Danny Linden named Creating Change conference director at National LGBTQ Task Force
Linden has spent the bulk of his professional life organizing conferences and events for major organizations.
Danny Linden, a longtime conference and events specialist, has been named the new Creating Change Conference Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force.
Linden, who has 31 years of conference and events experience, joins the Task Force ahead of the national LGBTQ advocacy organization’s 34th annual Creating Change Conference in New Orleans, from January 12-16, 2022.
The conference, held each year in a different city, brings together LGBTQ advocates, movement leaders, allies, and changemakers to connect, share stories and experiences, and learn lessons about organizing and achieving goals when it comes to their own forms of activism.
“I am thrilled and honored to join the Task Force and view this new opportunity as the highlight and culmination of years of work that I’ve done in Washington, D.C.,” Linden said in a statement.
“I have always envied those who early-on developed a comprehensive roadmap for professional advancement and adventure — wishing that I, too, were more linear in that way,” Linden continued. “My path has been circuitous. However, almost always and without fail, roads lead me to where I believe I need to be and where I may make a significant contribution and difference.”
Linden previously worked at the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in San Francisco, dealing with displays and merchandising. He later relocated to Washington, D.C., where he organized and consulted on national and regional meetings for the National Minority AIDS Council, the National Association of People With AIDS, and most recently, the National Council for Mental Well Being, where he focused on maintaining and growing the Council’s sponsorship, exhibit booth, and advertising efforts.
An alumnus of Centaur MC, Linden has also helped organize and manage logistics and operations for the motorcycle club’s annual Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, which draws several thousand people to local DC hotels, bars, and dance clubs as its members celebrate the leather/kink community and select a winner to represent the club at the International Mr. Leather contest.
Andy Garcia, the Task Force’s director of advocacy and action, praised Linden’s addition to the national LGBTQ organization’s team.
“I am beyond excited to welcome Danny to the Creating Change family! Danny comes to the Task Force with over three decades of conference planning experience, including his work on the conferences of the National Minority AIDS Council and the National Association of People with AIDS. In our first few days working together, I am incredibly impressed with his energy and enthusiasm,” Garcia said. “Most importantly, his expertise, insights and ideas will take the Creating Change Conference to new heights as we continue to evolve and innovate to meet the ever-expanding needs of the LGBTQ movement and the thousands of participants who call the conference home each year.”
For more information on the National LGBTQ Task Force’s annual Creating Change Conference, visit www.thetaskforce.org/creatingchange.
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