This summer's St. Pete Pride celebration will be the last one for Chris Rudisill as executive director of the organization. He announced May 4 that he has accepted the position as the new Director of LGBT Programming with Metro Wellness & Community Centers. Rudisill will continue to work through this, his third Pride season. He will stay on with St. Pete Pride until July 15, 2012 and will start his new position at Metro Wellness & Community Center on August 1, 2012.
â┚¬Å”We are thrilled to have Chris on board,â┚¬Â said Metro's Executive Director Lorraine Langlois. â┚¬Å”As we are building our LGBT programs with our new spaces in Tampa, St. Petersburg and New Port Richey, he will bring enthusiasm and continue to build our community programming.â┚¬ÂÂ
Stanley Solomons, Board of Directors President for St. Pete Pride, was happy for Rudisill but is sad to see him go.
â┚¬Å”We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors at Metro and we look forward to continuing to work with him in that capacity,â┚¬ÂÂ
Solomons said. â┚¬Å”The culmination of his time with St. Pete Pride is our biggest Pride Celebration ever, our Carnivaleâ┚¬â€Âthe 10th anniversary of Pride in Paradise. Chris was a pleasure to work with, well liked by the community and will be greatly missed as well as hard to replace.â┚¬ÂÂ
The organizations will continue to work together as partners in the community, along with many other organizations to ensure quality services and programs for the LGBT community in Tampa Bay.
â┚¬Å”The board and I are very sensitive about not causing any hardships to St. Pete Pride and that the transition of Mr. Rudisill in his career move is easy on the organization's programs and planning,â┚¬Â said Langlois.
