Members from coast-to-coast bring geographical diversity and perspective to SAGE’s board
[New York] SAGE, the nation’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ elders, has welcomed Scott L. Bennett, Ruth Eisenberg, Jeffrey Erdman, and Drew Werner to its national Board of Directors. Each member brings valuable expertise and talent to the table, as well as a passion for LGBTQ+ aging issues and serving the larger LGBTQ+ community.“I am pleased to welcome Scott, Ruth, Jeffrey and Drew to the SAGE board. The addition of these directors complements our board’s skills and experiences,” said SAGE CEO Michael Adams. “We at SAGE are confident they will provide valuable perspectives as we continue to execute our strategic plan and drive our mission forward. We look forward to their contributions and are excited they chose SAGE.”
Scott L. Bennett (South Florida) is the vice chairman of the board and chair of the grants committee of Our Fund Foundation, the LGBTQ+ community foundation of South Florida and the second largest LGBTQ+ community foundation in the U.S. He is a volunteer with Equality Florida, which seeks to further the LGBTQ+ political agenda in Florida.
Bennett worked at Standard & Poor’s (formerly the McGraw-Hill Companies) for 37 years. He served as senior vice president, associate general counsel, and corporate secretary and provided legal counsel to the board’s finance committee, nominating and corporate governance committee, and executive compensation committee. Bennett founded the corporation’s LGBTQ+ employee affinity group. An active supporter of many national and Florida-based nonprofit and political LGBTQ+ organizations, he was previously a member of the board at Empire State Pride Agenda.
“I am delighted to be elected the national Board of Directors of SAGE, an organization devoted to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ elders,” said Scott. “I look forward to assisting the Board at the national level and in Fort Lauderdale.”
Ruth Eisenberg (Washington, D.C.) is a partner at the Washington DC-based public-interest law firm, Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg LLP, concentrating in the areas of employment law and general nonprofit organization law, and has a long history as an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and for the rights of people with HIV.
In 2018, she was rated a “SuperLawyer” in the category of Labor and Employment Law. In addition to the SAGE board, Eisenberg serves on the ADL Washington DC Regional Board and served as the Director of Legal Service at the Whitman-Walker Clinic (now Whitman-Walker Health) during the height of the AIDS crisis. She has served on the Boards of Directors of Lambda Legal, the National LGBTQ+ Task Force, and Whitman-Walker Health. She is also a co-author of The Rights of People Who are HIV Positive: The Basic ACLU Guide to the Rights of People Living with HIV Disease and AIDS (1996).
”I look forward to helping SAGE grow in Washington, D.C.,” said Ruth. “All of us – regardless of age or sexual orientation – should care about making sure that LGBTQ+ elders are viewed as an asset and are well-served.”
Jeffrey Erdman (Los Angeles, CA) is a partner of Scali Rasmussen, a highly respected law firm serving clients through California. Erdman has nearly 25 years of litigation experience practicing in both the state and federal courts of California. Erdman specializes in complex business litigation spanning many areas of business, including the insurance, manufacturing and service industries, as well as a variety of real estate disputes.
Erdman has also provided pro bono legal services in a variety of matters impacting disenfranchised individuals, for which he was recognized with the State Bar President’s Pro Bono Services Award in 2008. Erdman has always been a dedicated member of the community, serving on boards for bar associations and nonprofit entities. Most recently, Erdman served ten years on the board of ONE Archives Foundation, the world’s oldest continuously operating LGBTQ+ nonprofit, including three years as board president. Erdman has been recognized for his community service by the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Bar Association with the Co–President’s Award for Leadership in 2004 and by the Mountains AIDS Foundation with the Richard Taylor Leadership Award in 2001. Erdman has been recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine in 2004-2005 and as a “Super Lawyer” in 2012. He received his BA in Business Administration from the University of Washington, and his J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law.
“I am immensely grateful for this opportunity to serve on the national board for SAGE,” said Jeffrey. “As an older gay man, I have been keenly aware of the unique needs and challenges of a fast growing population of LGBTQ+ older adults, the balloon of aging people following the generation we lost to HIV/AIDS, and I am thrilled to be involved with an organization that has stepped up in significant ways to meet those needs and challenges head on.”
Andrew “Drew” Werner (Miami, FL) brings a background of fundraising, education and public service through years of personal and professional commitment to creating diverse and inclusive communities. In addition to 22 years of education, treatment, and advocacy for people infected and affected by HIV, Werner seeks to learn and raise awareness of issues connected to generational diversity, the transgender communities, micro-inequities, people with disabilities, and hospice/palliative care.
Werner has received numerous sales and leadership awards as well as top recognition for cross-team collaboration, communication, and technology training. He earned a BA in English and Portuguese, as well as a Masters in Higher Education from The University of Tennessee and a Specialist Degree in Higher Education from Florida State University.
“I am both thrilled and humbled to work with SAGE as we learn, celebrate, empower, and illuminate the past and future of our LGBTQ+ older sisters and brothers,” said Drew.
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SAGE is the country’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) older people. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York City, SAGE is a national organization that offers supportive services and consumer resources to LGBTQ+ older people and their caregivers. SAGE also advocates for public policy changes that address the needs of LGBTQ+ elders, provides education and technical assistance for aging providers and LGBTQ+ community organizations through its National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging, and cultural competency training through SAGECare. With staff located across the country, SAGE also coordinates SAGENet, a growing network of affiliates in the United States.
