GLAD is pleased to announce the appointment of five new board members: Suzanne Baumann, Martha Holt Castle, Darla DeGrace, Liz Doherty, and Lee Swislow.

“I’m delighted to welcome Suzanne, Martha, Darla, Liz, and Lee to the GLAD Board,” said Chair Rich Yurko. “At this critical time for our organization, our community, and our country, we appreciate the robust passion and expertise they will bring to supporting and executing GLAD’s mission.”

“As GLAD enters our 40th anniversary year I’m thrilled to have our board welcome five individuals who bring both an incredible depth of experience and a fresh perspective to our work for LGBTQ equality and justice,” said Janson Wu, GLAD Executive Director.

Suzanne Baumann is a counselor, educator, and consultant to youth, families, and schools, with a specialization in LGBTQA+ young people and families. Her work in schools employs a diversity and inclusion approach to creating and implementing robust wellness programs. Suzanne has spoken at over fifty schools and numerous education conferences, including the National Conference on Girls Education and the Independent School Gender Project. In addition to maintaining a private practice in Cambridge, she is a wellness consultant to Boston University Academy. She is a past teaching fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Education, a graduate of Wellesley College, and received two Masters degrees from Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Martha Holt Castle serves as Counsel at Raytheon in Waltham, where she provides legal support to the environmental health and safety program, as well as assistance in real estate transactions and risk management. She previously was Assistant District Attorney of Middlesex County and later an Associate at Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge, LLP in Providence. Martha served as Chair of the LGBTQ Committee of the Rhode Island Bar Association, and advocated for LGBTQ equality as a member of the Rhode Island Lawyers for Equality and Diversity. She went on to serve as Chair and Board Member of Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI), which was instrumental in the passage of statewide marriage equality in 2013.

Darla DeGrace Most recently joining Reebok as a Senior Recruiter in June 2018, Darla has spent her 17-year career immersed in the education sector helping organizations attract and retain diverse talent. In response to identifying diversity recruitment and retention inadequacies in education, she recently launched DeGrace Group, a diversity and inclusion consulting firm. Darla previously served as Director of National Diversity Recruitment and Strategic Partnerships at City Year National Educational Non-Profit. Also the immediate past president and CEO of the National Black MBA Association-Boston Chapter, Darla was recently appointed to Governor Charlie Baker’s Black Advisory Commission. Darla grew up in Cambridge and, as a first-generation college student, earned an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Emmanuel College and later earned a Master of Science in Communications Management from Simmons College.

Liz Doherty is Senior Director & Associate General Counsel at Akamai Technologies, Inc. in Cambridge, the global leader in Content Delivery Network Services. Liz was a founding leader of Akamai’s first employee resource group for LGBTQ employees and allies, out@akamai, and serves on the company’s global Diversity & Inclusion Executive Steering Committee. In addition to co-chairing GLAD’s Spirit of Justice Dinner in 2017 and 2018, Liz has served as a Co-Vice Chair of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth. Liz is a graduate of Tufts University, received her J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and began her legal career at Bingham McCutchen LLP (now Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP).

Since Lee Swislow retired from her role as executive director of GLAD in 2014, she has been working as an interim CEO for non-profits in transition, where she draws on her expertise in strategic planning, financial management, organizational development, and program development. Previously, she served for five years as Vice President at JRI Health, providing a variety of services to people living with HIV/AIDS as well as LGBTQ youth. Lee is thrilled to return to GLAD, where she led the organization as executive director for nine years. She is proud of the progress GLAD has made in securing rights for the LGBTQ community and people living with HIV/AIDS, and knows how much work is yet to be done.

Swislow, Doherty, DeGrace, Holt Castle and Baumann join current board members Yurko, Joyce Kauffman (Vice President), David Hayter (Treasurer), Darian Butcher (Clerk), Leila Bailey-Stewart, Mark Brown, Edward Byrne, Francisco Cabas, Andre Campagne, Fred Csibi, Shane Dunn, Benjamin Franklin, Joseph Garland, George Hastie, Deborah Heller, Chuck Latovitch, Dianne Phillips, Marlene Seltzer, and David Wilson.