Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Carole Groom
Subject: Reappointments to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) Commission
RECOMMENDATION:
title
Recommendation for reappointments to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) Commission:
A) Craig Wiesner, member for a second term ending June 30, 2022; and
B) Rev. Terri Echelbarger, member for a first term ending June 30, 2022.
body
BACKGROUND:
The Commission reports and makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors regarding policies, programs, procedures and legislation affecting LGBTQ individuals in San Mateo County, and provides outreach and support to at-risk and underserved LGBTQ populations within San Mateo County, including youth, communities of color, non-English speakers, older adults, and immigrants. The Commission promotes transgender inclusion among private and public entities in San Mateo County, including access to health care and to gendered spaces such as bathrooms and shelters. It develops initiatives to support LGBTQ families with children in San Mateo County and provides a public forum for input from the LGBTQ community to identify unmet needs.
DISCUSSION:
Craig Wiesner has served on the LGBTQ Commission since 2015 and is seeking his second full term. Craig is co-founder of Reach and Teach, a shop in San Mateo dedicated to peacemaking, sustainable living, and inclusion that offers books, toys and fair-trade gifts from around the corner and around the world. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco with a degree in Organizational Behavior and Adult Learning. A decorated veteran of United States Air Force, Craig worked as an intelligence analyst and as an instructor at the Defense Language Institute. Following his military career, he led training departments for two Silicon Valley pioneers, Vitalink Communications and SynOptics (Nortel Networks) and then went on to co-found WK Multimedia Network Training. Craig has been deeply involved in social and economic justice issues and the peace movement for the last 25 years.
Rev. Terri Echelbarger began serving on the Commission for a partial term since 2018 and is seeking a first full term. She is the Founding Pastor of Many Journeys Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). The denomination, MCC, was founded in 1968 with a primary ministry to LGBTQ people and their allies. MCC’s have played a significant historical (and current) role in advocating for LGBTQ rights and justice around the world. She holds a BA from Western Washington University in Non-Profit Administration an MA from UH Manoa, Hawaii in Public Administration and an MDIV from Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. She teaches MCC / LGBTQ History to incoming Clergy and is a Supervising Clergy for those in the process of becoming credentialed ministers. She also coaches others establishing new ministries. Prior to her Ordination (2000) she served the YMCA for 20 years primarily in Youth Programs. Terri enjoys her time on the commission and is grateful for the opportunity to advise those seeking to make San Mateo County a better place for everyone, including its LGBTQ members.
These reappointments contribute to the 2025 Shared Vision statement of a Collaborative Community. Our diverse population works well together to build strong communities, effective government and a prosperous economy, civic engagement - including voting, public service, charitable giving, volunteerism, and participation in public discussions of important issues - is uniformly high among the diverse population of San Mateo County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None.