DeLeon to serve as director of development
 |
| Marianne DeLeon has served as director of development for the Resource Center of Dallas since September 2005 |
Paul E. Scott, executive director of Equality Texas, announced this week that the organization has hired Marianne DeLeon as the new director of development for Equality Texas and the Equality Texas Foundation.
“I am thrilled that Marianne has decided to join our organization, and I know that we have found in Marianne someone with the skills, experience, and passion to increase the capacity of Equality Texas to work across the state to accomplish its mission,” Scott said.
DeLeon served as development director for the Resource Center of Dallas since September 2005, where she was responsible for directing the fund development programs, including grant writing, events and donor development. DeLeon worked with Scott, the former executive director of the Resource Center of Dallas, until he left that position in February 2006 to take over the top spot at Equality Texas.
“Throughout my career I have worked with nonprofit organizations that provide direct services to people in need,” DeLeon said in a written statement released this week. “I have worked with victims of trafficking, women’s reproductive health issues, refugees, HIV/AIDS services and the third largest LGBT community center in the nation. Now, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Equality Texas, creating systematic change and developing policies that recognize the human and civil rights of LGBT individuals and families in Texas.”
She added, “I look forward to working with our supporters across Texas and building a stronger Equality Texas to educate and raise awareness about LGBT issues.”
DeLeon is a native of Tampa, Fla., but moved to Houston with her parents when she was 12. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her Master of Arts from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
DeLeon worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Moldova for two years on women’s reproductive rights and raised more than $100,000 to support women’s healthcare initiatives. Prior to joining the Resource Center, she worked as a resource development specialist with the International Rescue Committee, which advocates on behalf of the displaced, addressing the root causes of violence and standing up for the world’s most vulnerable populations.
DeLeon will assume her new position with Equality Texas on Jan. 2.
Scott said Equality Texas was able to hire a development director after receiving a $50,000 capacity development grant from the Gill Foundation. He said the Gill Foundation’s support is critical to the LGBT lobbying organization’s efforts to increase its outreach throughout the state and “be more effective in building public support for LGBT equality.”
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, October 20, 2006.