GLCCB elects new president

The GLCCB (Blade photo by Steve Charing)

The board of directors of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Baltimore and Central Maryland (GLCCB) elected Mike McCarthy as its new president on Feb. 11. McCarthy, who was the interim president until the election, had been the board’s vice president. His election as president fills the vacancy left by Bud Beehler who resigned last month—citing personal obligations—after serving nearly eight months at the helm.

McCarthy, an attorney practicing family law and guardianship, does not anticipate any real changes in the governance of the Center’s board or of its operations.  “While we are certainly going through a period of rapid change and exciting opportunities, the board invested substantial energy over the past year to revise the Center’s bylaws and to draft our strategic plan,” McCarthy told the Blade.

“My intention is to provide continuity of leadership and work with the rest of the board to continue the progress we’ve begun,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy also said it is important to focus on outreach to the lesbian community as there is a misconception that the GLCCB does not provide women with opportunities and programming.  “A brief glance at the programs offered by the GLCCB,” McCarthy points out, “clearly shows that this is not the case, as we have both lesbian-focused and general interest programming that would be of interest, and I believe there is simply an issue of effectively communicating that to the larger community.”

An election to replace Mike McCarthy as vice-president will take place at the next board meeting in March.