Local
Mautner Project to become part of Whitman-Walker
Groups call move ‘collaboration’ rather than merger
The Mautner Project, a national lesbian health organization based in Washington, D.C. since its founding in 1990, will become an arm of D.C.ās Whitman-Walker Health in what leaders of both groups are calling an āhistoric collaboration.ā
In a joint statement released on Tuesday, the two organizations said the arrangement will bring the Mautner Projectās programs and staff under the āumbrellaā of Whitman-Walker, an LGBT community health care provider founded in 1978.
āWe are very excited that weāll be working with Whitman-Walker Health,ā said Leslie Calman, the Mautner Projectās executive director. āIt has a long, prestigious history of providing culturally sensitive health care services to Washingtonās LGBT community.ā
Calman said the joining of the two organizations would allow Mautner to āoffer more critical services to a greater number of women who need those services throughout the region; itās a natural fit.ā
Don Blanchon, CEO of Whitman-Walker, said bringing Mautnerās programs into Whitman-Walkerās operations would enhance the longstanding mission of both organizations.
āMautner Project has been dedicated to the health and wellness of Washingtonās lesbian community for over 20 years,ā Blanchon said. āWeāve been looking for a way to expand our health care services to women and Mautner Projectās programs and reach within their community will help us fulfill that mission.ā
Although the joint statement released by the two organizations repeatedly uses the term ācollaborationā to describe the new arrangement between the groups, details released by the groups give the appearance of a corporate merger.
Calman told the Blade that Mautner Projectās status as an independent non-profit corporation will cease to exist in the coming months as the organization closes its books and shuts down its office at 1300 19th St., N.W.
She said five of the Mautner Projectās six employees will continue to work on Mautnerās programs as Whitman-Walker employees working out of Whitman-Walkerās headquarters building at 1701 14th St., N.W.
Calman said she is leaving Mautner to become the CEO of a global health organization called Engineering World Health, which provides technical assistance on medical equipment in developing countries in Africa.
She saidĀ Mautner Projectās annual budget over the past several years has been about $950,000. Whitman-Walker spokesperson Chip Lewis said Whitman-Walkerās 2013 budget and projected revenue is $30.6 million.
Whitman-Walker emerged in the 1990s as the cityās largest private health care provider for people with HIV/AIDS. In recent years, Whitman-Walker has become a primary medical and dental care provider for all health care needs.
āOur mission is to be the highest quality, culturally competent community health center serving Washingtonās diverse urban community, including individuals who face barriers to accessing care, and with a special expertise in LGBT and HIV care,ā the statement announcing the new arrangement with Mautner Project says.
Unlike Whitman-Walker, Mautner Project has not offered direct medical services. Instead, the organization says on its website that it was founded to provide a wide range of support for lesbians with cancer and other serious illnesses through support groups, education and training of medical providers.
āEducating health care providers about the needs and concerns of their lesbian, bisexual and transgender clientsā has been a key part of Mautnerās mission, its website says.
Calman said Mautner wasnāt facing an immediate financial crisis at the time its board decided to approach Whitman-Walker about a possible merger. But she said the board and staff became increasingly aware of the growing difficulty for smaller non-profit organizations like Mautner to raise money and serve the number of clients in need of services.
āThe Mautner Project could have continued as an independent non-profit in the immediate future, meaning the next few years,ā Calman told the Blade. āBut the environment is getting harder and harder,ā she said in referring to lining up donors willing to support a group of that size.
Corporate donors and foundations have been calling on small non-profits to ācollaborateā or merge with other similar groups to eliminate what they consider a duplication of administrative costs such as office equipment, rent and executive directorsā salaries, Calman said.
āSo it was a very deliberative, very thoughtful exploration of possibilities,ā she said. āFor us itās really been about keeping the organizational programs and making it stronger and guaranteeing it into the future.ā
Calman noted that in addition to continuing its services for lesbians with serious illnesses such as cancer, the Mautner programs at Whitman-Walker will also continue various illness prevention programs established by Mautner. Among them are cancer screening, smoking cessation and obesity reduction.
