<h1>DignityUSA Board Candidates Forum and Candidate Statements</h1><p>See below for information about the 2024 DignityUSA Board of Directors Election. All current members are eligible to vote for candidates in our board election.</p><h3>Candidates Forum</h3><p>Join us on May 19 at 2:00pm ET/11:00am PT for the Candidates Forum! Registration is required.</p><p style=text-align: center;><a class=btn btn-primary href=https://dignityusa.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/dignityusa/event.jsp?event=163&amp;>Register Now</a></p><p></p><h3>Election Timeline</h3><p>Here is the timeline for our upcoming DignityUSA Board elections:</p><ul><li>May 6: Paper ballots mailed out</li><li>May 10: Electronic ballots sent out</li><li>May 19: Candidates Forum online 2pm 3pm ET/11am - 12pm PT</li><li>June 24: All mail-in ballots must be postmarked by this date</li><li>June 30: Electronic ballots must be submitted by this date</li><li>July 15: Elections results certified by DignityUSA Board</li></ul><h3>Candidate Statements</h3><p><img src='https://www.dignityusa.org/sites/default/files/caitg300x300.png'></p><p><strong>Cait Gardiner (she/they) | Columbia Maryland</strong></p><p>Last year I had the privilege of representing DignityUSA at World Youth Day. During the pilgrimage I had an encounter with a young man from Minnesota who though a devout Catholic had never been told that God loved him unconditionally. This experience renewed my commitment to being love joy and hope in a world that desperately needs it. These goals drive my election campaign to the Board of Directors for DignityUSA. Since returning from the pilgrimage I have been a Breath of the Spirit writer which has strengthened my ability to reflect on the love in our weekly readings rather than fearing how someone might twist them. This has shown me the importance of being able to tell our own stories something I hope to uplift as a leader in Dignity. My largest goal here is communicating stories of queer Catholic joy. So many people know the narrative that being LGBTQ+ and Catholic is painful and challenging but I know we can reinvigorate the faith of our membership and others by sharing moments of hope like so many of the conversations we had in Lisbon. Lastly I want to empower our members to lead at the local level be that in fundraisers fellowship events or activism so that DignityUSA can grow and thrive in our next 50 years. I am a writer an educator a board member for my local community fair and an event planner so I know I'm ready to lead these efforts.</p><p>fid:6524view_mode:defaultfields:{format:defaultfield_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]:falsefield_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]:false}type:mediafield_deltas:{2:{format:defaultfield_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]:falsefield_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]:false}}attributes:{class:media-element file-defaultdata-delta:2}</p><p><strong>Rev. Jason Carson Wilson (he/him) | Washington D.C.</strong></p><p>Rev. Jason Carson Wilson a Dignity Washington member is an ordained Convergent Catholic Communion priest (as of May 4 2024) and United Church of Christ minister as well as a public theologian with definite Jesuit tendencies. He is a nonprofit leader and organizer committed to intersectional LGBTQIA+ advocacy and creating spaces for LGBTQIA+ people in communities of faith. Those commitments continue to inspire him to serve and drives him to run for re-election. Jason presented at a DignityUSA Youth Caucus event and a virtual DignityUSA conference. Hes the founding executive director of the Bayard Rustin Liberation Initiative and a Doctor of Ministry candidate at the Pacific School of Religion. Living as a cisgender Black gay man living with a disability in the United States Im committed to encouraging and supporting DignityUSAs efforts to embrace diversity by creating and enacting programs that expand the community.</p><p>fid:6525view_mode:defaultfields:{format:defaultfield_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]:falsefield_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]:false}type:mediafield_deltas:{3:{format:defaultfield_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]:falsefield_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]:false}}attributes:{class:media-element file-defaultdata-delta:3}</p><p><strong>Susan Russell (she/her) | Medina Ohio</strong></p><p>I am honored to serve as President of DignityNE Ohio and have learned so much through helping to form a chapter with my friend and colleague Shawn Miller. Im grateful to have learned of DignityUSA while in formation to the priesthood by attending Living Beatitudes Community in Dayton where my program coordinator attended and presided.<br><br>Im a gender affirming social worker who feels passionate about equality. I was introduced to John McNeill while in graduate school for theology at John Carroll University. I admire his body of work deeply and aspire to change the way LGBTQIA individuals are perceived by the church.<br><br>If selected I will serve the board of DignityUSA to the best of my ability.<br><br></p><p>fid:6527view_mode:defaultfields:{format:defaultfield_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]:falsefield_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]:false}type:mediafield_deltas:{5:{format:defaultfield_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]:falsefield_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]:false}}attributes:{class:media-element file-defaultdata-delta:5}</p><p><strong>Thomas Yates (he/him) | Silver Spring Maryland</strong></p><p>I have been a strong supporter of DignityUSA and Dignity Washington since I joined the Washington community in 1983. As the current president of Dignity Washington I have overseen the 50th anniversary of our chapter the sale of our former center and the purchase of our new location in Dupont Circle.<br><br>Over the many years I have consistently supported our DignityUSA National Conferences with video presentations of our 50 year history and documenting the many efforts of our members in advocating for our rights in the Church.<br><br>And Ive also served on the Dignity USA Board for six years2006-2012during a very difficult time. Our organization was in serious financial trouble. We lost our executive director in 2006; we continued for over a year without a new executive director. A few months later we lost our only other full time employee an office manageronly to discover how much financial mismanagement and other inappropriate behaviors were going on in our national office. During the Austin conference in 2007 I witnessed what I can only describe as a miracle. The executive committee the board of directors along the membership of DignityUSAand maybe with some help from the Holy Spiritput together a plan to finance and hire an executive director and a office manager. Within months we had hired Marianne Duddy-Burke as executive director Peggy Burns as office manager and moved the national office to Boston. That leadership and financial stewardship has kept DignityUSA functioning and serving as a voice for LGBTQ+ Catholics for the past 17 years.<br><br>If elected I would do my best to maintain Dignitys presence and voice in the LGBTQ+ community and among our Catholic allies. I would do my best to maintain Dignitys financial stability.<br><br></p><p>fid:6528view_mode:defaultfields:{format:defaultfield_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]:falsefield_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]:false}type:mediafield_deltas:{6:{format:defaultfield_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]:falsefield_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]:false}}attributes:{class:media-element file-defaultdata-delta:6}</p><p><strong>Jon Schum (he/him) | West Roxbury Massachusetts</strong></p><p>Dignity Boston has been my faith community and source of spiritual support for over 30 years. It was here that I integrated faith ministry and identity as a gay person and it was here that I met and married my husband Ron. For the past two years I have had the privilege of serving on the national Board of Directors and I am seeking to serve a second term. Over the past several years I have served DignityUSA on conference program committees and liturgy committees. After the 2017 conference I was asked to organize and co-facilitate the Aging with Dignity caucus.<br><br>I feel that I bring a broad understanding and appreciation for the Dignity mission of witness education and service. I do my best to listen and analyze and to bring my long Dignity experience to new issues and challenges. Both national and global developments in the Church and in culture - both positive and negative - inspire me to bring my best self to the work that awaits us. I am hopeful of Dignitys future and would be honored to serve again on the Dignity USA Board of Directors.<br><br></p>