IBA’s Board of Directors Sees Boost in Diversity and Inclusion

Courtesy of Independent Business Alliance.

Ahead of its annual meeting on Monday, June 26th, the Independent Business Alliance (IBA) has informed G Philly that all five of its newly elected board members are “more diverse and inclusive.” With the addition of these new members, the 21-person board is now a third female and a fourth of color; the board also now has two members who are transgender.

The new board members are:

Marc Coleman – The Tactile Group
Diana Lu – HOTPOT and Plan Philly
Jone Magagna – The Magagna Company
Brian McGinnis, Esq. – Fox Rothschild
Tiffany Newmuis – Thomas Jefferson University

“A small LGBTQ nonprofit organization like the IBA gets one chance every year to bring a limited number of our members onto our board, so we need to make the most of the opportunity,” says IBA executive director Zach Wilcha. “I’m proud that this year, we took important steps toward making our board more diverse and inclusive. Our new, five-person slate that will join our Board is majority female, includes three people of color, adds a second transgender individual to our board, and reflects several sexual orientations and various industries.”

This is one way that the city’s LGBT chamber of commerce is working to fulfill a Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations (PCHR) mandate that it “should create a training that provides leadership development for prospective and/or new board members.”

The nonprofit plans to lay out other details on how it plans to diversify the organization at the annual meeting, being held at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market Street. More information can be found on IBA’s official website.