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Comings & Goings
Gregg Kelley joins Washington Lawyers’ Committee
The ‘Comings & Goings’ column chronicles important life changes of Blade readers.
The Comings & 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].
Gregg Kelley
Congratulations to Gregg Kelley who recently joined the Washington Lawyers’ Committee (WLC) as director of development and communications. He will lead and oversee the planning, implementation and evaluation of WLC’s fundraising and communications efforts. The WLC, a non-profit organization, was established in 1968 to provide pro bono legal services to address discrimination and entrenched poverty in the D.C. community.
Kelley has extensive experience and background in development. Prior to joining the Committee, Gregg was director of development for the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, Washington’s largest civil legal services organization. During the 2004 presidential election, he served as director of events at the Human Rights Campaign supervising a national events fundraising program for the country’s largest LGBT organization.
Kelley began his legal services career in 1995 as the pro bono coordinator of the Legal Services Program at the Whitman-Walker Clinic. He remained in that position for just two years before becoming a member of the development team and eventually the director of special events. He is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and served as president of the D.C. Metro Area Chapter in 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University.
Congratulations also to Nick Martin who recently began his new position as communication and outreach director at the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care. The Coalition is a network of 150 provider organizations, health systems, insurance companies, businesses and consumer advocates working to ensure Americans with advanced illnesses receive comprehensive, high-quality personal and family-centered care. Previously, Martin was an associate director in the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He handled external affairs for Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell and stakeholder engagement on the administration’s top healthcare initiatives including open enrollment, Medicaid expansion, delivery system reform and public health issues such as the opioid epidemic and Zika virus outbreak.
Martin previously worked at the Human Rights Campaign coordinating campaign teams during the 2012 election when marriage equality was won or protected at the ballot in several states. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University.
Nick Martin
Congratulations also to David Reid who recently joined the government relations practice at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck as a policy adviser. Reid brings a wealth of on-the-ground policy and finance experience to his government relations work with Brownstein.
A seasoned finance director, Reid most recently worked with Hillary for America where he was the D.C. and PAC finance director. His efforts raised a record-breaking $30 million from the D.C. and PAC community during the last election. He had a wealth of experience before joining Hillary for America, which included being PAC Manager for the United Health Group, Inc.; field organizer for the 2007 Coordinated Campaign, the Democratic Party of Virginia; Mid-Atlantic finance director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee; and deputy finance director of the Democratic Governors Association.
Over the course of his successful career, Reid has amassed an in-depth network of industry contacts both on Capitol Hill and within the business and association communities. He began his career in Washington as a page in the United States House of Representatives. He received his bachelor’s degree in American Politics from the University of Virginia where he was a Jefferson Scholar. He is an Eagle Scout.
David Reid
The Comings & 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 Congresswoman Sarah McBride (D-Del.) on being honored with this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health. Amy Nelson, senior director of Legal Services, said, “Congresswoman Sarah McBride is working to make healthcare accessible to all, and this award recognizes her support of healthcare as a human right. Our legal program supports families facing unprecedented challenges to stay healthy and safe – families that Congresswoman McBride champions with a deep understanding of the issues they face and the legislative expertise of how to support them.”
McBride, in a press release, said, “I am honored to accept this year’s Stonewall Award from Whitman-Walker Health — an organization that has spent 40 years doing vital work to ensure every person can access the dignity of care. In the wealthiest and most developed nation on earth, the ability to receive care should not be a matter of luck—it should be the law of the land. I am proud to be recognized as a partner in this work and to support Whitman-Walker Health in their mission to build a healthier society for all.”
Congratulations also to Wes Drummond who will join Clear Space Theatre Company in Rehoboth Beach, Del., as its third artistic director. Managing Director Joe Gfaller said, “This is an exciting moment of growth for Clear Space as we welcome Wes to join our remarkable team. I am confident he will be an excellent partner as we work with our entire staff, board, and committed team of volunteers, to ensure Clear Space can achieve its full potential in pursuit of our mission to unite and enrich our community through every production on stage, and every arts-based learning program we offer throughout our community.”
