The Wanda Alston Foundation, a DC-based organization that has provided housing and support services to homeless LGBTQ youth since its founding in 2008, has announced that it has appointed long-time LGBTQ advocate Cesar Toledo as its new executive director.
In a statement on April 22, the organization said Toledo will replace Crenshaw in June as part of a planned leadership transition launched in November 2024.
In a statement released last November, the foundation announced that Crenshaw would resign from his role as executive director after deciding to “step into the next chapter.”
“Leadership in June was truly transformative,” said Darrin Grimouch, chairman of the Alston Foundation, in a statement on April 22nd for the group. “We are extremely grateful for her dedication and are equally excited by the energy and experience that Cesar brought to lead us to this next chapter,” Grimouff said.
“A veteran LGBTQ+ advocate, Cesar brings more than a decade of experience leading national campaigns, shaping public policy and building inclusive communities,” the group said. “Most recently he has served as Harris’ national LGBTQ+ engagement director for the presidential election, building a career focused on advances in equality and equitable education.”
Biographical information on Toledo shows that, just before working for the Harris presidential election, he has been Deputy Democrat Director of Education Reform DC (DFER DC) since April 2023, is a political group that will help select candidates who are committed to quality education for all students, including minorities, people of color and LGBTQ youth.
Before joining DFFE DC, Toledo served as political director for the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, where he helped select LGBTQ candidates for public office at all levels in the United States.
“I’m really excited to be joining the Wanda Alston Foundation,” Toledo told the Washington Blade. “After working for 10 years at the intersection of politics and policy and working with impartial education with political candidates here in DC, I wanted to shift my career to serve the most vulnerable people of LGBTQ+ families and our homeless youth,” he said.
Among other things, he said he would increase the visibility of the Alston Foundation and promote primarily services for LGBTQ youth when the national political situation is no longer cooperative.
According to a statement on its website, the Alston Foundation was founded in 2008 in commemoration of Wanda Alston, a fierce LGBTQ+ activist, national advocate and government official who was praised by district residents.
The statement stated: “The foundation opened its first housing program in the country’s capital in 2008, providing non-independent transitional living and life-saving services for LGBTQ+ youth.”
In another statement, the Alston Foundation announced that it will hold a June Crenshaw “Thank You” celebration at the crashdance bar on 14th Avenue, Newwant, DC, from 6 to 8pm on May 20th.
“Let’s join together to celebrate her dedication and commitment to everything she has done for the LGBTQIA homeless youth population,” the statement said.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
