ABOVE: New One Orlando Alliance Executive Director Josh Bell (R) hands out the 2020 Alliance Agenda at Come Out With Pride’s Pride in the Streets event Oct. 10. (Photo by Jeremy Williams)
ORLANDO | One Orlando Alliance (OOA) announced Oct. 12 that Josh Bell will be the new executive director of the LGBTQ nonprofit coalition.
Bell comes to OOA with 15 years of experience working in nonprofits and with multi-organizational movements. Bell has worked for The Peace and Justice Institute at Valencia College where he was an interfaith coordinator and facilitator for transformative dialogues related to anti-racism training, gender bias and LGBTQ+ and gender spectrum inclusion.
“In the process of accepting and celebrating my own queerness, the courage of Black, Latinx, transgender and gender nonbinary folx has helped me to know my privilege,” Bell said in a press release. “It brings me great joy to work alongside my LGBTQ+ siblings and leverage my privilege to help create truly inclusive spaces and elevate the voices of our diverse community.”
Bell most recently served as director of community development for the Community Hope Center in Kissimmee. With a Master’s of Divinity degree, Bell has served on the executive committee of the Interfaith Council of Central Florida, the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness Faith Committee and the Lake Nona YMCA Board. He is also a member of the Orlando mayor’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. commission and the planning team for the Orlando Youth Empowerment Summit.
“I believe that the One Orlando Alliance has done and will continue to do phenomenal work to help the LGBTQ+ community BELONG and THRIVE in Orlando and Central Florida, and I am honored to be selected as the new Executive Director,” Bell said. “I am grateful for the courage of the Central Florida LGBTQ+ community. It is this courage that helped me overcome years of ‘conversion therapy’ and step into my full and authentic self as a gay man,” he added.
Bell follows Jennifer Foster, the organizations founding director, after she announced in July that she would be stepping down after completing her two-year commitment to the position.
“I stepped in to fill a role that was needed and I think I’ve done what I’ve set out to do. Now I recognize that it’s time for someone new to step in,” Foster said in July.
Foster’s last day as OOA’s director was Oct. 8.
“Jennifer has led our coalition to do phenomenal work. I am honored to build on the progress that has already been made,” Bell said.
The day before Foster stepped down, the organization released its most recent Alliance Agenda Oct. 7. The Agenda is an annual report identifying the top 10 issues impacting the LGBTQ community in Central Florida. This is the third year OOA has released its report. The 10 key LGBTQ areas addressed in the latest report are anti-racism, coming out, hate crimes, health care, homelessness, immigration, transgender and nonbinary individuals, vulnerable populations, workplace equality and queer youth. The report also has an additional section this year addressing COVID-19 and how the pandemic has affected those most marginalized in the LGBTQ community.
OOA is a nonprofit coalition of more than 40 LGBTQ organizations unified to transform Central Florida into an more inclusive and safe community for LGBTQ people. OOA was formed in 2016 following the Pulse shooting to help get resources to those impacted by the tragedy. Watermark is an active member of OOA and its publisher, Rick Claggett, serves on the board of directors.
You can find the 2020 Alliance Agenda at AllianceAgenda.org. For more information on the organization, visit OneOrlandoAlliance.org.
