Local
Comings & Goings
Kline named president of D.C. Public Education Fund
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 Jim Kline on his new position as President and Executive Director of the D.C. Public Education Fund. The Education Fund is the philanthropic arm of D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) and has raised more than $180 million in investments since its inception 15 years ago. Kline said, āI couldn’t be more excited to take on this new opportunity of leading the DC Ed Fund – especially at this moment in our city’s history. We have made incredible progress over the years within DCPS, and yet coming out of the pandemic, we still have so much to do to ensure our system is excellent and equitable for all students. ā¦ I’m humbled by this opportunity and the challenges ahead of us ā and incredibly grateful for theĀ legacy of innovation and progress I’m inheriting at the D.C. Public Education Fund.āĀ
Prior to this he was Senior Director, Program Strategy with CityBridge Education, and worked as Manager, schools portfolio with the Philadelphia School Partnership. He was network-wide Director of College Readiness, Collegiate Academies Charter Schools in New Orleans. Kline began his career as a social studies teacher and academic dean. He received a New Orleans Excellence in Teaching Award, New Schools for New Orleans; and a New Orleans Saints Outstanding Teacher Award, National Football League.
Congratulations also to Saurav Jung Thapa on being named Senior Federal Affairs Manager with the Trevor Project. Thapa said, “I am delighted at this opportunity to engage with federal government agencies, LGBTQ organizations, and mental health organizations to advance The Trevor Project’s crucial mission of preventing suicide and providing crisis intervention to LGBTQ young people. This community is at significantly higher risk of suicide, not due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, but rather because of the prevalence of anti-LGBTQ stigma, mistreatment, and violence that they often face in their homes, schools, and communities.”
Thapaās previous role with Trevor Project was as Senior Manager of International Expansion. Prior to that he was founder of Technical Writing and Editing Service LLC; a technical writer and editor with MPact Global Action for Gay Menās Health and Rights. He has served as a Senior Program Manager, Dignity for All, Freedom House in D.C.; and technical officer, LGBTI and Human Rights, United Nations Development Program, Bangkok, Thailand.Ā
Local
Comings & Goings
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].
Some people are especially inspiring to write about, and one such person is Joseph Poduslo. He is justly proud of his āLuminary of the Yearā nomination, which is granted to survivors, caregivers, and researchers, by the Brain Industry Association of America (BIAA). I urge you to take a look at its website, and maybe help Poduslo raise some funds for this incredible organization.
āI have always wanted to share my journey to help and inspire others,ā he said. āThe brain is the most amazing creation and retraining the brain takes time and effort. But Iām doing it.ā You can read his story in his own words. You will find it as inspiring as I did.
After spending time with his family in Texas, he is now back in D.C. He is Senior Vice President, and founding agent, the Poduslo Group. His bio notes, āHis work for his real estate clients has garnered him industry-wide recognition. Joseph has been featured in the Washington Post, NBC, CNN, and in 2018, Washington Life Magazineās āMost Influential Business Person Under Forty.ā ā¦ When Joseph is not redefining the real estate industry, he has invested in numerous small businesses and restaurants in downtown D.C. over the last 17 years. He founded the D.C. Progressive Dinner, an organization that helps SMYAL, a local non-profit. Joseph formerly served on the Capital Alliance Board in the DC area.ā
Delaware
GOP candidate in Del. House race expresses LGBTQ support
Simpler says trans residents deserve protection from discrimination
Early voting is underway in Delaware and one race that has captivated the LGBTQ community is the 14th District House seat being vacated by longtime ally Pete Schwartzkopf. Claire Snyder-Hall, a lesbian, won the Democratic primary and faces Republican Mike Simpler. But Simpler says the LGBTQ community shouldn’t discount him simply because he’s a Republican.
āI was kind of upset that they would even think of me being a Republican, that I would discriminate against the LGBTQ community in general,ā Simpler told the Blade. āIt’s kind of upsetting knowing that I’m born and raised here, and I’ve had family members that way. I mean the treasurer of my campaign is a lesbian. It’s just upsetting that people feel that way about the gay community in general.ā
Simpler, a lifelong resident of Sussex County and the current president of the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company said that his experience in the role has allowed him to work alongside many different types of people, including members of the LGBTQ community.
āWe probably have the most diverse fire company in the state of Delaware, when it comes to the LGBTQ group,ā he said. āPeople need to realize that the LGBTQ [community] is no different than the rest of the people in the world.ā
Simpler also shared with the Blade that he has had firsthand experience with a unique aspect of LGBTQ culture ā drag. He dressed up in drag at a fundraiser held at The Pines, a popular gay venue in Rehoboth Beach.
āI was asked to volunteer for a fundraiser, and next thing you know, I find out Iām going to be in drag at The Pines,ā Simpler said. āWe had a ball! I mean, I had so much fun.ā
Not only did Simpler definitively say he supports the LGBTQ community in Delaware, but he added he supports legislative protections for these communities. He pointed out that providing a safe space for marginalized communities is ingrained in American history.
āProtect them,ā he said when asked about the potential of supporting pro-transgender legislation amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ state legislation being passed nationwide. āYou’ve got to. They’re trying to escape. For example, they’re trying to escape the process like the Jews did, like the Chinese when they came here. They’re trying to move away from an issue where they’re being prosecuted against to somewhere where they can be free and enjoy their life that they want to live.ā
In addition to promising LGBTQ support, Simpler says he backs smarter growth in the region by prioritizing better development and efforts to alleviate traffic. He also pledges to attract high-quality jobs to the region.
Simpler faces Synder-Hall in the Nov. 5 general election. Read the Bladeās profile of her, here: https://www.washingtonblade.com/2024/09/24/claire-snyder-hall-interview/
Early voting is already underway.
Virginia
New Virginia license plate celebrates LGBTQ diversity
450 applications needed for it to become official option
Diversity Richmond has designed a license plate that allows Virginia drivers to celebrate and raise the visibility of LGBTQ diversity. The Virginia-based LGBTQ nonprofit needs 450 applications by January for the plate to become an official state option.
The license plate design features a group of hands stacked on top of each other in the far left corner, and the Progress Pride flag runs horizontally across the bottom of the plate. The words āCelebrate Diversityā are prominently displayed over the flag.
Rev. Dr. Lacette Cross, executive director of Diversity Richmond, said the design celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ community.
ā[The design] reflects the diversity of the intersecting identities of our community,ā she said.
Applications are available on Diversity Richmondās website, and the license plate costs $25. Once completed, applicants should email the form to Diversity Richmond, not to the Virginia DMV, as Diversity Richmond will submit both the applications and fees to the DMV on their behalf.
If the organization gathers 450 applications and payments by the start of the 2025 Virginia General Assembly session in January, Del. Betsy B. Carr (D-Richmond) will sponsor the plate through the approval process to make it an official option.
The initiative also serves as a fundraiser for Diversity Richmond, which will receive a portion of the proceeds from the license plate registration fees.
āThe ultimate benefit,ā Cross said, āis the continual visibility of LGBTQ persons, our allies, and our supporters that are driving around the Commonwealth of Virginia, spreading the message of acceptance and of allyship.ā
She described Diversity Richmond as the hub of the LGBTQ community in Greater Richmond, noting the organizationās āreally dynamicā work within the community. The nonprofit runs the popular thrift store Diversity Thrift, hosts the annual Virginia Pridefest in September, and exhibits the work of LGBTQ artists in its art gallery.
Diversity Richmond is planning to celebrate its 25th anniversary with a public party at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on Wednesday, Nov. 13.