GLAAD’s Board of Directors today announced that Liz Jenkins was elected Chair of the Board for the non-profit organization. Jenkins follows Pamela Stewart, who served as Chair for the last seven years.
Jenkins works as COO alongside Reese Witherspoon and her team at Hello Sunshine, a media brand and content company which puts women at the center of every story it creates. Jenkins made her debut as Chair of GLAAD’s Board at the 34th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles last week where she introduced the nominees of the Outstanding Film – Wide Release category with host Margaret Cho.
“I have seen firsthand the power of storytelling to shape culture and impact how each of us is able to walk through the world,” said Jenkins. “At a time when the LGBTQ community and specifically those most vulnerable, our young people, are under attack, GLAAD’s work is more critical than ever. I am honored and energized to be working alongside Sarah Kate Ellis, the GLAAD team and the Board of Directors to advocate for our community and support the creation of stories that build acceptance and understanding.”
Jenkins was elected along with the following officers: Sharon Callahan (Deputy Board Chair), Antonious Porch (Vice Chair, Development), Kevin Burke (Vice Chair of Governance), Samantha Harnett (Secretary), Mike Doyle (Treasurer), Andrea Calise (Audit Chair). Alana Mayo and Peppermint will both serve as a Member-At-Large on the Executive Committee.
The GLAAD Board of Directors also announced two new Board Members: actor and host Frankie Grande and Colleen Taylor, President of US Merchant Services at American Express. Richard P. Clark, Accenture’s Chief Transformation Officer for Business Enablement; Lisa Lee, former Vice President of Global Culture and Belonging at DoorDash; Antonious Porch, General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer at SoundCloud all also recently joined GLAAD’s Board.
The Board of Directors recently met and toured The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to visit the ‘Regeneration: Black Cinema’ exhibit which explores the rich history of Black participation in American cinema from its beginnings to just beyond the civil rights movement.
Liz Jenkins works as COO alongside Reese Witherspoon and her team at Hello Sunshine, a media brand and content company founded by the Oscar winning actress which puts women at the center of every story it creates.
Jenkins joined Hello Sunshine in 2018 as CFO and since her time at the company, she has been responsible for establishing and overseeing finance, business affairs, physical production and operations as well as facilitating the growth of the company’s business, including their Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Animation studios and Reese’s Book Club
Prior to Hello Sunshine, Jenkins served as the Head of Strategic Ventures for Sony PlayStation and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at Media Rights Capital where she developed and implemented innovative distribution models, strategic partnerships and new businesses across film and television. She began her career at GE and Credit Suisse. Jenkins is also on the board and chairs the audit committee of Snap Inc.
Frankie Grande is an actor, producer, reality TV personality, and advocate. After launching his YouTube channel in 2012, he went on to appear in CBS’s Big Brother. He also served as a judge on the 2015 season of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew and as a houseguest on Celebrity Big Brother in the U.K. From 2016-2017. He also served as the co-host of Style Code Live, an interactive fashion and shopping show that streamed live on Amazon.com.
Grande made his in Broadway debut in Mamma Mia! and starred on Broadway as “Franz” in the closing cast of Rock of Ages. In addition, he worked on Broadway as a producer of shows such as Hamlet, La Bete and Born Yesterday, as well as Brooke Shields at Feinstein’s, and his own one-man show, Livin’ La Vida Grande. He recently made his return to the stage with his famed show Titanique the Musical.
He has guest-starred on Nickelodeon’s Henry Danger and its spinoff Danger Force as the first ever live action queer character on the network. He has also appeared in Netflix’s Haters Back Off. He currently serves as the host of Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob BingePants podcast. Grande will next star in the horror comedy, Summoning Sylvia alongside Michael Urie and Travis Coles.
His philanthropic work includes co-founding the non-profit arts organization Broadway in South Africa and then with the organization buildOn, where he received the Global Impact Award for his work with them. Grande devotes much of his time and energy supporting the Los Angeles LGBT Center and is thrilled to be joining the board of GLAAD, an organization he has been admiring and supporting for many years.
With over three decades of experience in banking, Colleen Taylor is a seasoned, strategic leader with expertise in B2B, consumer, cross-border and digital payments. She currently is the President of US Merchant Services at American Express where she leads the organization that acquires and manages the relationships with the millions of merchants that accept American Express across the US. She previously worked for several Fortune 100 financial institutions including Wells Fargo, Mastercard and Capital One. Early in her career she worked in senior-level positions at Wachovia Bank and JPMorgan Chase.
Colleen is active in the community, chairing the Samaritan Village Daytop Foundation board and serving on the boards of Teach for America NY as well as her alma mater, Spelman College. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and also of the Executive Leadership Council.
Richard Clark is a transformational change leader and senior finance executive with global expertise in digital transformation, ESG, finance, accounting and investor relations. He is currently Chief Transformation Officer, Business Enablement for Accenture where he is a member of the Global Management Committee.
With extensive experience in strategy, risk management, compensation design, M&A and SEC compliance, Richard leads digital transformation to enable an integrated data driven global enterprise and directs change initiatives across the company’s full infrastructure in 120 countries. Prior to his current role, Richard served as Accenture’s chief accounting office and as corporate controller.
In addition to strong corporate board advisory experience, Richard serves on the Committee on Corporate Reporting for Financial Executives International where he chairs the ESG Subcommittee. He also served on Human Rights Campaign’s Business Advisory Council from 2007 to 2022, providing guidance on HRC’s efforts to advance LGBTQ workplace inclusion. In 2009, he received the Trailblazer Award from Out & Equal.
As a strategic leader of Accenture’s Global Pride community, Richard fosters an environment that embraces the authentic individual, celebrates equality, and ensures an inclusive environment for all. Since coming out in 1985, Richard has been an outspoken champion for LGBTQ issues including nondiscrimination protections, same-sex partner benefits and transgender inclusion. Most recently, he pioneered work on transgender benefits across the globe and sponsored Accenture’s position on LGBTQ-inclusive legislation.
As the former VP of Global Culture and Belonging at DoorDash, Lisa Lee focused on Employee Engagement, Employer Brand and Recruitment Marketing, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Future of Work throughout her career. Lee previously held leadership roles at Squarespace, Pandora Media, as well as Meta. Her work has been featured on Harvard Business Review, NPR, and SXSW. She was the publisher of the grassroots Asian American culture and arts publication Hyphen Magazine and co-founded Thick Dumpling Skin, a positive body image community for the Asian American community. She also serves on the board of Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality (AACRE).
Antonious Porch is the General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer at the popular digital audio platform SoundCloud. He is responsible for the company’s business affairs, legal affairs and public policy strategy, and the management of its global team of legal experts in content licensing, copyright, data protection and privacy, and corporate matters. In 2020, Porch was appointed as SoundCloud’s Chief Diversity Officer.
In addition, he is the executive sponsor of the SoundCloud Community Fund, which externally supports advancing social justice and equality, and the mental health and well-being of the creator community. His work in advocacy is shown in his work for the National Bar Association, Out for Undergrad and Native Son. He has been instrumental in key legal battles in the Gay Rights movement, including representing the Rev. Gregory Dell during his defrocking church trial for blessing the relationship of two gay men, and on the board of the Service Members Legal Defense Network, fighting Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Porch holds a current board role with International Radio and Television Society Foundation.