GLENNDA TESTONE
Executive Director, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City
Glennda Testone is the first woman to serve as executive director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City. She stepped into the very big shoes of Richard Burns, the Center’s director for over two decades. Raised in a family that valued community service, she learned at an early age “that the world was not equal for everyone” and began her activism “arguing with classmates who told racist or homophobic jokes and speak- ing to the local school board to get more money for teachers.”These early experiences led her to pursue a career in nonprofits. She previously served as vice president of the Women’s Media Center and as senior director of media programs at the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.Testone says, “Wherever you are on your journey—coming out, finding your social circle, meeting a partner, getting healthy, getting a job, soaking up our culture or celebrating our lives—the Center has something for you.”
