The Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center is a nonprofit with a mission of advancing “equality and inclusion through philanthropy, programming and advocacy that uplifts the LGBTQ community.”
Jennifer Ruppe, who’s served as the executive director of the Foundation and Center for the past six years is leaving that position to become the next president and CEO of the North Carolina for Community and Justice organization.
LGBTQ advocates say that her leadership has significantly and positively impacted the organization and the LGBTQ community in Greensboro and the surrounding area.
Ruppe will be departing in December of 2024 to assume her new role with North Carolina for Community and Justice – which describes itself as “a human relations organization working to build more inclusive and compassionate communities.”
According to a statement issued by the Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center, under Jennifer’s leadership, GGF has “transformed from a small grant-making foundation to a thriving community center that delivers a wide range of programs and a foundation that invests in the capacity of LGBTQ community partners.”
Board of Directors Chair, Kami Rowan, agrees.
“Jennifer has made a generational impact on the lives of LGBTQ people in Greensboro,” Rowan said this week. “The LGBTQ Center would not be what it is today without her vision and steady leadership.”
Since Ruppe arrived in 2018, Guilford Green Foundation’s annual revenue has doubled, and that nice flow of funding has allowed the organization to meet the needs of the LGBTQ Community, needs that are in constant flux.
Jennifer and the organization’s staff have also elevated the Center’s visibility in Greensboro and across the region by building partnerships with local, state, and national leaders.
Early in Ruppe’s tenure as the Center’s executive director, she led a major capital campaign to build a new center – one which now serves thousands of people in and around Greensboro every year.
In 2023, Ruppe and the board oversaw the development of a 2024 to 2026 strategic plan on how to improve the Center and how to best meet the needs of the area’s LGBTQ community.
While serving as executive director, Ruppe was named the HRC-Carolinas 2019 Person of the Year, and, in 2023, she received both the Carolinas LGBTQ Chamber “Icon” award and the City of Greensboro’s Human Relations Mosaic award.
In a public statement, Ruppe said it has been a terrific experience: “Leading GGF has been an honor. This organization is deeply personal to me and all the founders, donors, partners, and community members who rely on GGF to create a thriving LGBTQ community for all. The LGBTQ center is a visible commitment to the LGBTQ community. Leading GGF through its development will remain one of the greatest accomplishments of my career. I am profoundly thankful for all the support I have received while serving in this role.”
GGF Board Member Victoria Knight said, “While we are saddened to lose Jennifer’s leadership, we on the board are united and energized in our search for a dynamic, driven, and compassionate person to help write the next amazing chapter for the Guilford Green Foundation.”
The Guilford Green Foundation & LGBTQ Center Board of Directors states that it’s committed to continuing the excellence and the work of the organization through a search process that is inclusive of the greater LGBTQ community in the area.
Jack Garvey Jr., a member of the search committee, said GGF is looking for someone new to fill Ruppe’s big shoes.
“We extend our deepest gratitude to Jennifer for her invaluable contributions to the Guilford Green Foundation and LGBTQ Center,” Garvey said. “As our search committee embarks on this new chapter, we are confident in the strength of our board and our shared commitment to a robust search process that will lead us to a visionary leader.”
Board member Megan Karbley said, “We are excited for the opportunity to honor Jennifer’s contributions to GGF and support the staff through this transition. The board is ready and eager to demonstrate our gratitude and support through a thoughtful, collaborative, and engaging director search process. We are grateful for the responsibility to usher in the next leadership for GGF to continue expanding our community impact for the LGBTQ community in Guilford County and beyond.”
Founded in 1998, GGF has granted $1 million to local LGBTQ programs and projects. It also built the first LGBTQ Center in Greensboro and established the Pearl Berlin Scholarship Award.
“mission of advancing “equality and inclusion through philanthropy, programming” “
That last word.
Pay attention.
i just eat ‘hot potatoes’. every group forms because of some shared ‘program’ – it’s what humans do.
You’re talking about something completely different than what the female is implying.
Understanding “inclusiveness” has always eluded me. What is the LGBTQ community looking for from others who do not identify as LGBTQ? The non-LGBTQ public needs to know. What are the grievances of the LGBTQ community? List the specific goals the group is trying to achieve. Reading the article, there is no mention of specific grievances, but only nebulous words like “inclusiveness.” How will the non-LGBTQ community reach “inclusiveness?” When will the non-LGBTQ know when “inclusiveness” is reached? Will there be lights and sirens going off and people in the streets shouting “Eureka?” If the goal is for the public to accept and embrace the LGBTQ community because that is what the community wants, that will not happen because the community is a subgroup in a larger society. Inclusiveness cannot be mandated and codified.
Not complicated. It will be over when leading Conservative political candidates (like Mark Robinson) stop calling them ‘filth’ or ‘repugnant’.
Let’s just start there shall we?
Are you suggesting that limiting free speech is a sign of inclusiveness? What about the name-calling against Mark Robinson? Should that be restricted in the name of inclusiveness?
Notice there is “crickets” from Chris.
If “inclusiveness” was practiced all over the world, we would have never had wars.
Problem is, not everyone in the world agrees with everyone else in the world.. . . .it’s human nature depending on where you were born, how you were raised, your likes and dislikes, etc.
Where is Rodney King who asked . . .”can’t we all get along?” He was right, but liberals want to eliminate conservative thoughts and actions, but these conservatives could care less about LBQTGPKJZRMC, etc, who try and push their agenda into the faces of people, or by political actions,.
To assume these are the same things show your ignorance and insensitivity to people who have been marginalized, not for their actions but for simply who they are as God made them.
But you be you.
FYI, It isn’t about silencing hate speech against LGBTQ people, its about eliminating the ignorance behind such statements.
It is a shame that Bev Perdue closed most of the state mental institutions. They’re needed more today than ever.
Don’t worry, you will find a ‘safe space’ for yourself one day.
Homosexuality has always been a mental illness. Just because the libs wanted to change it in ’73 & changed the description in ’87 doesn’t change the facts. We are all here because of folks like Adam & Eve, not Adam & Steve. Every animal & plant species on the planet works the same way. Seems strange doesn’t it? It’s almost like we were created to be male & female & to bond with a mate of the opposite sex. I’ll stick with what’s natural thank you.
You just keep looking. One day you will find thst safe space where you can spew your hateful rhetoric and not have to have someone like me point out that your views on LGBTQ are ignorant BS and makes you sound like a bigot.
Remeber that your ignorance is a choice. Being gay isn’t.
There is a problem in the mind of someone who believes they are the opposite sex than what God provided for them. Reminds me of a cartoon years ago when a young boy thought he was a girl, to which the teacher said he could be anything he wanted.
You just keep looking Chris. One day you will find your safe space where you can spew your hateful rhetoric and not have someone like me like me point out your views on conservatism are ignorant bs and makes you sound like a bigot.
Remember that your ignorance is a choice.
———-
Is this newsworthy?
________