Preparing to Pass the Leadership Torch as GGBA Begins New Chapter

By Nancy Geenen, MA Ed., J.D. —

This is my last message to our community as President of the oldest LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce in the world. I am resigning as President and will continue as a board member, focused on our sponsors and the GGBA Gives Back Foundation. I am proud of how our community has pulled together both as an economic unit to preserve our heritage and our LGBTQ+ business community.

During this first quarter of 2025, we spent many hours discussing our why and examining our purpose. Our Board leadership has met with the leadership at NGLCC (National LGBT Chamber of Commerce), our sponsors, and many advisers. We listened to the members who reached out, and we received feedback from our critics. We managed the budget. We upgraded our infrastructure and our systems. We have restarted our Monthly Make Contacts and will continue to add events throughout the rest of the year.
Most importantly, we reconstituted our board in September. At our board meeting on April 22, 2025, we added several new members who will guide the organization for the next several years. Hopefully, many who read this column will attend the May Make Contact (see the website for details) to meet our new board members.

I also want to thank those allies, partners, and sponsors whose commitment never wavered. In addition to thanking all of our board members, I owe a special thank you to Board Members Aaron Boot-Haury, Josh Nair, Tali Bray, Imani Brown, and Gina Grahame for their wisdom and guidance throughout this past year. I love you all.

I appreciate the patience, support, and caring that the GGBA experienced over the last 12 months. As a community, we have and continue to address many challenges: political, economic, environmental, professional, and personal. Many of those challenges require us to continue to show up, speak up, and never give up supporting each other and the community as a whole.

To the Publishers of the San Francisco Bay Times, thank you! This publication continues to be a standard bearer for our community.
As I said in one of my early messages: Icons don’t die; they reinvent. The GGBA has done just that.

Nancy Geenen is the Acting President of the Golden Gate Business Association. She is also the Principal and Chief Executive Officer at Flexibility: https://www.flexability.com/

GGBA Member Spotlight
Published on April 24, 2025