On accepting the position Drummond said, “I’m honored to join Clear Space Theatre Company as artistic director, and beyond excited for what we’re about to create together. Clear Space has established itself as a vital and vibrant part of the cultural life of coastal Delaware, and I feel incredibly fortunate to step into this next chapter alongside such a passionate and dedicated team. Rehoboth Beach is a place defined by creativity and community, and I look forward to listening, learning, and building meaningful relationships across the region in the months ahead. My vision is to help Clear Space continue to grow as a bold, forward-thinking, cultural force, that champions fearless storytelling.”
Drummond served in leadership roles at Duluth Playhouse in Duluth, Minn., from 2021 to 2026, including four years as executive director followed by one year as executive producing artistic director, guiding the organization through a period of significant transformation and stability in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a director, he has worked extensively in New York City, Chicago, and at regional theaters across the country, directing both musical theater and plays with a focus on storytelling that bridges classical works with contemporary perspectives. He has collaborated with leading figures in the industry, including Tony Award-winning director Matthew Warchus, and Tony-nominated director Michael Greif. He is an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
Wes earned his MFA in directing, Penn State University, where he studied under Tony-nominated director, Susan H. Schulman.
Virginia
Va. Supreme Court invalidates Democrat-backed redistricting plan
Voters narrowly approved new congressional districts last month
The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a Democrat-backed redistricting plan that voters approved last month.
Ten of 11 of Virginia’s congressional districts favor Democrats in the plan that passed by a 51-48 vote margin in last month’s referendum.
The Human Rights Campaign PAC is among the groups that support it. The court by a 4-3 majority invalidated the referendum results.
District of Columbia
Maren Morris to headline Capital Pride Concert
Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter came out as bisexual in 2024
Capital Pride Alliance, the group that organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, announced on May 7 that nationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Maren Morris, who identifies as bisexual, will be the headline performer at this year’s Capital Pride Concert scheduled for June 21.
The concert takes place as part of the annual Capital Pride Festival held on Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., usually between 3rd Street near the U.S. Capitol and 9th Street.
“Morris, known for her genre-blending sound and outspoken support of LGBTQ+ rights, will be joined by a standout lineup, including acclaimed queer rapper Leikeli47, pop icon Lisa Lisa, Juno-nominated producer and DJ from the ‘Heated Rivalry’ soundtrack, Harrison, and ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18 winner Myki Meeks,” according to a statement released by Capital Pride.
“In a moment when LGBTQ+ people are being challenged across the country, the Capital Pride Concert is a space where our community is fully seen and heard,” Ryan Bos, the Capital Pride Alliance CEO and president, said in the statement. “Bringing Maren Morris to the stage reflects this year’s theme: Exist, Resist, Have the Audacity,” Bos said.
The statement notes that the concert takes place as part of the annual D.C. Pride Festival, which is open to the public free of charge, with tickets available for purchase for specific areas listed as the Capital Stage Pit Zone and the VIP Concert Zone.
It says the festival takes place from 12 –10 p.m. and points out that in addition to the music performed by multiple other performers on several stages, festival attendees “can explore hundreds of exhibitors, community organizations, and artisans, along with multiple food courts and beverage gardens throughout the festival footprint.”
Information on the Capital Pride Alliance website shows that the festival takes place one day after the annual Capital Pride Parade, scheduled for June 20 and which is expected to travel from 14th and T Streets, N.W., to Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., where it is expected to end at 9th Street.
The statement adds that following the stage performances during the June 21 festival, which are expected to conclude around 8 p.m., “the celebration will continue with the Capitol Sunset Dance Party, closing out the evening against the backdrop of the U.S. Capitol.”
The online publication Today, which is part of the NBC “Today” television show, reported that Morris came out as bisexual in a 2024 during Pride. It reports Morris “shared several images of herself holding a Pride flag to mark the occasion, writing, ‘Happy to be the B in LGBTQ+’”
Comings & Goings
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Calendar: May 8-14
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