10/3/2011

Washington – The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization – today announced the beginning of the search process that will culminate in the appointment of a new president for the organization early next year. Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA), one of the nation’s foremost executive recruitment firms, has been retained by the HRC board of directors to assist them in the search. The new president will be called upon to champion federal and state legislative efforts aimed at full equality, to continue to build the hallmark programs of the HRC Foundation such as Welcoming Schools, the Corporate Equality Index and the Healthcare Equality Index, and to serve as a voice that inspires LGBT people and our allies across the country.   

With the assistance of stakeholders, the board will develop a job profile that highlights the various skill sets required of a new president. The final job profile will be posted publicly at www.hrc.org.

“The entire HRC board understands the importance of this search to our community, to our continued progress as a movement and to our organization,” said HRC board Co-Chair Rebecca Tillet. “That’s why we will run a process that is inclusive and respects the importance of diversity in the candidate pool,” added HRC Foundation Co-Chair Andy Linsky. 

It is the board’s intent to have a candidate identified by the time the current president’s contract expires at the end of March 2012.  Consistent with the best practices of executive searches, important safeguards will be put in place to protect the confidentiality of prospective candidates.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.

Russell Reynolds Associates is one of the world’s largest executive recruiting firms with a history of exceeding client expectations. The firm delivers a breadth of experience in the nonprofit space having had impressive results with a broad range of human rights and advocates organizations including recent searches for the ACLU, the Child Welfare League of America, Human Rights Watch, International AIDS Society, NAACP, The ONE Campaign, and Planned Parenthood.