GRDC Member News and Kudos

Gay Alliance Selects Heterosexual Supporter as Board President
Ann Young Elected as Board President
The Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley announced that Ann G. T. Young, Ph.D., was elected to serve as the President of the Board of Directors of the gay community organization. Dr. Young served as Chair of the Greater Rochester Diversity Council's highly successful Diversity 2Thousand Conference.

"This is another historical milestone for the LGBTI community," said Chuck Bowen, Executive Director. "Dr. Young, who is heterosexual, is a strong ally and supporter of our community. She is the first non-LGBTI person in the 30-year history of the Alliance to be elected to serve as our President."

Young holds a PhD in Sociology from Harvard University, and an Executive MBA from the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester. She is a well-known lecturer and speaker and an active member of the Rochester community.

She recently completed a term as Board Chairperson of the Community Health Network. "Dr. Young's planning and organizational skills, the ability to actively listen and articulate essential points, and her negotiating expertise required to reach consensus were among the qualities she employed in leading our highly effective strategic planning process," said Jay Rudman, President/CEO of Community Health Network.

Young has served on the GAGV Board of Directors for the past three years, as a Director and Secretary.

"I'm honored to have been selected to lead the Gay Alliance during this crucial time of transition," Young said. "With the recent court victories and the passage of SONDA in New York, it is more important than ever to continue to build coalitions with all members of the community."

The Board also selected Emily M. Jones to serve as Vice President/President Elect. Jones holds a Masters Degree from SUNY at Plattsburgh and is Director of Imaging Materials at Eastman Kodak Co. She is a founding member of the Board of Lambda Network at Kodak. She is a graduate of the Program for Executives at Carnegie Mellon University and one of the first graduates of the UCLA LGBT Leadership Institute.

The other new Board officers are Alicia Kibitlewski of Bausch & Lomb, Secretary, and Michael Oswald of Xerox, Treasurer.