Openhouse on June 9 announced the hiring of Kathleen Sullivan, Ph.D., as its new Executive Director. Sullivan, who has 20 years of experience in creative community design, will be relocating from Portland, Oregon, where she has earned a reputation as a tireless advocate for elders, the LGBTQ+ community, and affordable housing. Openhouse provides housing, direct services, and community programs to LGBTQ+ seniors in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“We are delighted and fortunate to find someone with Kathleen’s direct experience, proven expertise, and deep passion in the area of affordable housing and services for LGBT elders,” says Openhouse Board Co-chair Tim Sweeney. “Given her background of advocacy, management, coalition building, and fundraising, we know she is immensely capable of leading the Openhouse community as we step into this next phase of our development.”
Sullivan’s educational background includes a doctorate in urban studies and planning with a focus on housing for LGBTQ mid-life and older adults. She served as Director of the Senior Services Department for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, which provides a comprehensive suite of services for LGBTQ older adults including healthcare, housing, and social services. She also served as Executive Director of Generations Aging with PRIDE in Seattle, WA. As Regional Director of EngAGE NW, she was instrumental in bringing 1,100 new units of intergenerational affordable housing to the Portland metro area and rural Oregon. In addition, she teaches two courses in Social Gerontology and Families & Aging as an Adjunct Professor at Oregon Health Sciences/Portland State University School of Public Health.
“San Francisco’s LGBTQ elders led a revolution for civil rights in this city and country. Having the opportunity to work with the community is the highest honor I can imagine,” says Sullivan. “Carrying on the work, with a focus on serving those in our community who are most vulnerable due to institutional racism, transphobia, and discrimination, and looking for new ways to further serve LGBTQ older adults, is an opportunity I am very grateful to have. I look forward to learning from them and marching forward together, as we further the ambitious mission of Openhouse.”
Sullivan is slated to take the reins of Openhouse on July 19, just several weeks after the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development tapped Mercy Housing and Openhouse to construct and manage 120+ units of new affordable senior housing on a city-owned lot at 1939 Market Street. The building site is located directly across the street from the existing Openhouse campus on Laguna Street that includes 119 units of LGBT-welcoming affordable housing for seniors, the Bob Ross LGBT Senior Center, and the Openhouse-On Lok Community Day Center, which was completed in Spring 2019. Upon opening, the Center will house Community Day Services, one of the nation’s first community-based adult day programs co-designed for and with the LGBTQ+ community.
The San Francisco Bay Times recently spoke with Sullivan about her vision for Openhouse, anticipated challenges, and more.
San Francisco Bay Times: What are your initial thoughts about taking the reins at Openhouse and the significance of this particular organization?
Kathleen Sullivan: First, I am very excited to work for Openhouse. The organization is at the forefront of providing high impact services and programs to LGBTQ seniors in San Francisco and that work has national implications—the partnership with On Lok is one example of innovation and a commitment to raising the bar on service provision. I also feel grateful to Marcy Adelman and Jeanette Gurevitch for having the vision to create an organization like Openhouse. I remember reading an article Marcy wrote in 1978 about the aging of gay men, demonstrating that the homophobic negative imagery is simply not true. Flash forward all these years and Openhouse continues to innovate and grow. In particular, the commitment to work with intentionality to provide programs, service, and a safe space to transgender and BIPOC seniors who continue to be marginalized and disadvantaged is a priority for the organization and me personally.
San Francisco Bay Times: With your prior experience in mind, what do you envision will be the similar—but also perhaps different—in your new role here at Openhouse? What particular challenges do you anticipate you will face in the Bay Area?
Kathleen Sullivan: The first challenge is simply getting to know people in a variety of arenas, whether that be creating a relationship with political leaders like Supervisor Mandelman and Director of Disability and Aging Services Kelly Dearman, or people in the media like yourself. I think in terms of what will be similar—there are several things including working in affordable housing for LGBTQ adults, providing social and program services, training to the broader community, and working with a diverse staff who care deeply about the community members the organization serves. The PACE model is something I know as an academic, so working in an organization that has a partnership with On Lok is exciting and new to me.
San Francisco Bay Times: Are there any goals that you have in mind for your work in the coming years here in San Francisco that you could tell us about?
Kathleen Sullivan: I believe the organization has strong momentum in service provision and housing as well as the start of the PACE program. As things open up more in the coming months, we will have more opportunity to help people heal from the impact of isolation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also important that the staff is given space to heal as well; it can be wearing on service providers in times of crisis. Finally, there is a great opportunity to expand the reach of Openhouse. Having the opportunity to work with Mercy Housing on the 1939 Market Street project is something I am really looking forward to and seeing if it is possible to integrate some intergenerational space in that building.
San Francisco Bay Times: Based on what you know about what the Bay Area has to offer culturally and otherwise, are there any things that you are looking forward to experiencing?
Kathleen Sullivan: So much. There is outdoor space I am so excited to explore like the Presidio, Marin Headlands, and perhaps a dip in the Bay. I have missed seeing live performances and music, and my wife and I will definitely take advantage of the great venues like The Strand. I have visited a couple of times in the last month, and it is also just fun to be back in the Castro, walking down Market, and getting the beat of the community again.
San Francisco Bay Times: Is there anything else, personally or professionally, that you would like for our readers to know about you?
Kathleen Sullivan: I am fortunate to have a wonderful wife, Dr. Rebecca Levison, who is an educator and was the President of the teachers’ union in Portland. We have a young dog in our life named JoJo, who is a doll. Finally, as we are in Pride month, I want to acknowledge that we have made great strides, often due to the work and sacrifice of LGBTQ older adults. It is important to continue to honor and celebrate those who came before us.
Published on June 10, 2021
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