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 April Meeting Luncheons In this Issue |
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When he was a top candidate to be CEO of Ford, Allan Gilmour kept his private life secret. On April 19 he'll tell the AEN how being gay affected his career--and why he believes corporations should treat gays better. Allan Gilmour, a witty, articulate finance executive who spent 34 years at Ford Motor rose to become the company's second-highest officer. The son of a Vermont dairy cow dealer, Gilmour graduated from Exeter and Harvard, got an MBA from the University of Michigan and, after being recruited by all of the Big Three, went to work at Ford in 1960. Though a lifelong bachelor, Gilmour didn't conclude that he was gay until midway through his career--and decided to keep it a secret. How Gilmour's sexual orientation affected his success at Ford can only be guessed at. Though it was the subject of water cooler gossip, he cannot be sure how it affected his chances of moving from the number two position to CEO. After he missed for the second time, Gilmour decided to retire and left the company at the beginning of 1995 at age 60. He is on the boards of five large corporations (Detroit Edison, Dow Chemical, Prudential Insurance, US West, and Whirlpool) and oversees his personal foundation, the $4.3 million Gilmour Fund. While at Ford, Gilmour became interested in how he could contribute to gay causes. According to Gilmour, "I was a typical corporate executive in terms of my conservative economic beliefs, I was becoming more liberal on social issues. I set up a trust under another name, and I used that as a way of giving money and of subscribing to publications so that I could be more current about what was going on in the gay world." While on vacation he went to more openly gay places like Provincetown, Key West, New York, and San Francisco were he gradually became more comfortable with the idea of being out. After retirement the risks for coming out were less and according to Gilmour "I went to more events, got more involved in issues, met more people. It was still a slow process for me." In 1996 Gilmour appeared on a panel at the annual conference of the Council of Michigan Foundations to talk about gay and lesbian giving. He was interviewed by a local gay publication and quickly became the subject of media attention because of his highly visible positions at well-known corporations and his coming out as a gay man. Since then, he has found his life to be easier and he has been able to focus on his philanthropic work. Gilmour sees three concerns for corporations in regards to gay and lesbian issues. First, gays and lesbians are customers. Says Gilmour, "businesses that want as much sales volume as possible should pay attention to gays and lesbians." Secondly, he says, "the success of any institution depends in the long run on its people." That means hiring and retaining good people and making everybody welcomed and valued. That includes gays and lesbians. An important indicator of a company's success in this is domestic-partner benefits. Lastly is the issue of social justice. Companies should be leaders in eliminating homophobia and in providing fully equal treatment for gays and lesbians. According to Gilmour, "companies are in business to succeed and prosper, but discrimination and intolerance are never good business."
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by Carl Lange Ask Judy Turner how to run a good business and she'll tell you, treat your customers well, provide good service, and most importantly, remember community service. These are the keys to her success and were the topic of her address to the AEN. Turner, CEO and president of Decatur First Bank, began her career in 1965 at Georgia State University when she thought "going downtown to work was a big deal." Later that year she went to work with Citizens and Southern Bank. There she says she learned to "take care of the community and it will take care of you." It was this environment that shaped her business attitudes and directed her future success. Over the years Turner has been involved with numerous organizations and causes. She described how she works with organizations that have the same concerns as her business. They include the DeKalb County Development Authority, Regional Leadership Foundation, Decatur Rotary, and the Georgia Bankers Association. She currently works with AEN President Ronald Moore in the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce and considers her most rewarding work to have been while working with Rosalyn Carter on The Atlanta Project. Turner commented, " Being active in the community has allowed me to meet real people. I've tried over the years to help people. I've tried to be involved with organizations that have the same concerns as my business." NationsBank bought out C&S and Turner's new boss didn't support her commitment to community service. According to Turner, "community involvement was not encouraged." She was very unhappy but at the same time didn't want to leave Decatur to find a new job. A well-timed offer came from BankSouth that allowed her to remain in Decatur. Interestingly, this offer came as a result of her community involvement. Turner enjoyed working at BankSouth. Eventually, however, NationsBank bought it. She said, "I thought this was the end of fun and good times." Consultants who thought there was a need for a new bank in Decatur, one that was dedicated to the needs of area residents and businesses, then contacted Turner. "I didn't know how to start a bank," she recalled. She continued, "The first thing I was asked to do was to get eight to ten people on board. They each needed to invest a minimum of $100,000 and spend a lot of time setting policy and hiring people. In addition, they would not be paid for up to five years and had to give the bank $5,000 up front." She quickly found the board members and mused about how just a few months later she was asking them to sign