Roger has been an activist and leader in the LGBT movement for more than 25 years, and he has led Horizons Foundation since 2002. Prior to joining the foundation, he served as the Executive Director of Horizons Community Services in Chicago, the Midwest’s largest LGBT social service and advocacy organization.
During Roger’s tenure at Horizons, the foundation has dramatically increased its grantmaking, capacity, and overall asset base. He oversaw creation of the LGBT Community Endowment Fund for the community’s future; helped bring millions of dollars in funds from mainstream foundations to our community, and has been a national and local leader in multi-year efforts to increase philanthropic giving to LGBTQ causes.
In Chicago, Roger led that organization’s expansion into the Chicago LGBT Community Center, known as the Center on Halsted. Before moving to Chicago, he was the Director of Programs for the Los Angeles LGBT Center, where he oversaw the Center’s 40-plus programs and services. Roger’s San Francisco background includes his tenure in the law firm of Heller Ehrman, where he specialized in refugee, immigration, and asylum cases involving people fleeing from gender and sexual orientation-related discrimination.
Roger also has served as president of the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance in Washington, D.C., and was Associate Director of the Coro Foundation. He serves on the boards of Northern California Grantmakers and as Board Chair of OutRight Action International, the world’s leading LGBTIQ human rights organization. Roger holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College, a master’s degree from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, and a J.D. from the UC Berkeley School of Law.
