Thom Senzee, author of this article, is a West Coast-based freelance journalist, and a regular contributor to San Diego LGBT Weekly.
SAN DIEGO — The board of directors of the San Diego LGBT Community Center and The Center’s CEO Dr. Delores Jacobs have announced, in back-to-back statements posted on Facebook, that she will not seek to renew her contract as the 43-year-old organization’s top executive.
“For the past several months, our chief executive officer, Dr. Delores A. Jacobs, has engaged the leadership of the board of directors in important conversations about leadership transition planning and the future of The Center,” board chair, Joyce Rowland said in the statement. “She told us then and has recently re-confirmed that, although she will fulfill the terms of her current contract (through June 2018), she will not be signing a new contract at the end of her current one. Beginning in June 2017, this will be her final year.”
The announcement comes following four days of tension resulting from the fallout of what some have described as the botched handling of a protest at last week’s Transgender Day of Empowerment at The Center.
Nevertheless, the board chair commended Dr. Jacobs for more than a decade-and-a-half of record-breaking leadership at the helm of an organization, which few could argue has not always helped lead the way toward greater equality for people of diverse genders and sexual orientations in San Diego and beyond.
“Delores has led The Center for the past 16 years through a truly historic period in our community’s history,” Rowland continued. “She is already the longest-serving chief executive of The Center, and has made a significant impact on the organization and our community.”
In her own statement posted, within minutes of the one released by Rowland on behalf of her board colleagues, Dr. Jacobs committed to readying The Center for new leadership.
“Over the next year, while the board focuses upon the leadership selection and transition process, I will continue to focus on keeping The Center organizationally and fiscally sound,” Jacobs stated. “The Center has been fortunate to be the recipient of several new gifts this year and tremendous community support. The Center’s staff and I will complete unfinished projects, strengthen our internal systems and prepare for a new leader who will begin the next exciting chapter for [T]he Center.”
The longtime CEO’s official resignation statement was not without personal sentiment, as she noted how difficult it was to arrive at her choice.
“I didn’t come to this decision lightly,” she wrote. “It has been the pleasure and privilege of a lifetime to serve our community in this capacity. The past 16 years have sometimes been tumultuous, sometimes joyous, but the work has always been rewarding. I know that I am privileged beyond measure to be able to work for an organization and with a talented board and staff that make a difference every day, and that have helped move the needle further toward full equality.”
In addition to facilitating the mission of a search committee to find her replacement, Dr. Jacobs says she will focus on keeping the organization fiscally sound, as well as on completing current projects and firming up existing programs during her final year in charge.
Board Chair Joyce Rowland was keen to emphasize Jacobs’s successes through the years, making no mention of recent troubles.
“Because of the vision and strong leadership that Delores has brought to these discussions, the board will have ample time to engage in a thorough, community-inclusive and strategic transition process,” she wrote. “While we know there will be plenty of time for accolades and celebration of Delores’ many accomplishments, we cannot share this news without acknowledging what a tremendous leader she has been – intelligent, compassionate, thoughtful, forward-thinking and so much more.”
Dr. Jacobs current contract ends in June of 2018.
