Dear Family Pride Members and Supporters,

I am happy to be writing to you with wonderful news -- we have promoted two longtime Family Pride staff members.

Corri Planck, who has served the organization for more than three years as director of advocacy, communications and support, will become the deputy executive director. Cris Fahrenthold, the manager of advocacy and support, has been promoted to director of outreach. Cris has also been with the organization for over three years. Both of these roles are newly-created positions for Family Pride.

In her new role, Corri will remain responsible for all Family Pride communications efforts, and in addition will assume increased management and supervision responsibilities, including budgeting and finance. I am thrilled to have Corri in this new role. She will bring her strategic thinking to our overall communications strategy, helping raise the national discussion on LGBT parents and their children. In addition, Corri will put her deep history within the LGBT movement and at Family Pride to work, directly shaping the direction of Family Pride’s efforts.

After serving the organization as family coordinator, as well as manager of advocacy and support, Cris will now be responsible for outreach efforts to local, state and national LGBT and allied organizations, including parenting and political groups, child welfare organizations and other professional associations.

As our new director of outreach, Cris will maintain, improve and build relationships with LGBT and allied organizations in order to best serve Family Pride and the LGBT parenting community. She continues to be an incredibly valuable asset to Family Pride. Her enthusiasm and passionate commitment to equality for LGBT families will make her highly effective in this new role.

In the coming months, Family Pride will re-focus its efforts to ensure that the voices of LGBT parents and their families are heard even more clearly in the national debate, helping to combat the misinformation campaign of those who oppose equality for LGBT-headed families.

Religious and political extremists have abused LGBT parents and their children to further their own agendas. Family Pride is committed to combating these efforts by showingAmericareal families and real facts. In creating these two new positions, Family Pride is creating a staffing structure that allows us to leverage our best assets -- our people -- in a way that will directly benefit our members and all LGBT parents and their children. I am pleased to have both Cris and Corri accept these new positions.

I hope you will be as excited about these changes as I am, and that you are making plans to join us for Family Pride’s 10^th annual Family Week in Provincetown July 30-Aug. 6.

Warmest Regards,

Sincerely,

Executive Director
Family Pride Coalition