ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A community leader with strong ties to the Lehigh Valley said he's taking a position with the Biden-Harris administration.
Adrian Shanker, founder of Allentown’s Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, left the Lehigh Valley earlier this year to become executive director of the Spahr Center in Marin County, California.
- Adrian Shanker, founder of Allentown's Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Center, said he's joining the Biden-Harris administration
- Shanker left the Lehigh Valley to take a job in California this year
- He made the announcement about his new post on Facebook, saying he accepted the position "with deep humility and profound excitement."
In a Facebook post Monday, Shanker announced he'll leave that position to become a senior advisor on LGBTQI+ health equity. His position will be based in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Shanker said in his post that he accepted the position with "deep humility and profound respect."
"I did not anticipate a short tenure at Spahr, however I am confident that the organization is in a strong position to continue its positive momentum in service to Marin's LGBTQI+ and HIV+ communities," Shanker's post said.
Shanker launched the Bradbury-Sullivan center in 2014 to address health issues among the LGBTQ+ community in the Lehigh Valley. It now serves more than 10,000 community members locally through supportive services, as well as arts and culture and youth programs.
Last year, Shanker was sworn in for a three-year term as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. He also created the biannual Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment.
