Announcing Glennda Testone as our First 2024 Community Vision Awardee

The LGBT Bar Association Foundation of New York is thrilled to present its first 2024 Community Vision Award to Glennda Testone, in recognition of her distinguished record of service to the LGBTQ+ community. She will be honored at our Annual Gala on May 9 at Tribeca Rooftop.

Glennda Testone is the CEO of the Nonprofit Leadership Lab. Glennda Testone joined the Lab afer serving New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center as its first female Executive Director from 2009-2023. She strengthened The Center’s programs for adults, youth and families, ensuring all LGBT New Yorkers have an opportunity to live happy, healthy lives. Testone helped launch a new Center brand and website, celebrated 30 years of service by the organization and completed a $9.2 million capital building renovation to transform the LGBT community’s home on West 13th Street. Testone also spearheaded the launch of innovative and groundbreaking programming at The Center for LGBT youth, transgender community members and LBT women.

Testone came to The Center from The Women's Media Center (WMC) where she served as the Vice President for three years. Prior to the WMC, Testone was the Senior Director of Media Programs for the national Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

Testone has appeared on CNN, FOX News and MSNBC, and has been quoted in outlets including Vogue, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, Time Out and W Magazine.

She was a member of the Ending the Epidemic Task Force, which works to implement New York State’s plan to end the AIDS epidemic in New York. Testone was also the board cochair of CenterLink, and served on the Executive Board of the City University of New York Institute for Health Equality. In 2005, Testone won Syracuse University’s LGBT Foundation Award for Outstanding Alumni. In addition, she has served on the NYC Commission on LGBTQ Runaway and Homeless Youth and was a Tenenbaum Leadership Institute Fellow at Milano, the New School for Management & Urban Policy.

Originally from Syracuse, New York, Testone has a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism and Philosophy from Syracuse University and a Master's degree in Women's Studies from The Ohio State University. She lives in Asbury Park, NJ with her spouse, Jama Shelton, her daughter Frankie and their dog, Gus.