The ‘Comings & Goings’ column chronicles important life changes of Blade readers.

The Comings and Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].

The Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (CAGLCC) is the local affiliate of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). CAGLCC began as the Potomac Executive Network many years ago, founded to provide LGBT professionals in D.C. with a place to meet. As an original member of the group there are fond memories when together with Jay Muzychenko we started the PEN Association Network bringing together association professionals to share information and ideas intended to further their careers and organizations with businesses having products and knowledge they wanted to sell. We held monthly luncheons and had an informal membership list of 250.

Nearly 12 years ago, I wrote a column in the Blade suggesting we needed an organization to demonstrate the strength of LGBT business and the clout we could have as a business community to promote full LGBT civil and human rights. Shortly after, two young men began such an organization and their hard work and dedication has seen it grow into a powerful group with influence around the world. PEN then morphed into its local affiliate.

Today, CAGLCC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, largely volunteer network of more than 430 LGBT members in addition to the nearly 5,000 LGBT professional supporters who own or are employed by businesses, nonprofits and government agencies in D.C., Virginia and Maryland.

The chamber’s primary focus is to further acceptance of LGBT people, help overcome adversity and then advocate, empower, promote and facilitate the common economic interests of all the commercial enterprises of LGBT businesses, professionals and their allies in the metropolitan D.C. region. The chamber has a full slate of activities each month. It recently announced its new officers and board members for 2016.

The president is Donald Uttrich, an attorney at Jackson & Campbell, and longtime active member of the LGBT community. The new vice president is Brian Haney, an agency managing associate at MassMutual Greater Washington Area and vice president at the Haney Company. New members of the board include; Mike Boyd, principal/owner of Nice Work Company; Frantzces Lys, a Realtor with Keller Williams; Van Goodwin, owner of Van Allen; and Phillip Cotton, vice president and branch manager at SunTrust Bank. Members continuing on the board for 2016 include John Quattlebaum, Eleasa Du Bois, JC Cummings and Holly Goldmann.

Each of these individuals deserves our congratulations and thanks for the time and effort they commit to ensuring that CAGLCC continues to make a difference in the community. For more information on the organization and how to become involved, visit caglcc.org.

Donald Uttrich is the new president of CAGLCC.