February 13, 2025 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

LGBT Center Welcomes Incoming CEO Joe Hollendoner

By Susan Payne

In an in-person sustaining donor event last November, longtime Chief Executive Officer Lorri L. Jean for the Los Angeles LGBT Center introduced the man who would be succeeding her role in July: Joe Hollendoner. 

Front-centered among more than 300 sustaining donors, Hollendoner told the group: 

“Here I am today, standing on this Campus about to become the CEO of this iconic organization, and I am truly moved beyond words. It’s a pretty overwhelming thing coming into this organization and to be its new leader on the heels of its incredibly successful CEO like none other our movement has ever seen. There is no better organization for me to fulfill my life’s mission than the Los Angeles LGBT Center.”

Looking directly at Jean and Darrel Cummings, the Center’s chief of staff, Hollendoner said, ““I just want to guarantee you and Darrel that your baby is in good hands.”

In the Beginning

Hollendoner previously led San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAS) as CEO, spearheading the adoption of a new five-year strategic plan in 2019 that prioritized the expansion of health and social services and establishing racial justice as a fundamental principle to guide the organization’s growth, according to LGBT News Now.

SFAS’s revenue grew by 84% during his tenure while corporate and private donations to support the organization increasingly grew. Prior to his appointment with SFAS, Hollendoner served as the chief of staff and first deputy commissioner at the Chicago Department of Public Health, the third largest health department in the United States, LGBT New Now reported. From 2001 to 2012, he served in several roles at Howard Brown Health, the Midwest’s largest LGBT health organization, to then become its president and chief program officer. 

Growing up in Chicago, Hollendoner had support from his family at the age of 16 coming out as gay, but had trouble at his all boy school within the suburbs. 

During November’s sustaining donor event, Hollendoner shared publicly some of his experiences at the school: being cornered, punched and called anti-gay slurs. Hollendoner said he told the principal about it, to which the principal replied, “I’m going to pray for you.”

“I knew in that moment I had one of two choices: I could either sink into a further depression or I could go get the help I knew that I deserved,” Hollendoner said.

 His life changed for the better when he found out about a nearby youth drop-in center for LGBT, similar to the LGBT Center in Los Angeles. 

“The moment I walked through the doors, my life changed forever,” he remembered. “In that moment, I not only found my community, but I discovered a safe space where I could be my authentic self. It was at that group where I ultimately found my life’s mission which was to make sure that no member of the LGBT community ever went without the support that they deserve and that my life’s mission was going to be committed to the liberation of all LGBT people.”

Movement Leadership

In July of 2021, Hollendoner joined the Center with a temporary executive director title, working alongside Jean and Cummings, with nearly 25 years of LGBTQ movement leadership to accompany his new role. 

From there, he began immersing himself in the culture and work at the Center. He volunteered at the youth shelter and Pride Pantry, spent time at the Trans Wellness Center, Mi Centro and Center South and Triangle Square. 

“I’m so proud that the Center has been able to evolve and innovate its work during the pandemic to make sure that we’re responding to the ever-changing needs of our community,” he observes. “Not only is the demand high, what we are seeing from our clients and community members is that the needs they are experiencing are more dire and more complex than before the pandemic.”

With a team of other volunteers, Hollendoner personally delivered Thanksgiving meals to seniors — the team delivered a total of 900 meals that day, LGBT News Now reported. 

“When I arrived on my first doorstep and knocked on the door, I was greeted immediately with a warm smile and words of gratitude towards the Center,” he shared that day. “To hear all the ways in which the Center had supported them, it just made me feel so much gratitude for the staff and volunteers of the Center and for our clients and the community that we serve.”

Visions and Priorities 

Since starting as a temporary CEO, Hollendoner’s initial goals have been to address race and gender-based health disparities within the LGBTQ+ community through expansion of programming at existing Center community sites, according to LGBT News Now. 

This includes expanding services at the Center’s Audre Lorde Health Program and at Mi Centro and hiring full time staff members, an initiative that was made possible through multiyear grant funding provided by Gilead Services. 

“Within my first few months at the Center I met with staff serving on committees for both Audre Lorde and Mi Centro,” Hollendoner said. “The conversations in those two meetings were very similar; staff spoke of how proud they were of what had been accomplished but identified the need for a full-time manager to help truly fully the program’s vision. Hearing this feedback and recognizing the importance of these two programs, I left both meetings committed to securing funding to hiring these roles.”

