Steve Roth

“We are entering an important time in our organization’s history, and each of these individuals brings unique talents and areas of expertise that will help us meet the needs of California’s LGBT community,” said Rick Zbur, EQCA executive director. “As we move ahead, we will call upon this diverse group of individuals for their leadership and insight.”

Jerry Bloom, Los Angeles, is chair of the energy, project development and project finance group of the law firm of Winston & Strawn, and he serves on the firm’s executive committee. Bloom focuses his practice on the development, finance and operation of domestic and international independent energy projects, electric industry restructuring and privatization, and mergers and acquisitions. He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers In America every year since 2012 and has been named to the “Lawdragon 500: Leading Lawyers in America” list each year from 2007 through 2011. In 2011 the Daily Journal named Bloom among its first-ever top 25 clean tech lawyers in California.

Assemblymember Richard Bloom, Santa Monica, will join the board of Equality California Institute, EQCA’s educational affiliate. Bloom represents the 50th Assembly District, which stretches from Hollywood to Malibu. In the Assembly, Bloom focuses on fostering economic development and job creation, improving public school funding and outcomes, providing services for seniors and the disabled, ending homelessness and protecting California’s environment. A staunch advocate for LGBT equality, Bloom authored the recently passed and EQCA-sponsored Assembly Joint Resolution 50, urging an end to discrimination in blood donor procedures.

Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, Alamo, represents the 16th Assembly District in Northern California and will also join the board of Equality California Institute. A mother of five children, Buchanan is a leader in the assembly on youth, education, finance and technology. She also introduced The Pink Plate Bill to create a specialized license plate promoting breast cancer awareness and prevention.

Roberta Conroy, Los Angeles, returns to the EQCA board after previously serving on the EQCA Institute board from 2004–2006. She was a senior vice president at The Capital Group Companies, Inc. where she focused on Capital’s global institutional investment management business. Among her responsibilities, she served as a trustee of the Capital Group Foundation. She retired after 23 years with Capital and now dedicates significant time to community advocacy and philanthropy. She currently serves as a member of the Founder’s Council of the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, and of the board of directors of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. She served two terms as president of the Los Angeles City Retirement System, during which she was awarded a David Bohnett LGBT Leadership Fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government program.

Bill Delvac, Los Angeles, is a partner with Armbruster, Goldsmith & Delvac in Los Angeles. Delvac is one of the leading land use lawyers in California. He has worked on important entertainment and cultural venues, and has special expertise in historic preservation law and affordable housing. A committed non-profit and affordable housing advocate, Delvac was the founding president of the Hollywood Community Housing Corporation and Vibiana Arts Projects and has served on the Board of Directors for Partners for Sacred Places, Shelter Partnership and Homeless Health Care of Los Angeles. In 2007, Delvac was named Land Use Lawyer of the Year by California Lawyer Magazine. He was also honored as California Preservationist of the Year in 1996.

Susan Frank, Silicon Valley, is president and chief operating officer of The Better World Group and is known throughout California for her expertise in public policy development, coalition management, communications, lobbying and advocacy. From 1999 to 2007, Frank served in a variety of roles for the Bay Area-based Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation including as president and CEO, and vice president of public policy. Prior to joining the Kirsh Foundation, she served as president and CEO of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce in Palo Alto, California. Frank was recognized as a 2011 Woman of Influence in Silicon Valley by Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal. A dedicated leader in environmental protection and public health, she serves on the boards of a number of non-profit organizations including the California League of Conservation Voters, Communities for a New California and the International Green Industry Hall of Fame.

Mayor Robert Garcia, Long Beach, became the first openly gay and first Latino mayor of Long Beach in July. As a result of his election, Long Beach is the largest city in California with an openly LGBT mayor and the largest city in the U.S. with an openly LGBT mayor of color. Previously, as councilmember for Long Beach’s First District, Garcia supported public safety services, increased park space and helped reinvigorate downtown with events and support for new businesses. An immigrant from Lima, Peru, Garcia received EQCA’s Vanguard Leadership Award last Saturday, and was named one of the “40 Under 40” by The Advocate Magazine and one of Instinct Magazine’s Leading Men.

Julie Haddon, Silicon Valley, is the vice president of marketing at Scribd. Haddon is a marketing entrepreneur with 20 years experience at both startup and global consumer brands. As the founder of The Marketing Farm, a marketing strategy and advisory consulting business, her clients have included Twitter, LucasFilm, Disney and Google. At Scribd, Haddon is responsible for brand strategy, product marketing, communications and customer acquisition. Prior to Scribd, she served as head of social media at Zynga and senior director of social media at eBay, where she led product innovation, marketing and customer support. She also ran marketing and business development for the DreamWorks Animation unit that produced the Academy Award-winning film Shrek. She has taught social media marketing at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz School of Management in Pittsburgh.

Deanna Johnston, Sacramento, who joined the EQCA Board in April, is a legislative and community advocate for the California Nurses Association in Sacramento. She is a legislative expert and skilled coalition builder. Previously, she worked as a legislative staff member for Senator Alex Padilla and Senator Richard Alarcon.

Doug Moreland, Los Angeles, is a real estate professional with more than 30 years experience and expertise in public-private partnership negotiations, feasibility studies, acquisitions, entitlements, master planning, finance, development and construction management. He has led development teams on major projects including Hollywood Park, the Playa Vista planned community, the Disneyland Resort and the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. He is currently a member of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Board.

Supervisor Dave Roberts, Solana Beach, represents San Diego’s Third Supervisorial District and he joined the EQCA Board in April. Previously, he served as an appointed health policy advisor to President Obama and former President George W. Bush, where he earned national recognition for reducing costs and improving the delivery of Medicare, Medicaid and children’s health insurance coverage. Roberts lives in Solana Beach with his husband and has five adopted children.

Nancy Sutley, Los Angeles, is the chief sustainability officer for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Previously, Sutley served as chair of the Council on Environmental Quality from January 2009 to February 2014. Under Sutley, the CEQ has played a central role in shepherding the Obama Administration’s signature environmental accomplishments, working closely with federal agencies. Prior to her appointment as the chair of the CEQ, Sutley was the deputy mayor for energy and the environment for the City of Los Angeles. She represented Los Angeles on the board of directors for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. She served on the California State Water Resources Control Board from 2003-2005. Sutley was also energy advisor for California Governor Gray Davis, and deputy secretary for policy and intergovernmental relations at the California EPA from 1999-2003. During the administration of President Clinton, Sutley worked for the U.S. EPA as a senior policy advisor to the regional administrator in San Francisco and special assistant to the administrator in Washington, D.C.

“We welcome our new fellow board members, who bring diverse backgrounds and experience to EQCA that will only help to enrich us,” said Andreas Meyer and Joyce Rowland, board presidents of EQCA and EQCA Institute respectively. “As Equality California looks ahead, these new board members will help us to achieve our reinvigorated vision.”

Equality California is California’s premier statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization focused on creating a fair and just society. Our mission is to achieve and maintain full and lasting equality, acceptance, and social justice for all people in our diverse LGBT communities, inside and outside of California. Our mission includes advancing the health and well being of LGBT Californians through direct healthcare service advocacy and education. Through electoral, advocacy, education and mobilization programs, we strive to create a broad and diverse alliance of LGBT people, educators, government officials, communities of color and faith, labor, business, and social justice communities to achieve our goals. www.eqca.org