āMautner Project will continue its operations at the Whitman-Walker Healthās 14th Street headquarters uninterrupted, led by Jacquetta Brooks, the current director of services at Mautner Project,ā the joint statement says.
In its 2010 990 finance report filed with the IRS, the most recent such report available for public inspection, the Mautner Project reported it had sustained a deficit or debt of $107,107. The same report says Mautner had a deficit or debt of $264,390 in 2009.
Calman told the Blade that while Mautner often sustained a debt, the deficit figures reported in the groupās 2010 990 report gave an exaggerated perception of the actual debt, which she said was much smaller due to grants or other income that Mautner received shortly after the report was filed.
She said Mautner’s and Whitman-Walker’s respective boards agreed to keep confidential any debt that Mautner may have had at the time of the joining of the two groups.
Virginia
Youngkin vetoes bill that would have expanded Va. bullying definition
Bisexual state Del. Joshua Cole introduced House Bill 536
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday vetoed a bill that would have added sexual orientation, gender identity and expression to the state’s definition of bullying.
Lawmakers earlier this year approved House Bill 536, which bisexual state Del. Joshua Cole (D-Fredericksburg) introduced.
“While I agree with the general purpose of the legislation, regrettably, the General Assembly did not approve my amendments,” said Youngkin in a statement. “Those recommendations would have expanded the definition of bullying to encompass all possible motives.”
“School administrators must work to prevent bullying and support our students’ mental health through a healthy learning environment, but the narrow definition provided in the legislation could be interpreted to exclude groups not included in the Virginia Human Rights Act, such as bullying victims raised with traditional values or those who are in foster care,” added the Republican.
Rehoboth Beach
Selling Rehoboth: Lee Ann Wilkinson wins prestigious real estate award
Longtime agent on beach prices, her LGBTQ allyship, and more
Longtime Delaware real estate leader Lee Ann Wilkinson of Berkshire Hathaway recently celebrated a major industry award after being named No. 1 in total sales volume for the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Network. Wilkinson, a Blade contributor, centers much of her work in the coastal communities of Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. We caught up with her to discuss her long career in real estate, her LGBTQ allyship, and more.
Washington Blade: I learned your parents were in real estate, and you began working with them early on in your career. Did you initially intend to follow in their footsteps?
Lee Ann Wilkinson: Not really. I majored in art. When I got out of college I couldnāt really find a job. So, my parents said, āYou need to come work for us.ā
Blade: I understand that as an art history major turned writer. Speaking of that: I know you have written some pieces for the Blade, about real estate trends, and the like. How do you pick your topics for these articles?
Wilkinson: People always want to know about real estate. Whether buying a first home, second home, a home to invest or retire in. It amazes even me how much interest there is. And itās not just people looking to buy a $7 million home on beachfront property. Itās people looking to get something in budget for their family.
Blade: I know you have a lot of work in Rehoboth, the Delaware Valleyās historically gay beachside community. Was there ever a time you were NOT selling property to ā I guess it was fair to say 40 years ago ā mostly gay men?
Wilkinson: Ha, I grew up coming down for the summer until my family moved here full-time from Norristown, outside of Philly. We had businesses and family in Rehoboth. I think Rehoboth has always been gay-friendly. We never thought about it. My grandfather had a house in Rehoboth before I was born. The gay population was always welcome.
Blade: Do you have a connection to the LGBTQ community beyond real estate?
Wilkinson: Absolutely. One of my closest friends is a guy I went to college with at the University of Delaware, Joey. You know, Joey was maybe my first gay friend. In fact, we all went to the Easter Sunrise Service on the beach in Rehoboth. We have gay family members, so I have never thought that much about it being anything different.
Blade: I know you recently won a prestigious award with Berkshire Hathaway and were surprised to come in first place. Why?
