April 29, 2005

Kate Anderson resigns as Stonewall director

by Anthony Glassman

Columbus--One of central Ohio?s most active LGBT leaders has resigned her post, citing health concerns.

Kate Anderson, executive director of Stonewall Columbus, tendered her resignation to board president Donna Williams on April 24, and Williams notified staff the following day.

?This is about my health,? Anderson told the Gay People?s Chronicle. She noted that she had previous health problems, but ?the job was just exacerbating them.?

The board of trustees were set to meet on the evening of April 27 to decide the organization?s next step and consider recommendations of the executive committee. The results of that meeting were not available by press time.

Anderson, however, believes that Stonewall Columbus is more than capable of functioning at full efficiency in her absence.

?The staff there is just incredible,? she said. ?This shouldn?t be much of a leap for Stonewall.?

She pointed to the support of the board of trustees as well as what she described as a first-rate staff as major factors behind the growth the organization has enjoyed during her tenure, which began in early 2002.

?I?ve had the opportunity in another position to hand-pick staff, but [director of operations] Michael Dutcher and [program coordinator] Kellye Pinkleton are the best staff I?ve ever worked with,? she enthused. ?It?s just been a joy to work with great people around you.?

Dutcher and Pinkleton, however, point to Anderson as the motivation for the staff.

?In the past year that I have been in my position at Stonewall, Kate has helped me to grow as a person, and Kate is one of the major reasons Stonewall has grown in the past couple of years and will continue to grow,? Dutcher said. ?She?s been a huge supporter of the community and her staff, and it?s hard to let something like that go.?

Pinkleton?s praise was equally effusive.

?The last several years that she?s been here, Stonewall has grown tremendously,? she noted. ?Everybody knows her public persona as the leader of Stonewall, but she was also a wonderful boss.?

?This past year was tough on the community, and it was great to have someone who was there for us,? Pinkleton continued. ?She changed Stonewall in a lot of ways. The things she did to raise the bar have directly impacted the growth that Stonewall has felt.?

Pinkleton pointed to Anderson?s coalition-building, an effort of which Anderson herself is proud.

?She is a big believer in leaving your ego at the door. When you work with others, you can get a lot done.?

As far as Stonewall?s accomplishments, Anderson is not only proud of building those bridges both within the LGBT community and with the greater community at large, but also with the ?increased professionalism, stronger programs to reach minorities in the LGBT community and increasing the political voice of the LGBT community.?

Anderson recently completed her work on the year-long 21st Century Task Force for the city of Columbus, and will try to complete her term on the board of the Central Ohio Transit Authority, a commitment she made to Mayor Michael B. Coleman.

Beyond that, she?s looking forward to having more time to spend on hobbies that fell by the wayside when her professional obligations became too great, like painting and weaving, and ?connecting with friends and family,? including spending more time with her godson.

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