GRAND RAPIDS — The Grand Rapids Pride Center (GRPC) announced Thomas Pierce as their new executive director on Tuesday.
A North Carolina native, he moved to Michigan in 2012 to attend graduate school at Grand Valley State University. For the last 5 years, he worked at Hope Network in Grand Rapids as the Director of Children’s Residential Services.
In a blog post on Tuesday, Pierce stated that he had the following goals for the GRPC:
- Strategic placement of the GRPC to better align with the unique needs of the community.
- Continued advocacy and support through services offered.
- Engagement with community initiatives and projects that will work to further support the Grand Rapids LGBTQ community.
- Increased partnerships with communities beyond Grand Rapids.
“These are exciting times for the GRPC and I believe we are poised to grow significantly in the next 3-5 years as we begin to form new partnerships and expand our services being offered,” Pierce said in the post. “I’m looking forward to getting the internal operations working smoothly and effectively, and building upon the great work that our staff and volunteers have already been doing!”
