In LGBT community center Wingspan’s weekly e-mail newsletter—hitting e-mail boxes this evening—executive director Kent Burbank announced he’s stepping down:

Here are the first three paragraphs of his statement:

After lengthy personal reflection, I have decided to step down as Executive Director of Wingspan. I feel that it is time for me to explore new challenges and opportunities. I also believe that it is time for Wingspan to have new leadership. I will continue to serve as Wingspan’s Executive Director for a while longer during the transition. This will allow Wingspan to finalize its strategic planning process and conduct a thorough and careful search for a new Executive Director.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve Wingspan and the community, and I feel blessed by the many wonderful experiences Wingspan has afforded me. I have so enjoyed working with the LGBT and allied communities and have such warm feelings about my time at Wingspan. I know that news of my departure will come as a surprise to many people; please know that I wish it were possible to tell everyone personally. I am not leaving Tucson and I have no immediate plans.

As I mentioned, I will be staying on at Wingspan for a while longer and then will begin looking for other employment. The Wingspan Board and I will be working on a plan that ensures a smooth transition and continuity in leadership. We promise to keep the community informed about that process as it unfolds.

Full disclosure: Kent’s a friend of mine, and I had no idea this was coming.

Anyway, now you know.

This article appears in Mar 1-7, 2007.

One reply on “Wingspan Exec Director Stepping Down”

  1. “…I have no immediate plans.”

    and yet,

    “…will begin looking for other employment.”

    and yet again,

    “I will continue to serve as Wingspan’s Executive Director for a while longer…”

    yep, yep, yep

    Got force-out written all over it, and Red Star doesn’t much care except to say that those people are as essentially normal as all the rest of us. So, please, let dem get married! you get a few years of media tsk, tsk, and den we all off us get back to making the money!

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