Dunbar, Todd Burton, Brynn Tannehill, and Regis Sullivan. They hail from OutServe Ladies, the Military Advisory Council, OutServe Trans, and OutServe Georgia, respectively. Katie Miller, Mike Magee, Matthew Phelps, and Regina Grattan volunteered on behalf of the Board of Directors. Tannehill stated: This has undoubtedly been a challenging time for OS-SLDN. The most important thing we've all learned from this situation is how critical the support network we've built is to the LGBT service members around the world. They truly care about this
organization and want it to succeed. It’
s time to put aside our differences and get to work. We hope the broader community will give us the space to work without distraction, and we urge our chapter leaders and individual members to use this transition period to bring us their ideas
because we’re one team from here on out. ‘Stronger, Together’ isn’t just a motto
--
it’s the truth
. OutServe-SLDN was the merger of two vastly different organizations; OutServe brought the enthusiasm of a grassroots organization and SLDN was an established and respected legal services organization. April Heinze, Co-
Chair of the Board of Directors, stated, “
Over the
past several months, we’ve learned a lot, particularly the import
ance of engaging our members. The transition committee will be working to ensure the organization better reflects the needs of our LGBT service members, veterans, and their families.
” The organization’s tra
nsition is likely to mean significant changes to board makeup, such as current members stepping down while more service members from OutServe-
SLDN’s
chapters are added. As part of this evolution, Josh Seefried, who has been Co-Chair of the entity since the merger in 2012, has announced his intent to resign from the Board.
“When I founded OutServe in 2010, before the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
,
’
the number one priority was to give a voice to the LGBT military members
who were serving in silence, “
Seefried said.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JULY 3, 2013
“Three years later, my commitment t
o empowering the LGBT military community is just as strong. At this point in history, I believe stepping down and vesting greater trust and
authority in our members is the right thing to do.”
Seefried will delegate his co-chair responsibilities and his resignation will be effective Monday. Todd Burton noted,
“Josh is a valued member of th
e community who has contributed greatly to ending DADT and forming this network. We thank him for his many contributions and wish him the best in future endeavors. Although he will be leaving his position as Co-Chair, we will be seeking his counsel over the next few weeks to ensure a smooth transition." The committee intends to submit recommendations to the Board of Directors in the coming weeks. In addition, the group is specifically exploring the best avenues to advocate for transgender service members and veterans and to secure equal opportunity employment protections for LGBT service members.
OutServe-SLDN is the association of actively serving LGBT military personnel with more than fifty chapters and 6500 members around the world. It works to support a professional network of LGBT military personnel and create an environment of respect in the military with regard to sexual orientation and gender identity. For more information, visit http://www.outserve-sldn.org.