The Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute today announced its 2011 class of David Bohnett Gay & Lesbian Leadership Fellows, a group of 14 openly LGBT leaders in government and non-profit organizations who will receive scholarships to attend an elite professional development program at the Harvard Kennedy School this June and July. 

GLLI and the David Bohnett Foundation partner each year to send accomplished, mid-career, openly LGBT professionals to Harvard’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government program, which is reknown for its hands-on learning experience designed to help seasoned public officials meet the changing needs of their constituents and communities.

“This program is an investment in our community’s leaders.  LGBT officials and community leaders deserve the best training and professional development available, and the Harvard Kenney School program is the best of the best,” said Chuck Wolfe, GLLI’s president and CEO.

Michael Fleming, executive director of the David Bohnett Foundation and an alumnus of the Harvard program, congratulated the 2011 Bohnett Fellows. “This is one of the strongest and most diverse group of Fellows this program has seen. With each passing year the program has drawn more applications from increasingly impressive leaders. As a funder, the proof is in the pudding.  With alums like Houston Mayor Annise Parker, Campbell, California Councilman Evan Low and Arizona State Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, we have tangible evidence of the calibre of the national leaders we are helping to nurture,” said Fleming.

The 2011 Bohnett Leadership Fellows are:

Rep. Nickie J. Antonio – Lakewood, Ohio (Ohio State Representative, District 13)
A. J. Bockelman – St. Louis, Mo. (Executive Director, PROMO)
Kim Coco Iwamoto – Oahu, Hawaii (Civil Rights Attorney, former member of the Hawaii State Board of Education)
Cindy Dick – Tallahassee, Fla. (Tallahassee Fire Department Chief)
Rep. Karla Drenner – Avondale Estates, Ga. (Georgia House of Representatives, District 86)
Sen. Jolie Justus – Kansas City, Mo. (Missouri State Senate, District 10)
Leslie Katz – San Francisco, Calif.  (San Francisco Port Authority, former Supervisor)
Rev. Cynthia “Cindi” Love – Abilene, Texas  (Executive Director of Soulforce) 
Councilwoman Rosie Mendez – New York, N.Y. (New York City Council , District 2)
Rep. Blake Oshiro – Honolulu, Hawaii  (Hawaii House of Representatives Majority Leader, District 33)
Kathy Padilla – Philadelphia, Pa.  (Philadelphia International Airport)
Councilman Amaad Rivera – Springfield, Mass. (Springfield City Council)
Brian Sheehan – Dublin, Ireland (Gay & Lesbian Equality Network Managing Director)
Councilman Alex Wan – Atlanta, Ga. (Atlanta City Council)