an $800,000 loan guarantee. "It was a lot of work," said Turner, but apparently worth it. Everyone got his or her money back. So what makes the bank so unique? One thing is it's popcorn. A popcorn machine at the front entrance creates an aroma that let's you know you are in for a unique banking experience. The bank also has a receptionist and Turner noted how her bank never charged for customer services when it became fashionable with other banks. But most importantly, is the attitude that every person walking in the front door is important. It doesn't matter who they are or how much money they have. Turner said, "The people who are not wealthy need loans. We want them in our bank." An integral component of good customer service is recognizing diversity in both staff and customers. Judy made clear that she values here gay and lesbian customers. According to Turner, the bank is "short on policy but long on practice. I'd rather give people the flexibility to do what's right. We have no discrimination policy but in practice we do not discriminate. We teach our staff to use common sense. to provide equal opportunities." While the bank is restricted by the Georgia Banking Association from providing domestic partnership benefits for staff, it does other things, like making the loan application process more user friendly for customers with domestic partners. And as DeKalb County is the most diverse county in the state, this is reflected in the demographics of the bank's employees. The 23 are comprised of seven white females, five white men, eight black females, two black men, and one Hispanic male. In fact, Turner noted that the bank's receptionist is a gay man. Turner mused how she's experienced discrimination herself as a women. On more than one occasion she's had men assume she was a teller when she says she works at the bank. She takes pleasure in telling them she's actually the bank president. To reach Judy Turner or for more about Decatur First Bank: www.decaturfirstbank.com. |
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We Want You! Get involved with AEN and join one of our committees: Membership, Diversity, Communications, Technology and Finance. For details, please contact us at office@aen.org of call the office at 404.724.9008. Membership Meeting The April AEN meeting will be our annual Membership Meeting. A brief part of our meeting will be devoted to voting for the new Board of Directors. If anyone is interested in joining the Board, please contact Ronald Moore, the AEN President. Let's Do Lunch
To be physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight - this is the Boy Scouts' Oath. Since 1910, millions of boys have joined. But today, if you are openly gay, you can't. In Scout's Honor, witness how one remarkable 12-year-old Boy Scout named Steven Cozza launches a grassroots campaign to overturn the Boys Scouts' anti-gay policy. "Scouting for All" is the movement built by Cozza with the help of a long-time Boy Scout leader Dave Rice, community members and his own parents. Moving from Petaluma, California, to the U.S. Supreme Court, the film creates a modern interpretation of the Scouting ideals of courage and honor. Date: May 11, 2001 The movie runs 57 minutes. Following the movie there will be general discussion and dialogue with the filmmaker, people in the film, various constituencies with opposing points of view, and the audience. Atlanta Women's Chorus Ensemble to
Serenade AEN |
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Edgar Bravo has a mission - make good films that tell a good story. These are passionate stories, the kind that rarely make it into Hollywood films but instead are found in the realm of independent films. And being gay and Latino, Bravo has plenty of experiences from which to draw. "I hope you feel the same as I do, about good films that move you," said Bravo, as he addressed the March meeting of the AEN. After receiving his MFA from UCLA with honors, Mr. Bravo wrote and directed the feature I'll Love You Forever.Tonight that won national rave reviews including from the LA & NY Times. Many films and awards later Bravo is one of the nation's foremost pioneers in gay films. "Independent films grabbed me the most because you are able to tell the story that moves you," said Bravo. He continued, "The difference between Hollywood and independents are the budgets and production time. Hollywood films take months of pre-production, shooting, and editing. Independents are two weeks preparation, two weeks filming, and two weeks editing." Hollywood films require a larger financial investment and for this reason tend to be more conservative in their subject matter, avoiding strong passionate stories. This is the reason there are not a lot of gay themed Hollywood films. Edgar believes that strong passionate films are actually what audiences want, the films that stir emotions and are remembered. He provided an example of Boy's Don't Cry as a smaller film with a passionate story that did well at the box office. His next film, LUST, LOVE & REPETITION is based on short stories by San Francisco writers Bob Vickery and Dale Chase. He has chosen Atlanta to produce this gay themed film because of its great resources. He cited the many good actors available from the theatres, great production technicians, and supportive arts community. Production and distribution will be assisted by Nino Productions and Lumiere Films, producers of Leaving Las Vegas, starring Nicholas Cage who won an Academy Award for his work on the film. Edgar Bravo will prove to be an interesting addition to the Atlanta arts scene. He concluded, "I hope you'll continue to find great independent movies and that one of them will be mine." AEN member Brian Smooke has recently completed the investment documents for this production. For those interested in supporting the arts, shares are being handled by First Union Bank of Atlanta and can be purchased for a minimum of $250. For more information on Edgar Bravo or this film write to: CinemaBravo@Yahoo.com.
