Bradbury-Sullivan founder will step down

Bradbury-Sullivan founder will step down

By Mariella Miller
February 1, 2020

ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Adrian Shanker, founder of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, will step down as its executive director as of March 31. 

Shanker said Tuesday he is relocating to the West Coast to do similar work in LGBTQ+ health and advocacy.

Shanker launched the center in June 2014 to address health issues among the LGBTQ+ community in the Lehigh Valley.

A written release Tuesday said under Shanker’s leadership, Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center gained a statewide reputation for its impact in LGBTQ+ health promotion.

Additionally, the organization successfully sued the Trump administration to block three anti-LGBTQ rules from going into effect.

Shanker also created the biannual Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment, which is now the largest and most consequential state-level LGBTQ+ health data in the nation.

Bradbury-Sullivan serves more than 10,000 community members locally through supportive services, arts and culture programs and youth programs.

Last summer, Shanker was sworn in to a 3-year term as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, an organization that advises the secretary of health on the national response to HIV/AIDS.

In his announcement, Shanker said he is honored and grateful to be a part of the organization. 

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