In January, Hollendoner hired Gerald Garth as the Center’s first director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to work with Center leadership and staff on creating a racial equity plan that establishes actionable and measurable initiatives in every department, LGBT News Now reported. 

That same month, Hollendoner led Wellness Wednesday virtual sessions for Center staff — nearly 800 spread out over 10 locations — when most were working remotely due to the Omnicron variant surge. 

“As a social worker who spent most of my career in direct service, I know what it is like to be on the frontline and how challenging it can be,” he said. “Something that is important to me is that Center employees have the support they deserve to do often unimaginable work.”

in NEWS
Related Posts

Santa Monica Hotel Event Space Offers Affordability, Accessibility

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Elevate Your Events with Versatile Venues and Exceptional Service Coastal stays and eclectic event spaces don’t have to be expensive....

Flour Pizzeria & Cafe to Bring Brooklyn-Style Pizza to Brentwood This Week

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Family-Owned Favorite from the Palisades to Open on San Vicente  Flour Pizzeria & Cafe, a restaurant from Pacific Palisades run...

LA Attorney Who Represented Rodney King Sentenced to Prison for Tax Evasion Scheme

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Milton C. Grimes Ordered To Serve Time in Prison and Pay Restitution Milton C. Grimes, a longtime Los Angeles attorney,...

ART& 2025: NeueHouse Unveils Inspiring Lineup Celebrating Feminine Leadership

February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025

Four-Day Event in Venice Beach Explores Creativity, Activism, and Cultural Impact NeueHouse has unveiled the schedule for ART& 2025, a...

Free Sandbags Available for West Hollywood Residents Ahead of Heavy Rain

February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025

City Distributes Sandbags to Help Protect Homes and Businesses from Flooding West Hollywood residents and businesses can receive free sandbags...

Canned Tuna Pulled from Shelves Over Botulism Contamination Risk

February 11, 2025

February 11, 2025

El Segundo Seafood Company Issues Voluntary Recall Through FDA Tri-Union Seafoods has issued a voluntary recall of certain canned tuna...

Retailers Impose Purchase Restrictions as Supply Chain Disruptions Cause Concern

February 10, 2025

February 10, 2025

Egg Limits Are Back – What’s Causing the Shortage? Retailers across the United States, including Costco and Trader Joe’s, have...

Homemade Signs Purporting to be From Immigration and Customs Enforcement Appear in WeHo

February 10, 2025

February 10, 2025

Work of Vandals Was Quickly Removed, But Who Put Them Up and Why?  Signs bearing the U.S. Immigration and Customs...

New Bill Targets Crime in Disaster Zones – Here’s What You Need to Know

February 10, 2025

February 10, 2025

Lawmakers Push for Tougher Penalties To Protect Vulnerable Communities California lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at cracking down...

What about are you protected from future wildfires?

February 9, 2025

February 9, 2025

Our hearts go out to all those impacted by the recent wildfires and Santa Ana windstorms in Southern California. We...

Actor Will Arnett Lists Stunning Beverly Hills-Area Home for $22.5 Million

February 9, 2025

February 9, 2025

Comedy Star’s Modern Farmhouse Features Custom Podcast Studio Actor and comedian Will Arnett is selling his modern farmhouse-style home near...

Shore Hotel Remains Sustainability Leader

February 9, 2025

February 9, 2025

By Susan Payne On track to open its new coastal-inspired restaurant, Shore Hotel has excited new offerings and initiatives this...

Help Shape the Future of Hart Park, Attend West Hollywood’s Public Meetings in February

February 9, 2025

February 9, 2025

WeHo Seeks Community Input on ADA Upgrades, Dog Park, and Safety Enhancements The City of West Hollywood is inviting community...

West Hollywood’s Tallest Tower Moves Forward with Environmental Review

February 9, 2025

February 9, 2025

Proposed 34-Story Mixed-Use High-Rise Would Bring 514 Apartments A proposed 34-story high-rise that could become the tallest building in West...

Rescheduled 2024 Homeless Count Needs More Volunteers on the Westside

February 9, 2025

February 9, 2025

Not Enough Volunteers to Successfully Count Unhoused Angelenos This Year With the rescheduled dates for the 2025 Greater Los Angeles...