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Paul Plate leads charge for Positive Impact AEN member and Positive Impact, Inc. founding executive director Paul Plate has a lot to be psyched about. Since 1993, Positive Impact has improved the quality of life for thousands of metropolitan Atlantans by providing no cost culturally sensitive mental health and prevention services to those affected by HIV. Through Paul's leadership, the community based volunteer organization has enlisted hundreds of mental health professionals and graduate student interns who donate their time and talents to provide counseling sessions for individuals, couples and families. The agency recently relocated to 159 Ralph McGill Boulevard in the "159 Center," a collaborative HIV care center facilitated by Positive Impact, AIDS Survival Project and AIDS Treatment Initiatives. I recently spoke with Paul about the current and future challenges of the organization. HARRISON PERRY: How was Positive Impact founded and how did you become involved? PAUL PLATE: In the early 90's, several friends and I became concerned about the lack of counseling services available to people living with HIV. We formally met to discuss forming an agency in the model of the Pacific Center in Los Angeles. I was so psyched about establishing a counseling center that I left the meeting saying I wanted to be the director of the new agency. PERRY: What are the current challenges of the HIV epidemic? PLATE: There are three big challenges for us right now. Many people are living longer because of the medical advances, but many others are not. Both need mental health services. Secondly, there are increased numbers of minorities becoming infected. These individuals must deal with societal issues related to race and ethnicity as well as sexual orientation and addiction issues that may exist. The third challenge relates to the issue of people still becoming infected after so many years of prevention messages. We must get through to them. PERRY: How is Positive Impact evolving to meet these challenges? PLATE: In a number of ways. First we added the Diversity Institute and included diversity as part of the organization's mission statement. We also added the Hispanic Outreach Program and employed counselors who are Latino to serve people who are not bilingual. We then established the Homeless Outreach Program and have a psychiatrist on staff to provide services to this difficult population. Our Prevention Program targets people already infected and helps them avoid reinfection and infecting others. And we moved into the "159 Center" in July 2000 and are planning to further expand the facility. PERRY: What are the expansion plans for the "159 Center?" PLATE: Right now, we are raising funds to build access ramps that will provide safe, easy access for people with restricted mobility. We are also in negotiations to bring other services into the facility including some of AID Atlanta's programs. We are targeting nonprofits that would benefit from collaborating with us. This spring, the Medical College of Wisconsin's Center for AIDS Intervention Research will open a computer lab for people seeking HIV treatment information. PERRY: What are the current funding challenges of Positive Impact? PLATE: The move to the "159 Center" and the need for expanded services have strained the agency this year. We have some very good fundraising activities, but they are never enough. We need sponsors for our events. We also must expand our Board and our Advisory Committees to include people with access to resources, people with fundraising experience, people from minority communities and people who are networked in multiple communities. PERRY: What fundraising events does Positive Impact have planned for this year? PLATE: Our next big event is Voyage for a Common Cause, a casino night and live art auction featuring live jazz that will be held in June at SunTrust Plaza. Our second annual Tennis Tournament will be held August 25-26 at the Blackburn Tennis Center. Last year we had 60 doubles teams and hope to increase the participation this year. PERRY: Do you have any plans to broaden the scope of Positive Impact outside metropolitan Atlanta? PLATE: We have discussed a satellite program so that we could collaborate in other parts of the state. However, we are still a young, fast growing agency and our resources are focused in Atlanta for now. PERRY: How can AEN members help Positive Impact? PLATE: AEN members can bring us new ideas. They can volunteer to work on our committees and events. They can support the agency through financial gifts. They may even have services that we need for the agency or for the building. Each person has ways they can help, and we welcome AEN members' involvement. Contributing correspondent Harrison Perry is Director of Development at The Atlanta Opera. He also serves on the Board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Atlanta Chapter. Please send your feedback and nonprofit news tips to Harrison at harrison@harrisonperry.com. |
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Seen at the Last AEN Meeting
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Special thanks to:
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Allan Gilmour:
Judy
Turner:
Southeastern
Regional Premiere of the Sundance Film Festival Award Winning Documentary,
Scout's Honor 
Edgar
Bravo:
