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Comings & Goings
Penchina joins Voices for Progress
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].
Daniel Penchina
Congratulations to Daniel Penchina, who has been named president of Voices for Progress and Voices for Progress Education Fund. Voices for Progress is a unique organization made up of influential people advocating for the public interest. Voices for Progress Education Fund (V4PEF), and its sister organization, Voices for Progress (V4P), are progressive national advocacy organizations building a counterweight to the campaign contributors and corporations that seek policies serving their own narrow financial self-interest. A 501(c)(3) project of the Tides Center, V4PEF, and V4P, a 501(c)(4) project of The Advocacy Fund, have enlisted hundreds of philanthropists, political donors and business leaders nationwide as members. Members and staff advocate to elected officials to fight against climate change and economic inequality; to strengthen democracy through campaign finance reform and voting protections; and on other social justice issues
Penchina has 15 years of experience navigating the intersection of policymaking and politics. He was a principal at The Raben Group, a progressive public affairs firm based in D.C. where he designed and managed issue and advocacy campaigns — including developing legislative strategy, communications plans, coalitions and tools for grassroots organizing — for dozens of national nonprofits, foundations, and companies. Prior to that, he worked as a senior adviser and strategist for several members of Congress, including as legislative director to Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.). He has served as a member of the board of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, and of SMYAL. Penchina is a past president of Q Street, an association of LGBT lobbyists and advocates. He has a BFA with honors in cinema studies from New York University.
Congratulations also to Jordan Schwartz, who was promoted to National Development Associate at A Wider Bridge (AWB). Schwartz previously served as Regional Development Associate for the Mid Atlantic. He will now assist with AWB’s national fundraising efforts.
A Wider Bridge was founded by Arthur Slepian in 2010 to provide opportunities for LGBTQ people in North America to build meaningful relationships with Israel and LGBTQ Israelis. From its outset, AWB has provided LGBTQ people with the opportunity to engage with Israel in ways that matter to them personally, and to demonstrate they have a stake in Israel and its future. In seven years, it has sponsored dozens of Israeli LGBTQ delegations to North America. It has also given more than 200 North American LGBTQ leaders the opportunity to visit Israel and engage with LGBTQ Israeli leaders and NGOs on the ground.
Prior to working with AWB, Schwartz founded Tappan Street Productions, Brookline, MA where he produced a 15-minute documentary that screened in the Boston area for Joe Kennedy for Congress. He is also the youngest tutor hired by Advantage Testing trained in and certified to teach LSAT, GRE, GMAT, and numerous academic subjects. Jordan has a bachelor’s in political science with a minor in business from Brandeis University.
Jordan Schwartz
Congratulations also to those elected to the board of Brother, Help Thyself. Jim Slattery was re-elected to his fifth term as president of BHT. He is joined by Andrew McCarty as vice president, Mark Clark as the board’s treasurer and Mike Lentz as assistant treasurer. In addition, elected to the board of directors were Mario Ward, Jose Gutierrez and Julius Agers. Brother, Help Thyself Inc. is a community-based organization providing financial and other support to non-profit organizations serving the GLBTQ and HIV/AIDS community in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. metro area.
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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