Wilkinson: For the past 20 years or so we have been in the top 10. We started doing these national things with Berkshire Hathaway. To get in the top 10 was amazing to me especially going up against states like Florida, New Jersey, not to mention San Francisco or Bay Area agents. I just never thought weād get to the number one spot. My only issue is ā where to go now?
Blade: Where do you make your primary residence? Is that Lewes? Do you see the president on occasion?
Wilkinson: I havenāt seen him at the beach. But heās on the bike trail a lot. He pops up having breakfast. He goes to Mass at St. Edmondās in Rehoboth on Saturday evening. But Iām often too busy with work on weekends to catch sight of him.
Blade: Having been in the industry 40 years, how do you find ways to get excited about your work?
Wilkinson: I really am passionate about it. I really love a challenge. Thatās part of the appeal for this job. I always like matching people with things. I really liked getting people the right bathing suits years ago. Selling, itās just something Iām good at. I would get customers walking outtaā the store with three or four bathing suits when they only wanted one.
Blade: Are you considering retiring in the next few years? Or will you always be associated with the industry on some level. Maybe as a mentor or silent partner?
Wilkinson: Oh, no, Iāll always be involved. Three of my four daughters work for me. I am not retiring anytime soon. And if I did, they would be here to continue it on, and I am sure Iād weigh in.
Blade: So, this is very much a family legacy?
Wilkinson: Yeah. My parents are 87 and 91 now. Some 20 years ago mom predicted weād see an increase in prices, people moving here, etc. I donāt know how she predicted it but mom is right.
Blade: Any current trends youāre noticing?
Wilkinson: This cycle of people moving here, and prices increasing, and all the building happening. People think the prices are going to come down, but I donāt see that happening.
Blade: Tell me about that. Are the new building ventures changing the faces of Rehoboth and Lewes? After not visiting the Jersey Shore for over a decade Iāve been going the past few summers to my cousinās place in Cape May. Itās a trailer on a nicely maintained campground and itās what she can afford. And, thereās so much building happening there.
Wilkinson: Right? Itās about finding a second home you can afford. And, in terms of building projects, the good thing about Rehoboth and Lewes is they are strict on what you can and canāt build downtown. They arenāt going to tear down homes to build multi-family condos, not yet anyway. In Spring Lake, you are seeing townhomes. So, building is happening and we have some condos, but itās great to not see āoverbuildingā happening in these historically smaller cities.
To learn more about Ms. Wilkinson, or property in Sussex County, DE be sure to look for articles she publishes in the Blade and visit the Lee Ann Wilkinson Group website.
Local
Blum named director of new LGBTQ program at Carr Center
Program to expand research, training on safeguarding human rights
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 Diego Garcia Blum on his new position as director, Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program, at the Harvard, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. This new program will expand research and training on safeguarding the human rights of LGBTQI+ people worldwide. It will address the escalating crisis of violence and discrimination against LGBTQI+ individuals globally. The vision is to establish the Carr Center as a key international nexus for LGBTQI+ human rights policy, training, ideas, and dialogue
āThe heart of this program is empowering and supporting the brave LGBTQI+ activists working in challenging and often perilous environments,ā Garcia Blum said. āThrough our training and high-impact research, we aim to supercharge their efforts.ā
Prior to this, he has had a varied and impressive career. Recently he served as a Social Change Fellow at Harvardās Center for Public Leadership. He worked with the Human Rights Campaign, serving on its Board of Governors. Prior to that, he worked as a nuclear engineer at Orano, a French company. It is described as a global leader in nuclear fuel cycle products and services, from mining to dismantling, conversion, enrichment, recycling, logistics and engineering. He has won many awards for his work and education. The Innovation CORE award at Orano; The Dean Joseph Weil Leadership Award, University of Florida; Most Outstanding Master in Public Policy Student – Ellen Raphael Award, Harvard Kennedy School.
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