Episcopal News Service interviewed Integrity USA’s new new executive director W.R. “Max” Niedzwiecki. Integrity announced the selection on August 12th via an e-mail message sent to members, partners and friends.
Niedzwiecki, 43, a longstanding social justice advocate and builder of national network organizations, told ENS in an Aug. 11 telephone interview that the grassroots organization dedicated to the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the Episcopal Church is also undergoing an organizational restructuring.
One goal is to expand from its current 57 chapters to one in each of the 109 dioceses of the Episcopal Church, he said.
“After General Convention 2009 the board adopted a new structure that centers on diocesan organizers. We intend to have a chapter in every diocese of the Episcopal Church and to have one coordinator per province, as well,” he said.
Additional efforts will be made to disseminate information at the parish level, “to make sure that the information, passion, the voices of people in parishes and dioceses and provinces come up to the national level,” he added.
“We will really focus on integrating our organization from the smallest parish anywhere in the country to General Convention.”
Here is the announcement from Walking with Integrity:
W.R. “Max” Niedzwiecki, PhD., of New Orleans, Louisiana has been selected as Executive Director of Integrity USA, announced Board President David Norgard today
“Max Niedzwiecki is the ideal person to lead Integrity USA into the future,” Norgard said. “These are exciting times for us as Integrity works to make the legislative victories won at General Convention 2009 a reality in every diocese and parish in the Episcopal Church. Max has a longstanding history of social justice advocacy and as a builder of national network organizations.”
“I am delighted that Max has accepted the call to serve as Executive Director of Integrity,” said Dr. Louie Crew, founder of Integrity. “Over the years, Integrity has grown into a mature, non-profit, LGBT advocacy organization and Max’s appointment signals a new era for us. While we will still focus our work within the Episcopal Church, we have modeled inclusion for all denominations and our leadership influences the secular community as well.”
The Rev. Susan McCann, Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Liberty, Missouri and the first straight ally to serve on Integrity’s Board of Directors said, “One of the things that attracted Max to Integrity USA was the fact that we bring together a national network of chapters and volunteers to pursue justice in their local communities and on the national stage. Max has great enthusiasm for Integrity USA’s goals which center on making the Episcopal Church fully inclusive of people who happen to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), and on bringing progressive faith-based perspectives to public debates of special concern to the LGBT community.” McCann served on the committee which conducted an extensive nationwide search.
Integrity Board Member David Cupps, from Lexington, Kentucky, who also served on the search committee said, “Max brings a wealth of non-profit leadership experience to Integrity, especially as an Executive Director of organizations that unite hundreds of affiliates and volunteers together for the pursuit of common goals. I am pleased that he has joined our team, and I am excited about the gifts that he brings to our work for full inclusion in the church that we love and serve.”
Before joining Integrity USA, Max served as Partner of Daylight Consulting Group, a firm specializing in making nonprofits and philanthropy more effective. At Daylight, his clients included the Ford Foundation Working Group on Philanthropy for Social Justice, the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, the Asian American Justice Center, and other organizations that support communities in their quest for dignity and basic fairness.