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Comings & Goings
Greer to head PAI; Micone leads Combined Federal Campaign
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].
Congratulations to Reginald Greer who has been appointed director of the Presidential Appointments Institute at the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute. PAI successfully assisted hundreds of LGBT people searching for placements in the Obama administration and is expanding its efforts to secure presidential appointments for LGBT people in the next administration.
Upon his appointment, Greer said, “I am honored to further that legacy. We are continuing to build our talent bank with qualified LGBT leaders who can be the foundation for a successful administration, and we will be their allies in finding a placement. We encourage LGBT people across the country to consider public service and to register with our initiative.”
Greer previously served as Deputy Director of Public Engagement at the United States Department of Transportation where he developed strategies for effective communication and engagement with thousands of transportation stakeholders across every mode on key White House and departmental priorities. Appointed by President Obama and Secretary Anthony Foxx in May 2014, he served as the department’s liaison to the White House Business Council, engaging business leaders across the country on a wide range of transportation-related initiatives, programs and issues.
In 2016, Greer was appointed to serve on D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee. He has served as a staff assistant for the political team at the Democratic National Committee, a youth organizer for the District of Columbia’s 2013 Commemorative Commission on the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington, a fellow for the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee’s National Day of Service team, and a field organizer for President Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign in Norfolk, Va.
Reginald Greer
Congratulations and thanks are also due to Vince Micone. He is the chair of the board of directors for the Combined Federal Campaign of the National Capital Area, the federal government’s workplace giving campaign. Under his leadership, the campaign has provided nearly $47 million annually in charitable contributions to more than 20,000 organizations. This year’s drive extends through December.
Micone’s full-time position is as Presidential Transition Officer and Senior Counselor Management Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This position includes leading the Department’s efforts to prepare for and successfully execute a smooth presidential transition.
Micone is a 25-year veteran of federal civil service and a long-time activist in Washington’s philanthropic community. He has served in a variety of positions in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Justice where he managed human resources programs and initiatives. These programs included policy development and implementation, ceremonies and campaigns, military affairs, voting assistance and community service efforts. He also was vice president for development for the non-profit Partnership for Public Service.
Micone is well known in our community for all the volunteer work he does with so many organizations. He helped lead the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Gaymes Inc. in 2003 in an effort to bring the Gay Games to D.C. Today he is advising those working to bring them here in 2022. Micone was recently elected vice president of the Capital Pride Alliance.
He served as chair of the District of Columbia Commission on National and Community Service, a reserve police officer for the Metropolitan Police Department and an elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner.
Vince Micone
Maryland
Evan Glass is leaning on his record. Is that enough for Montgomery County’s top job?
Gay county executive candidate pushing for equitable pay, safer streets, and cleaner environment
By TALIA RICHMAN | During a meet-and-greet at Poolesville Memorial United Methodist Church, Evan Glass got his loudest applause of the night with a plan he acknowledged was decidedly unsexy.
“Day one, I’ll hire a director of permitting services,” the county executive candidate said.
Doing so, he added, is a step toward easing the regulatory burdens that can stifle small businesses in Montgomery County.
The only problem? At least one of his fiercest competitors is making a similar pledge.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
District of Columbia
D.C. bar, LGBTQ+ Community Center to mark Lesbian Visibility Week
‘Ahead of the Curve’ documentary screening, ‘Queeroke’ among events
2026 Lesbian Visibility Week North America will take place from April 20-26.
This year marks the third annual Lesbian Visibility Week, run by the Curve Foundation. A host of events take place from April 20-26.
This year’s theme is Health and Wellness. For the Curve Foundation, the term “lesbian” serves as an umbrella term for a host of identities, including lesbians, bisexual and transgender women, and anyone else connected to the lesbian community.
The week kicks off with a flag-raising ceremony on April 19. It will take place in New York, but will be livestreamed for the public.
“Queeroke” is one of the events being held around the country. It will take place at various participating bars on April 23.
As You Are, an LGBTQ bar in Capitol Hill, is one of eight locations across the U.S. participating. Their event is free and 21+.
On April 24, the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center will hold a screening of “Ahead of the Curve,” a documentary about the founder of Curve, Franco Stevens. The event is free with an RSVP.
April 25, is Queer Women in Sports Day. And on April 26, several monuments in New York will be illuminated.
Virtual events ranging from health to sports will be made available to the public. Details will be released closer to the start of Lesbian Visibility Week. Featured events can be found on the official website.
Some ways for individuals to get involved are to use #LVW26 and tag the official Lesbian Visibility Week account on social media posts. People are encouraged to display their lesbian flags, and businesses can hand out pins and decorate. They can also reach out to local lawmakers to encourage them to issue an official Lesbian Visibility Week.
District of Columbia
Whitman-Walker Health to present ‘Pro Bono Excellence’ award to law firm
Health center set to celebrate 40th anniversary of legal services program
Whitman-Walker Health, the D.C.-based community healthcare center that specializes in HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ-related health services, announced it will present its annual Dale Edwin Sanders Award for Pro Bono Excellence to the international law firm McDermott Will & Schulte at a May 6 ceremony.
“This year’s award is especially significant as it coincides with the 40th anniversary of Whitman-Walker Health’s Legal Services Program, marking it as the nation’s longest running medical-legal partnership,” a statement released by Whitman-Walker says.
“As a national leader in public health, Whitman-Walker celebrates our partnership with McDermott to strengthen the health center and to enable Whitman-Walker to reach more medical and legal clients,” the statement adds.
“McDermott’s firm-wide commitment to Whitman-Walker’s medical-legal partnership demonstrates a shared vision to serve those most in need,” Amy Nelson, Whitman-Walker’s director of Legal Services, says in the statement. “Our work protects individuals and families who face discrimination and hostility as they navigate increasingly complex administrative systems,” Nelson said.
“Pro bono legal services – like that of McDermott Will & Schulte – find solutions for people who have no place else to turn in the face of financial and health threats,” she added.
“Our partnership with Whitman-Walker Health is a treasured commitment to serving our neighbors and communities,” Steven Schnelle, one of the law firm’s partners said in the statement. “We are deeply moved by Whitman-Walker’s unwavering dedication to inclusion, respect, and equitable access to health care and social services,” he said.
The statement notes that the award for Pro Bono Excellence honors the legacy of the late gay attorney Dale Edwin Sanders. It says Sanders’s pro bono legal work for Whitman-Walker clients “shaped HIV/AIDS law for more than four decades by securing key victories on behalf of individuals whose employment and patient rights were violated.”
It says the Whitman-Walker Legal Services program began during the early years of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s at a time when people with AIDS faced widespread discrimination and often needed legal assistance. According to the statement, the program evolved over the years and expanded to advocate for transgender people and immigrants.
Whitman-Walker spokesperson Lisa Amore said the presentation of the Dale Edwin Sanders Pro Bono Excellency Award will be held at the May 6 fundraising benefit for Whitman-Walker’s Legal Services Program. She said the event will take place at the offices of the DC law firm Baker McKenzie and ticket availability can be accessed here: https://www.whitman-walker.org/gtem-2026/
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D.C. bar, LGBTQ+ Community Center to mark Lesbian Visibility Week
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