Delores Jacobs, the longtime head of San Diego’s gay and lesbian community center in Hillcrest, announced Tuesday that she’ll leave the post next year.
Jacobs said she informed the LGBT Community Center board that she will complete her current contract as CEO but not sign a new one.
In a letter posted on the center’s website, she said she didn’t come to the decision lightly.
“It has been the pleasure and privilege of a lifetime to serve our community in this capacity,” Jacobs said. “The past 16 years have sometimes been tumultuous, sometimes joyous, but the work has always been rewarding.
I know that I am privileged beyond measure to be able to work for an organization and with a talented board and staff that make a difference every day, and that have helped move the needle further toward full equality.”
Jacobs said the board will focus on finding her successor, while she will ensure the facility remains organizationally and fiscally sound. She said she also hopes to complete unfinished projects and strengthen internal systems.
Sen. Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, a member of the City Council representing Hillcrest when Jacobs assumed her current role, said in a statement that the board should conduct a national search for her successor.
“Dr. Jacobs has taken our community center to new heights in terms of services, advocacy and the advancement of our civil rights,” said Atkins, the first lesbian to be speaker of the California Assembly.
“The result is easily seen in San Diego, given the active involvement by our center and its board, volunteers and supporters in every important issue facing our city and our region.
The center has been integral on marriage equality, support for military service members, for the transgender and immigrant communities and so many other issues.”
–City News Service
