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Comings & Goings
Ferrero to lead Fund for Investigative Journalism
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 Eric Ferrero on his appointment as executive director of the Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ). Mark Greenblattt, President of FIJ’s board and senior national investigative correspondent for the Scripps Washington Bureau said, “The Fund for Investigative Journalism’s work has never been more critical, and Eric Ferrero brings a unique blend of experience to help broaden our impact in the years ahead. Ferrero brings extensive management experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, with a deep background helping investigative journalists uncover groundbreaking stories. The entire FIJ family is thrilled to welcome him and looks forward to his leadership.”
Ferrero said, “I am humbled and excited to join the Fund for Investigative Journalism – especially right now, when so much is at stake. For more than 50 years, the Fund for Investigative Journalism has shown that one reporter, given proper support to dig deep and keep digging, can make a profound difference in the world.”
Ferrero previously served in senior roles at the Innocence Project, the Open Society Foundations, Amnesty International USA, the American Civil Liberties Union and other national and global organizations. He has worked closely with some of the nation’s leading investigative journalists to help them cover high-impact stories, including those published or broadcast by The New Yorker, CBS News “60 Minutes,” the Washington Post, the New York Times and PBS “Frontline,” as well as in regional and specialty outlets including the Texas Tribune, the Marshall Project and WBUR. He has served on the board of directors of Suicide Prevention International and has been a featured panelist for numerous organizations including the National Association of Hispanic Journalists; National Association of Black Journalists; Hollywood for Social Change; Ford Foundation and at the Big Pitch Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Faculty Training Retreat.
Congratulations also to Gustavo M. Ventura on the publication of his important article “The Development of Patient Evacuation Resource Classification System (PERC) Using Systems Engineering to Assist Hospital Evacuations in a Disaster” in the Journal of the Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. He said, “I am proud that my research may provide a solution for hospitals evacuating under duress.”
Ventura’s 20 years of active duty service in the U.S. Navy included global program management, and extensive civilian-military coordination with humanitarian NGOs. He has diplomatic experience including as peace envoy staff, and significant executive experience as a member of the White House staff.
Most recently, he served in the areas of Emergency Management and Public Health developing the Patient Evacuation Resource Classification System for Residential Healthcare Facilities. He served as a United Nations Peacekeeper in 1996 selected as the UN Military Observer stationed at rebel headquarters of the POLISARIO in Tindouf, Algeria and was responsible for monitoring military maneuvers, briefing senior UN personnel on political and military conditions, and assisting international relief efforts at rebel camps throughout southwestern Algeria. In that role, he escorted various congressional and senior UN fact-finding delegations on their inspection of humanitarian and political conditions.
Earlier in his career, Ventura was on the White House Staff in the National AIDS Policy Office as Chief Administrator. In addition to other roles the office at the direction of the president developed and managed AIDS in the workplace training for all federal employees.
Rehoboth Beach
Rehoboth Summer Kickoff Party set for May 15 with Ashley Biden
The Washington Blade’s 19th annual Summer Kickoff Party is scheduled for Friday, May 15 in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Ashley Biden, daughter of President Joe Biden, has joined the list of speakers, the Blade announced. She will accept an award on behalf of her brother Beau Biden for his LGBTQ advocacy work as Delaware attorney general. (Her appearance was rescheduled from last year.)
The event, to be held this year at Diego’s (37298 Rehoboth Ave. Ext.) from 5-7 p.m., is a fundraiser for the Blade Foundation’s Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which funds a summer position reporting on LGBTQ news in Delaware. This year’s recipient will be introduced at the event.
The event will also feature remarks from state Rep. Claire Snyder-Hall. New CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Dr. Robin Brennan and Blade editor Kevin Naff will also speak. The event is generously sponsored by Realtor Justin Noble, The Avenue Inn & Spa, and Diego’s.
A suggested donation of $25 is partially tax deductible and includes a drink ticket and light appetizers. Tickets are available in advance at bladefoundation.org/rehoboth or at the door.
District of Columbia
Curve magazine honors Washington Blade publisher
Lynne Brown named to 2026 Power List
Washington Blade Publisher Lynne Brown has been named to the 2026 Curve Power List celebrating LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary individuals in North America who are blazing trails in their chosen fields.
“From sports and entertainment icons to corporate leaders and lawmakers, these individuals are breaking barriers, challenging norms, and shaping the future,” Curve Foundation/Curve magazine said in announcing this year’s list, which includes ABC newscaster Robin Roberts, comedian/actress Hannah Einbinder, and singer/actress Renee Rapp, among others.
Brown has worked for the Washington Blade for nearly 40 years. She was named publisher in 2007 before becoming a co-owner in 2010.
“I am honored to be recognized by Curve magazine during Lesbian Visibility Week,” Brown said. “Receiving this Curve honor is twofold. I was an early subscriber to Curve. I enjoy the product and know its history. Its journalism, layout and humorous features have inspired me.
“As an owner/publisher, receiving recognition from a similar source acknowledges my work and efforts, with a sincerity I truly appreciate. Franco Stevens, the publisher of Curve, is a business person of duration, experience, and purpose. The fact that they are in the media business, and honoring me and my publication makes it a tiny bit sweeter.”
Nominations for the Curve Power List come from the community: peers, mentors, fans, and employers.
Curve explained the significance of the list in its announcement: “An annual, publicly nominated list of impactful LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary changemakers is crucial in current times to counter discrimination, legislative rollbacks, hostility, and the invisibility of queer women within mainstream and marginal spaces and endeavors. Such a list also fosters encouragement and solidarity, and elevates voices and achievements—from high-profile roles to under appreciated areas of life.”
Rehoboth Beach
Auction of Rehoboth’s Blue Moon canceled
Details on sale of iconic bar, restaurant not disclosed
The Blue Moon in Rehoboth Beach, Del., has been an iconic presence in the local LGBTQ community for four decades but its status remains murky after a sheriff’s auction of the property was abruptly called off on Tuesday.
The property was listed for sale in December. At that time, owner Tim Ragan told the Blade that he is committed to preserving its legacy as a gay-friendly space.
“We had no idea the interest this would create,” Ragan said in December. “I guess I was a little naive about that.”
Ragan explained that he and longtime partner Randy Haney were separating the real estate from the business. The two buildings associated with the sale were listed by Carrie Lingo at 35 Baltimore Ave., and include an apartment, the front restaurant (6,600 square feet with three floors and a basement), and a secondary building (roughly 1,800 square feet on two floors). They were listed for $4.5 million.
The bar and restaurant business is being sold separately; the price was not publicly disclosed.
But then, earlier this year, the Blue Moon real estate listing turned up on the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office auction site. The auction was slated for Tuesday, April 21 but hours before the sale, the listing changed to “active under contract” indicating that a buyer has been found but the sale is not yet final. As of Wednesday morning, the listing has been removed from the sheriff’s auction site.
Ragan didn’t respond to Blade inquiries about the auction. Back in December, he told the Blade, “It’s time to look for the next people who can continue the history of the Moon and cultivate the next chapter,” noting that he turns 70 this year. “We’re not panicked; we separated the building from the business. Some buyers can’t afford both.”
The identity of the buyer was not disclosed, nor was the sale price.
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