End of Year Letter from Louise

Image care of the Space Needle

Because of you, our GSBA members and our outstanding Board leadership, it has been a good year. I am grateful that we have partnered with you this year to:

1. Sign the amicus briefs to the Supreme Court urging the overturning of DOMA
2. Raise a marriage equality flag on top of the Space Needle during Pride
3. Open the first LGBT Visitor Center in our region
4. Breaking all attendance records at GSBA Events throughout the year, including selling out the TASTE for the second year in a row
5. Increase business for our members through GSBA’s OUTLeads Referral Groups
6. Extend GSBA’s reach south to Tacoma and north to Everett
7. Welcome over 800 guests to the TASTE of GSBA
8. Raise over $570k to support the GSBA Scholarship Fund
9. Welcome two new staff members to our team: Amy Burdick, Business Development Manager and Holly Teige, Membership Services Coordinator
10. And, to have the honor of working with an outstanding Board led by our incomparable Board Chair, Mark Rosén.

So, to all of you, our members, colleagues and friends, as we get to the end of 2013, I hope you know how grateful I am for the privilege of working alongside all of you as we strengthen the LGBT business and nonprofit community. Together our commitment to business development, community engagement, equality in business and investing in the next generation of LGBT and allied leaders through the GSBA Scholarship Fund is an amazing gift. And, if you haven’t yet made your year-end gift, please consider giving the gift of education by donating to the GSBA Scholarship Fund. It’s a gift that comes with a lifetime warranty of making our community stronger.
For equality,

Louise Chernin
President & CEO