The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) proudly announce the newest members of their Boards of Directors. These five champions join us from across the country and will leverage their extensive experience, their stalwart leadership and strategic insight in LGBTQ+ advocacy to guide the organization forward in the fight for equality.
“It is an honor to welcome our newest boards of directors members, Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen III, Sue Dunlap, Brian O’Connor, Nico Ramsey and Shawn Skelly — each of whom brings a unique background and a honed skillset that will undoubtedly shape our fight for LGBTQ+ equality,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson. “As our community faces targeted attacks, their support will bolster our efforts to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people in every form and at every stage. We’re grateful for their partnership and commitment to our mission as we continue to work together to make our futures brighter.”
“I am honored to welcome such a talented slate of new board members, each of whom has displayed such enthusiasm, dedication and drive toward making our world a better place for our community,” said Human Rights Campaign Foundation Board Chair Jamaul Webster. “ I am incredibly grateful for their partnership and look forward to working collaboratively to win the rights, freedoms and justice we all deserve.”
“Having the best and boldest on our side is more important now than ever. I am so proud to welcome these five new champions to our board, especially at a time when the LGBTQ+ community is facing numerous attempts to roll back our rights,” said Human Rights Campaign Board Chair Elizabeth Schlesinger. “Together we will work toward passing key protections and push back against attacks on our community.”
Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen III
HRC Foundation Board of Directors
He/Him/His
Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen III is a globally respected spiritual leader, human rights advocate, and cultural voice for justice, healing, and radical self-acceptance. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, he is the founder and Senior Pastor of The Vision Cathedral of Atlanta, one of the largest Black LGBTQI+ affirming churches in the United States, leading a multi-campus ministry with locations in Los Angeles, Memphis, Raleigh, and Nashville. He is also the Presiding Bishop of the United Progressive Pentecostal Church Fellowship, a progressive and inclusive denomination with congregations across the United States.
His leadership has earned national recognition, including the Dan Bradley Humanitarian Award from the Human Rights Campaign, honors from the Georgia House of Representatives, and induction into the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr. International Board of Preachers and Scholars at Morehouse College. He has served on the Atlanta Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, the Atlanta Human Relations Commission, and as Southeast Co-Chair of the Democratic National Committee’s LGBT Advisory Board. Bishop Allen’s work has been featured on BET, CNN, and ABC, and in publications including Essence, Ebony, The Economist, and The Georgia Voice.
Bishop Allen is the author of Master Your Emotions and The Success Code. He continues to build bridges between communities and lead transformative movements. He lives in Atlanta with his husband and two children.
Sue Dunlap
HRC Board of Directors
She/Her/Hers
Sue Dunlap has served as the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles (PPLA) since 2011. PPLA operates 23 community-based health centers, providing over a quarter of a million patient visits annually. PPLA has been a trusted member of the Los Angeles community for 60 years, providing expert reproductive health care, age-appropriate sex education, and fierce advocacy for everyone’s right to make their own health care decisions.
Under Dunlap’s leadership, PPLA has expanded the scope of its care and education programs. In addition to birth control, abortion, STI testing and treatment, and cancer screenings, PPLA offers behavioral health, prenatal care, telehealth services, and high school-based care. Dunlap has also expanded PPLA’s clinical and training partnerships, most notably with Cedars-Sinai, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, and the Los Angeles Unified School District. Dunlap’s success as a leader is grounded in community and collaboration.
She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, the California Planned Parenthood Education Fund, and Equality California. The California State Assembly has honored her as a Woman of the Year, and the California State Legislature has honored her for leadership and contributions to the LGBTQ community.
Brian O’Connor
HRC Foundation Board of Directors
He/Him/His
Brian O’Connor is a senior communications professional with more than three decades of experience across hospitality, travel, and non-profit sectors with an expertise in experiential event production. He currently serves as Executive Producer and Chair of the HRC Palm Springs Garden Party, and as a second-term member of the Human Rights Campaign’s National Board of Governors. Since 2023, Brian has chaired the HRC Palm Springs Steering Committee, serving all nine cities of the Coachella Valley. Under his leadership, the Palm Springs Garden Party was honored nationally in both 2023 and 2024 as “Best Signature Community Event” for excellence in fundraising, community engagement and mission advancement.
Brian and his late husband, Michael Malone, became Federal Club / Council members in 2005. Professionally, he has led communications and sponsorship efforts at the national level, including a six-figure partnership with Carnival Corporation (Princess Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, and Seabourn), which secured premium cruise vacations as live auction packages at HRC’s National Dinners and regional galas.
A proud Michigan State University (Spartan) alumnus, Brian will conclude a decade of service in 2026 as a member and past President of the Communications College (ComArtSci) Alumni Advisory Board. He currently sits on the Executive Committee and was appointed as the global alumni representative on the search committee for the current Dean. He also teaches part-time and is a Fellow of the college. A graduate of The Protocol School of Washington, Brian now serves as a business consultant for its global protocol and intercultural business etiquette programs. Additionally, he works as a freelance consultant, event producer, and executive speechwriter for Wilson Dow Group.
Nico Ramsey
HRC Foundation Board of Directors
He/Him/His
Nico Ramsey is an account director at ECPR Texas whose work supports some of Austin’s most influential organizations, including Google, the Texas Library Association, the Texas Restaurant Association and the Downtown Austin Alliance. Campaigns and projects under his direction have reached national audiences through coverage in outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, TIME, and The Washington Post.
Ramsey plays an active role in legislative and municipal conversations in Texas, developing communications strategies that influence policy and strengthen community connections. His areas of focus have included Texas food service policy, education access, pediatric mental health funding, urban planning, and technology policy.
Beyond his client work, Ramsey serves on the Board of Directors for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, and a trustee at Zach Theater, Austin’s largest producing theater. He also chairs the Austin Mayor’s Annual Corporate Engagement Summit and is an alumnus of the McBee Fellowship through the Austin Area Research Organization.
Recognized by Forbes Under 30 and other honors, Ramsey is known for fostering collaboration, mentoring emerging leaders, and using communications to advance both business and community priorities.
Shawn Skelly
HRC Board of Directors
She/Her/Hers
Shawn is the former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel & Readiness in the Biden-Harris Administration. She was previously nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the United States Senate as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Readiness in July 2021, making her only the second out transgender American to have ever been so honored.
A native New Yorker, Shawn followed her dream of flying off aircraft carriers with a Navy ROTC scholarship, commissioning as a Navy officer, and earning her Wings of Gold as a Naval Flight Officer. Over her naval career she sailed and flew across the globe and most importantly, around the nation she has served in and out of uniform for well over 30 years.
After a period in industry with ITT Exelis, Shawn served in the Obama-Biden Administration in the Departments of Defense and Transportation, and in 2017, President Obama appointed Shawn to serve as a commissioner on the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service, which delivered its final report to Congress, Inspired to Serve, in March of 2020. Shawn is a Co-Founder and former Vice President of Out in National Security, formerly served on the Atlantic Council’s LGBTI Advisory Council, and was a member of the Service Year Alliance Leadership Council. She holds degrees from the University of South Carolina and the U.S. Naval War College.
A long time Northern Virginia resident, Shawn has recently relocated to Alexandria, VA, which will allow her to spend even more time at her favorite pursuit, catching live indie rock shows in DC’s fantastic clubs.
