PALM SPRINGS – The LGBT Community Center of the Desert (The Center) has announced that it has named Gary Costa as their new executive director. Costa has served as The Center’s interim executive director since November, 2012.
A nationwide search for the position was conducted by McCormack & Associates, a national executive search provider specializing in diversity recruiting. Included in the search committee was The Center’s board chair, Randy Lowe: “Gary has worked at The Center as an executive assistant and has done an outstanding job on the operations of the organization. I look forward to working with him as our new executive director. Gary fully understands our long term vision at The Center and is totally dedicated to the organization’s success.”
Costa has a wealth of experience in working with not-for-profit and LGBT organizations, including program director at The Center OC and as executive director of Being Alive, Los Angeles. “I am honored to have been selected to be the next executive director of the LGBT Community Center of the Desert. This is an exciting time for our community, on both the local and national level; with same-sex marriage, and the overturning of DOMA both within reach,” states Costa.
Prior to coming to The LGBT Community Center of the Desert he was the resource coordinator for the Coachella Valley Autism Society. Additional credits include a 10-year stint as associate director at Dartmouth College, where he worked on their $1.5 billion capital campaign and coordinated major gifts and pledges for the entire Western Region. Through the years, Costa has served on more than a dozen non-profit boards, county and state commissions. “I envision a stronger vibrant community center that will continue to be welcoming to the senior population while offering additional programs and events on our path to be more inclusive of women, transgendered individuals, youth and gay men of all ages. We have an incredible cadre of volunteers, a talented staff and an active, growing membership base. I anticipate that my transition into this new role will be seamless.”
