ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Bradbury Sullivan LGBT Community Center has a new leader.
Emmaus native Ashley Coleman was chosen by a unanimous vote of the center’s board of directors to be its new executive director, Interim Executive Director Bill McGlinn announced at a news conference on Monday.
- Emmaus native Ashley Coleman is the new executive director for the Bradbury-Sullivan Center
- Coleman will lead the center as it expands its youth and family programming and adds more services for transgender community members
- Coleman previously worked for LGBTQ nonprofits in Philadelphia
Coleman "has a deep understanding of the role an LGBTQ+ community center can play in advancing the health and well-being of the complex and wondrous community we are privileged to serve,” McGlinn said at the event.
“I have complete confidence in Ashley's readiness and ability to serve as an inspirational leader and assist in realizing the next chapter of our center.”
Coleman started her LGBTQ activism in the Lehigh Valley and has since worked with various LGBTQ organizations in Philadelphia. She said she was honored to be appointed to her new position.
“Bradbury-Sullivan is a keystone in LGBTQ+ support far beyond the limit of the Lehigh Valley,” Coleman said. “I am truly elated to work together collectively to cultivate opportunities and resources for LGBTQ+ individuals that have been left on the margins”
Coleman also spoke about her love of the Lehigh Valley.
“Returning to provide fortified resources and positive change for our LGBTQ+ siblings in the place that gave me my foundation and support to live authentically as a Black queer woman — I could not be more honored.”Ashley Coleman, the new executive director for the Bradbury-Sullivan Center
“The Valley is diverse, hard working, steeped in history, and it always feels like home,” Coleman said. “Returning to provide fortified resources and positive change for our LGBTQ+ siblings in the place that gave me my foundation and support to live authentically as a Black queer woman — I could not be more honored.”
After a short speech, Coleman took questions from the audience. An audience member asked what made her want to come work for the center. Coleman said it was the moment she walked through the doors; it was her first time visiting the center, because it was built after she left the Valley.
“It felt like a big hug," Coleman said. "I felt like I was home.”
Another audience member asked what Coleman was most looking forward to in her new position. She said she looks forward to speaking with people and finding out what the community needs.
“Let's talk to all of our community members, our constituents, the staff, the board," Coleman said. "I want to hear, ‘What do we need right now?’ And I'm excited to not only make those changes, but to build with you. Let's create together; let's get our hands dirty.”
Bradbury-Sullivan Communications Associate Braden Hudak said he is excited for the organization’s new chapter with Coleman. He said the center plans to expand its youth and family programming and add more services for transgender community members, including housing assistance.
Hudak said he thinks Coleman is the right person to help the center achieve these goals.
“She is not only fully capable of running our current programming; she also has expertise in the areas we’re looking to expand,” Hudak said.
Who is Ashley Coleman?
Coleman is a third-generation Lehigh Valley resident who graduated from Emmaus High School in 2003. She began her career in LGBTQ activism leading queer youth initiatives and produced large scale events for nonprofits in the area.
Coleman previously served as executive director at GALAEI, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia that serves the queer and trans Black, Indigenous and People of Color (QTBIPOC) community. She led GALAEI through its production of Philadelphia’s pride parade and festival in 2022.
Coleman also served as senior events manager at Mazzoni Center, a nonprofit LGBTQ-focused health center in Philadelphia. She received bachelor's degrees in education and history at Temple University.
McGlinn said he would stay as an employee with the Bradbury-Sullivan Center in a transitional role for a few weeks, then re-retire and become a volunteer at the center.
