As of Aug. 1, the Pride Center of Vermont has a new executive director. Michael Bensel took over as head of the organization, which advocates for LGBTQ Vermonters.
Bensel is one of the Pride Center's founding board members and served on the board for five years.
He spent a few years in Florida before returning to Vermont in 2011 to work at the Pride Center, first as the health and wellness coordinator and more recently as the director of health and wellness programs.
He said there's been a lot of transition at the organization in recent years, so he's focusing on learning the job and meeting as many people as possible.
“I want to make sure that I'm connecting to the people that we serve, so I'm going to be setting up meetings and connecting with partnering agencies," he said. "Just get a good lay of the land and develop a plan for the future in partnership."
The previous executive director resigned in the fall of 2017 after five months on the job.
Disclosure: Pride Center of Vermont is a VPR underwriter.
