Jack Newby joins the Desert Pride Community Center as Interim Executive Director following four years living and working in San Francisco. Jack was one of the founders of The Center and served for two years as a Co-Chair of the Board of Directors. Before moving to San Francisco, Jack was the Director of Public Policy and Prevention at Desert AIDS Project, and Director of Marketing and Development at the Mizell Senior Center. Jack Newby has been involved in LGBT community work and organizing for more than half his life. He was on the committee that produced the first Human Rights Campaign Fund (as it was called then) fundraising event in Southern California. He later served as a Co-Chair of the Southern California coordinating committee of HRC in its early years. Jack also co-founded Southland Political Action Committee in Long Beach, California as a bi-partisan local LGBT PAC and was on the founding executive committee of AIDS Walk Long Beach which has since raised well over $1,000,000.00 for local HIV/AIDS service organizations. While in Long Beach, he served as Executive Director of The Center and AIDS Project Long Beach and on the Planning Commission for the City of Signal Hill. He was also appointed to several Long Beach Mayoral Economic Task Forces and submitted the first report documenting the positive economic and revitalization impact of the growing Long Beach LGBT Community. Upon first moving to Palm Springs, Jack received recognition for his work from the Cities of Long Beach and Signal Hill, as well as Senator Barbara Boxer and other local legislators.

While in San Francisco, Jack was Director of the San Francisco HIV Health Services Planning Council and committed volunteer time as the President of the Board of the Community Initiative which is a San Francisco gay men’s community building organization. He currently serves on a statewide group called “Visioning Change” which is planning for the future of HIV/AIDS health, supportive, and prevention services for California. While in San Francisco, Jack realized how much he missed his friends, family, and community of Palm Springs. He is very happy to be back and serving the community as the Interim Executive Director of Desert Pride Community Center.

jnewby@desertpridecenterps.org.

Administrative Assistant: admin@desertpridecenterps.org.