Marin’s Spahr Center Announces New Executive Director
| The Board of Directors is excited to announce the appointment of Adrian Shanker (he/him) as the next Executive Director of The Spahr Center! In a national search for a new executive, organizations like ours endeavor to find the impossible. A person who has a big heart for our community and a bold vision for our future. Someone who can engage at both the grassroots level and on the national stage. A leader with the technical skills to manage a complex, growing organization and one who will do so guided by the values of equity and justice. We put together candidate profiles that ask for so much because the work ahead of us is so important. I am honored to introduce Adrian to The Spahr Community. I am excited for the agency’s future with him at the helm. |
 Adrian is an experienced LGBTQ+ community leader with a focus on LGBTQ+ health policy and promotion, barriers to care, and health equity. He joins The Spahr Center after founding and leading Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania for seven years. Adrian brings extensive knowledge of health promotion, community building, and non-profit management. His leadership will support The Spahr Center in reaching the goals outlined in its Strategic Plan: ensuring every LGBTQ+, HIV-positive and affected person in Marin County feels that we belong, are valued, and that our civic institutions ensure our health and well-being. Adrian currently serves on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS in the Biden-Harris Administration. He previously served as president of Equality Pennsylvania for three years during the fight for marriage equality. With expertise in LGBTQ+ health promotion and policy, he is also editor of the critically-acclaimed anthology Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health and the forthcoming anthology Crisis and Care: Queer Activist Responses to a Global Pandemic. He earned a Graduate Certificate in LGBT Health Policy Practice from George Washington University and a B.A. in Political Science and Religion Studies from Muhlenberg College. Adrian will begin working full time at The Spahr Center beginning on April 1, 2022. Please join us in welcoming Adrian to our community at our event, New Horizons, on April 14, from 6:00 to 7:30. Tickets are $65 per person and will go on sale on February 22. Dana Van Gorder’s last day as Executive Director will be on February 28, 2022. We are deeply grateful for his leadership at The Spahr Center over the past three years as well as his decades of service to the LGBTQ+ community. Dana brought a wealth of experience in HIV and LGBTQ+ advocacy and services that allowed us to grow our organization to new heights. His resolute leadership through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic ensured that our Center remained stable, that our clients remained supported, that we launched our Strategic Plan, grew our budget, and established new programs. We congratulate Dana on his lifelong career of serving our community, and wish him all the best in his retirement. We are grateful to The Spahr Center staff for their support throughout the search process. They have worked tirelessly to promote the health of our most vulnerable community members during the pandemic and are true champions. We extend deep appreciation to Kevin Chase Executive Search Group for leading the search that culminated in selecting Adrian as our Executive Director. Please join me in making a donation to The Spahr Center in honor of Dana’s service to our community and Adrian’s appointment. We have so much to celebrate and such important work ahead! In community, Denny David, Board President |