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JUNE 17,2011
WWW.JUSTOUT.COM
Take Me to Your Leader
During the first couple of weeks following
Q Center’s announcement that, after a months-
long search, the board had found their next
executive director in Barbara McCullough-
Jones, details on who she was were relatively
scarce. A press release detailing an impressive
resume o f two decades o f advocacy and out
reach in L G B T community centers notwith
standing, McCullough-Jones, 53, and her
spouse Sandra were on the road to Portland,
likely taking the scenic route, and were sum
marily “offline,” as Qji operations coordinator
Paul Fukui put it. Fast forward to McCullough-
Jones’ arrival—in town, and at her desk at the
helm o f one o f the most important organiza
tions in the local L G B T community.
We’re here to tell you it was worth the wait.
For one thing, McCullough-Jones’ arrival
in Portland isn’t so much an arrival as a com
ing home. She and Sandra live in Keizer,
where Sandra is from originally. The couple,
who most recently resided in Arizona, have
been together for 16 years. McCullough-
Jones was born and raised in Seattle, where
she attended Eastern Washington University,
graduating with a Bachelor o f Arts in physi
cal education and health sociology, and later a
master’s in education administration. It’s
worth noting that those fields o f study don’t
necessarily scream “activism” or nonprofit
work. It took McCullough-Jones some time
to understand that her career path would
carve a politically progressive niche.
“I ask myself that every day, ‘How did I end
up here?’” McCullough-Jones jokes from her
new office at Q_Center. Dozens o f framed cer
tifications, awards and other accolades sit
stacked underneath the window awaiting their
place on the wall. Her first position following
the completion of her master’s degree was at a
work-training program for inner city youth for
the City of Seattle. McCullough-Jones says
W estover H eights
C
L
I
N
I
C
Offering general internal
medicine and excelling
in sexual health care
Serving the community fo r 29 years
the program operated like a nonprofit, some
thing to which she was immediately drawn.
“I loved the structure o f that program and
the way it was put together,” McCullough-
Jones says. “So I kept finding other opportu
nities like that, other nonprofit organizations
that were unique in how they were put to
gether or the community they served. That’s
really how I spent the last 20 years in the
L G B T movement— looking for those unique
elements o f the movement. Fortunately, I’ve
gotten to experience just about all o f it.”
That’s no exaggeration. Be it through poli
tics, the arts, social, community and health
services and everything in between, M c
Cullough-Jones has been on the cusp o f the
L G B T equality movement in a staggeringly
diverse cross section o f positions. During her
time living in Phoenix, Ariz., she served as
the director and founder o f the Lesbian Re
source Project, and was a founding member
o f the Valley o f the Sun Lesbian and Gay
Community Center. That center ran for about
10 years and was still in operation when M c
Cullough-Jones moved to San Jose to serve as
the executive director of the Billy DeFrank
Lesbian and Gay Community Center.
She’s also served on the Board of Directors
for CenterLink, formerly the National Associa
tion of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
Community Centers; was executive director at
G A LA Choruses, the international choral arts
organization in Washington, D.C.; and most
recently was executive director o f Equality Ari
zona— the state’s political advocacy organiza
tion for equal rights. Long story short, M c
Cullough-Jones has the know-how and the
desire to make great things happen for the
L G B T community through her position at the
Q^—and not just Portland’s sexual and gender
minorities, but for the state at large.
“I saw [Q_ Center] emerging in the com-
503 - 226-6678
strong, powerful way. I knew
it was just waiting to take
off and provide really good
leadership on LGBT issues
in the Portland metro area.”
-BARBARA McCULLOUGH-JONES
munity in such a strong, powerful
way,” McCullough-Jones explains.
“I knew it was just waiting to take
off and provide really good leader
ship on L G B T issues in the Port
land metro area. There are other
metro centers like Eugene or C or
vallis that may look at a smaller
version o f [what Q_does] but pick
up that model. I think that’s a great
service we can provide here in Portland— to
help the rest o f the community statewide feel
connected to a larger purpose.”
In the limited time spent outside o f help
ing front the national movement for L G B T
rights, McCullough-Jones enjoys studying
her family’s genealogy— yet another time-
consuming endeavor she’s worked on for the
past 35 years. She and Sandra are also avid
campers— in true Northwest fashion— and
look forward to revisiting spots they haven’t
seen in years.
But for the foreseeable future, McCullough-
Jones’ arrival as the successor to Kendall
Clawson comes at a busy time for the Port
land community. Pride is here. A new trans
inclusive health care bill has been approved
unanimously by the City Council (see story, p.
12). Her first two weeks have been a whir o f
briefings, quick meet-and-greets and cursory
assessments o f the programs and services of
in
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fered by the community hub. Despite her
experience in L G B T advocacy and outreach,
it’s an important period o f adjustment. And
for that, she needs the community’s help.
“I think, in general, being an executive di
rector can be kind o f a fishbowl situation,”
McCullough-Jones says. “But I also think the
expectations o f leadership can be really high.
You can’t be a good leader unless other people
step forward to help with the process, or to
participate. The one thing I would invite the
community to do is to come and join in. Join
a group, start a group, develop a program,
whatever works. Help get those stories o f our
lives out into the mainstream so it doesn’t be
come such an anomaly, and we only get air
time in June Pride month. We want to see our
stories on a regular basis.
“We hope to continue building the (^ C en
ter as a great place to support, and to call
home.” J#]
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. pr a d o
“I saw [Q Center] emerging
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GRESHAM
by ryan j
file photo
New exec director Barbara McCullough-Jones arrives at Q Center
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