TOLEDO, Ohio — Equality Toledo on Thursday announced the appointment of a new executive director to lead the LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.
Jourdyn McQueary was appointed to the position effective Thursday, the organization said in a press release. McQueary, who uses they/them pronouns, succeeds previous executive director Sheena Barnes, who held the position for two years until February 2022.
“I am excited for the future,” McQueary said. “Getting the chance to work with such wonderful community members and leaders is a dream come true. I look forward to building upon the resources Equality Toledo offers our community and growing alongside my fellow activists.”
The Equality Toledo Executive Hiring Committee gave its official recommendation of McQueary, a Toledo native, to the organization's board of directors. They were unanimously approved for the position on May 2.
McQueary is a 2023 graduate of the University of Toledo's College of Law and is pursuing a legal career.
According to their LinkedIn page, McQueary aims to do "general practice work for LGBTQ+ clients, specifically focused on trans-related family, estates, and healthcare law."
They also aim to bring legal aid services into Equality Toledo through clinics and workshops, they said on LinkedIn.
They have previous experience doing LGBTQ+ advocacy in the entertainment field and working on script consultation and media research at GLAAD -- the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. They have also worked with multiple local organizations to further support for the Toledo area's LGBTQ+ population and allied community members.
“It was a long journey for us to find the right fit, and I am very excited to have Jourdyn taking the helm as the ED," Brent Rabie, Equality Toledo's deputy director, said. "Jourdyn brings great passion and enthusiasm for our work in education and activism, and we are so glad to welcome them to the team.”