Elizabeth Toledo is stepping down as executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force ( NGLTF ) .
The news release announcing Toledo's departure was sent out late Friday afternoon, April 20. It came exactly one year to the day from the date of the news release announcing her appointment. The more recent statement said, she "is resigning her position effective May 18."
In the letter of resignation distributed to staff and released to the public, Toledo, 39, tied her departure to family matters, primarily her mother's illness. She cited the need for a less demanding travel schedule that required much time away from family, including her partner Cindy and Toledo's two young children, ages five and four, from a heterosexual marriage.
Jerry Clark, co-chair of the NGLTF board of directors, praised Toledo for her work. He said it was ironic that her strong family ties, one of the qualities that made Toledo such an attractive hire, also were what led her to step down.
The Task Force will not name an interim executive director, "for the time being at least," said Clark, but will rely on the senior management team chaired by political director Tim McFeeley.
Clark said they have already begun the search process, relying primarily upon the pool of candidates that they interviewed a year ago when Toledo was hired. Phone calls over the last few days have established that at least some of those candidates remain interested in and available for the position with the Task Force.
He hopes that the process can be concluded "in terms of weeks, not months," though he realizes that it may take longer.
Many people had been surprised by the selection of Toledo to lead NGLTF. She was a vice president of the National Organization of Women ( NOW ) , but had no experience working in a gay and lesbian organization. In fact, she had come out as a lesbian less than a year prior to being hired by the Task Force.
Toledo's performance at a NGLTF news conference held at the National Press Club on April 25, 2000, even before she began her official duties, did nothing to allay skeptic's reservations. She looked like a deer in the headlights trying to handle even the most softball of questions concerning the gay and lesbian community. And she constantly had to refer to staff for answers.
Colleagues at other organizations that work with NGLTF, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that Toledo's limited knowledge and experience working in the gay and lesbian community limited her effectiveness over the last year. They were not surprised by her departure.
Clark said that Toledo's recent coming out had not hindered her effectiveness at the Task Force. He seemed genuinely surprised by her resignation.
Stretching back into the 1980s, the last six executive directors at NGLTF have been female. That has prompted some to ask if a "males need not apply" sign hangs outside the office.
Clark was familiar with the criticism. He said that he would be "delighted" if the next executive director were male, but that they would continue to hire the best person for the job, regardless of gender. He pointed out that there is rough gender parity in senior level positions with the organization.
Some are speculating that political director McFeeley has the inside track to be named executive director. That would perhaps explain why he joined the Task Force staff last January. He served more than five years as executive director of what was then called the Human Rights Campaign Fund, stepping down at the end of 1994.