With the midterm elections drawing ever closer, the Human Rights Campaign has announced a series of senior leadership appointments and public affairs hires that “strengthen the organization’s policy, political, communications and volunteer leadership as it continues its work to advance LGBTQ+ equality nationwide and fight back against the myriad of attacks on our community,” according to a press release detailing the new hires.
HRC President Kelley Robinson said, “As attacks on LGBTQ+ people continue across the country, HRC is investing in the experienced leadership needed to meet this moment.
“These leaders bring decades of expertise across public policy, advocacy, communications, electoral strategy and coalition building,” she continued. “Together, they will help accelerate our work to defend our community, expand equality, and build the power needed to create lasting change.”
The new additions to the HRC staff are:
• Kate Childs Graham (she/her), chief strategy officer. Graham will oversee enterprise-wide strategy and storytelling to ensure that HRC’s work and messaging “continue to engage supporters, influence public opinion and advance the organization’s mission and brand,” the press release said.
Graham has previously served as executive director at West Wing Writers, and she has extensive experience in political communication, having served under Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Amy Klobuchar as well as in campaign teams and with a range of progressive non-profit organizations.
• Sharon McGowan (she/her), senior vice president of policy and litigation. McGowan brings decades of experience in civil rights advocacy, public service and impact litigation. Her career includes senior leadership roles at the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Personnel Management during the Obama administration, where she helped advance marriage equality and LGBTQ+ civil rights, as well as leadership at Lambda Legal during the first Trump administration.
McGowan has also held senior positions at major law firms and progressive advocacy organizations.
• Laura MacCleery (she/her), vice president of policy and law (starting Aug. 3). MacCleery has more than two decades of experience advancing civil rights, democracy, health equity, consumer protections and economic justice. Most recently, she led policy and advocacy efforts at UnidosUS, overseeing work spanning democracy, civil rights, privacy, technology and economic justice.
Throughout her career, MacCleery has integrated legislative advocacy, litigation strategy, coalition building, regulatory engagement and public communications to advance meaningful policy change.
• Densil Porteous (he/they), vice president of volunteer leadership. Porteous is widely recognized for his work at the intersection of community engagement, institutional strategy, communications and equity-centered leadership. His career spans more than two-and-a-half decades across nonprofit leadership, higher education administration, strategic communications, advancement and entrepreneurship, including most recently serving as executive director of Stonewall Columbus and on HRC’s board of directors.
• Ramiro Sarmiento (he/him), national press secretary. Sarmiento brings a decade of experience in strategic communications, media relations and public affairs at the local, state and national levels. Most recently, he served as press secretary for Kat Abughazaleh’s nationally recognized congressional campaign in Chicago, and he previously held communications roles with the office of Kansas City Mayor Sly James, Young Invincibles and Run for Something, where he helped shape national conversations on democracy, civil rights and economic opportunity. Ramiro said he is excited to help advance the organization’s mission and connect with audiences in both English and Spanish.
• Mo Jenkins (she/her), Texas state director. Jenkins brings a vast combination of policy expertise, political leadership, lived experience and deep roots in communities across Texas.
Jenkins is “a proud Texas native [who] has built her career in the Texas Legislature, rising through roles including committee director for the Texas House Corrections Committee, legislative director and deputy chief of staff before most recently serving as executive director for the Texas House LGBTQ+ Caucus, where she helped advance significant legislative achievements,” the press release said.
Jenkins “also brings deep political organizing experience, serving as development officer for the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus and on the board of Equality Texas,” the press release noted.
“These leadership appointments and new hires reinforce HRC’s commitment to building the strategic capacity needed to defend LGBTQ+ rights, advance equality through public policy and advocacy and grow the movement for full equality nationwide,” the press release concluded.
— Tammye Nash
DEI and Pronoun Hires.