Candidates offer years of experience in leadership and leather, kink, BDSM, and fetish communities
CHICAGO — Three leather, kink, BDSM, and fetish veterans have been selected as finalists for Leather Archives and Museum (LA&M) executive director effective next year.
Jeffrey Storer, experienced director of operations, Gary Wasdin, veteran library director and executive director, and Alisa Swindell, active lecturer, curator, and research assistant, have been chosen from a highly qualified field of candidates. Storer, Wasdin, and Swindell were chosen from a field of 66 candidates and five semi-finalists.
“We are fortunate to have three highly motivated and extremely qualified candidates ready to continue the Leather Archives and Museum’s longstanding tradition of preserving our history and making it accessible to our community,” said Randall “Bear Man” Klett, Search Committee Chairperson. “Our new executive director will play a crucial role in helping shape the future of our institution.”
Bear Man continued, “It is important for people from across all our communities, not just people in Chicago to be engaged in the selection process. I strongly encourage everyone help the Search Committee by submitting questions the Committee can use during the on site interviews. Please submit questions by Nov 28 at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ArchivesEDQuestions
Storer will have a site visit at the LA&M on Friday, December 1, Wasdin will have a site visit on Saturday, December 2, and Swindell on Sunday, December 3. During their site visits, the candidates will have the opportunity to meet with staff, donors, volunteers, and community members.
Each candidate will host a Member’s Only VIP lunch reception from 12:30 – 2:00pm where current members of the LA&M are encouraged to meet the candidates. Non-members and general members of the community will also have an opportunity to meet with the candidates. This portion of the site visit will take place at the LA&M Auditorium and will also be broadcast on Facebook live for Jeff on Dec 1 – 7:00 – 7:40CST, for Gary on Dec 2 – 3:40 – 4:20CST, and for Alisa on Dec 3 – 3:40 – 4:20CST.
Final site visit schedule will be released soon and posted on www.leatherarchives.org.
“These three qualified finalists make me highly confident that the Archives will be in the hands of an experienced and passionate leader,” said LA&M Board of Directors President and Search Committee Member, Bob Behr.
The LA&M Board of Directors is expected to approve the Search Committee’s recommendation on the new executive director on Sunday, December 10.
