Jan. 28 (BOSTON) — GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) is pleased to announce new leadership for the organization’s board of directors. At its December 2020 meeting, GLAD’s board elected Darian Butcher, Senior Associate at Day Pitney LLP and former Vice President, to serve as the organization’s next President. Butcher, who has been a member of the GLAD board since 2014, will be joined by Shane Dunn as Vice President. Marlene Seltzer and Joseph Garland will continue as Treasurer and Clerk, respectively. Outgoing President Joyce Kauffman will continue on as a board member for another one-year term.

Darian Butcher (President) is a Senior Associate in the probate, finance, and commercial litigation practice group at Day Pitney LLP. She earned her J.D. from Boston University School of Law and clerked for Massachusetts Appeals Court Justice R. Malcolm Graham (ret.). Butcher has previously served as Vice President (2018 to 2020) and Clerk (2016-2018) of the Board and co-chaired GLAD’s Spirit of Justice committee. Butcher also serves on the board of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, on the Complex Commercial Litigation Section Council of the Massachusetts Bar Association, and as co-chair of the Fiduciary Litigation Committee of the Boston Bar Association.

“We are at a pivotal time in our country’s journey toward equity, justice and full LGBTQ equality, and I can’t think of an organization better positioned than GLAD to meet the moment,” said Butcher. “I’m honored and humbled to be stepping into the role of President as we both confront the immediate challenges presented by the pandemic and the legacy of the Trump administration and seize the opportunities before us to further equal justice for all.”

Shane Dunn (Vice President) is Senior Director of Development and Alumni Relations at Brandeis International Business School and has worked in a number of roles in both K-12 and higher education in Greater Boston. A native of Waterville, New York, he is a graduate of Cornell University and earned a master’s degree in higher education administration from Boston College. Active in a number of civic and political activities, Dunn previously served on the SPARK Boston Council, the City of Boston’s millennial advisory cabinet, and was a Fellow with Education Pioneers. He has served on the GLAD Spirit of Justice committee and has been a member of the board since 2014.

“I have been inspired over and over again by the incredible dedication, hard work and passion of the GLAD staff and board, particularly over the past four years which have directly challenged the well-being of the LGBTQ community,” said Dunn. “We need organizations like GLAD more than ever and it’s a privilege to be on the board. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in this leadership role at such a critical time and I look forward to partnering with the board, staff, and GLAD’s supporters to continue our march to achieving lived equality and justice for all.”

GLAD’s full list of board members can be found at www.glad.org/about/board-of-directors

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Through strategic litigation, public policy advocacy, and education, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders works in New England and nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation.