25th International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference

The 25th International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference will bring together hundreds of openly LGBT leaders involved in business, government, politics, advocacy, and community organizations. It will be held in San Francisco, December 3 – 6, for three days of training, skills building, networking, and discussion of key issues facing our leaders.

“The Leadership Conference has become the key annual event for LGBT leaders.  Every year it gets bigger and better,” said Steve Elmendorf, Democratic Strategist.

Learn, socialize, and have fun. All three are on the agenda at the Conference. Each year, the organizers work to bring attendees speakers, panelists, and facilitators that can help them grow as an LGBT leader. The 2009 conference is also a great time to talk shop, meet peers and see beautiful San Francisco.

This silver anniversary Leadership Conference will be more than 20 times as large as the very first one, a testament to the dramatic rise in the number of out leaders working today in politics, media, government, and community organizations.  In 1984, barely two-dozen elected officials got together and estimated that there were 50 out LGBT officials in the whole world.  Today there are nearly 1,000 out officials around the globe, and they’re on the front lines in the fight for equality.

The Leadership Conference exists to make attendees more effective, more informed, and more prepared to lead.  Plenary sessions and workshops are interactive, absorbing explorations of current events, strategic solutions, and best practices for out officials and community leaders.   The atmosphere is relaxed and convivial, encouraging attendees to connect or stay connected to their peers across the world.

The honorary co-chairs for the 25th annual Leadership Conference are:

* Hon. Tammy Baldwin

* Hon. Barney Frank

* Hon. Gavin Newsom

* Hon. Nancy Pelosi

* Hon. Jared Polis

The event is organized by The Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute (GLLI), which equips LGBT leaders for success. Through its training and professional development programs, the Leadership Institute assists hundreds of individuals who go on to influential careers in politics, government, business, and advocacy each year. A key GLLI program, the annual International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference grew out of the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials (INLGO). In 2008, more than 600 out leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. for the largest Leadership Conference in history.

GLLI is a non-partisan, tax-exempt 501c3 organization. Gifts to GLLI are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

For more information about GLLI and the 25th International Gay & Lesbian Leadership Conference visit http://www.glli.org.