Louise began her involvement with GSBA in the 1990s and was appointed President & CEO in 2002, a role she served in until retiring at the end of 2020. Through her tenure, Louise led GSBA to become the largest LGBTQ+ chamber in North America. The GSBA Scholarship & Education Fund wouldn’t be the program it is today without Louise, having issued over $5 million to LGBTQ+ and allied throughout her leadership of the organization. Her activism stretches across multiple movements, including Vietnam War protests in the 1960s and 1970s, the anti-nuclear movement, the Women’s Rights Movement of the 1970s, and the LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Movement.
In her retirement, Louise remains deeply committed to advancing education and economic equity, currently serving as Chair of Seattle Colleges Board of Trustees; as well as continuing her activism in a number of social justice organizations, including serving on the Board of Directors of OutRight Action International and the Pacific Northwest chapter of the Anti-Defamation League. She lives in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood with her wife Mary, the two having tied the knot this past summer after 28 years together.
