HRC Houston 18th Annual Gala

Chad Griffin is the president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization.

After getting his start on the Clinton White House communications team at age 19 and graduating from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, Griffin spent the early part of his career in California, working at the intersection of Hollywood and politics to take on entrenched interests and shape key national debates. Griffin led successful statewide campaigns that secured billions for stem cell research and hundreds of million annually for early childhood education. But as the battle over Proposition 8 raged in 2008, Griffin found the cause of a lifetime in the fight for LGBT equality.

After Prop 8 passed, Griffin wasn’t content waiting around for the political winds to change. He helped found the American Foundation for Equal Rights, recruited the bipartisan legal dream team of Ted Olson and David Boies, and challenged the discriminatory law in federal court—racking up momentous legal victories for the equality movement.

Since helping to launch the Prop 8 case, Griffin has been named one of The Advocate’s people of the year, and has regularly featured on Out magazine’s Out 100 and Power 50 lists of influential LGBT Americans. Recently, the Washington Post named Griffin one of the most influential out Washingtonians.

Since joining HRC as president in 2012, Griffin has steered the organization into an exciting new era in the fight for equality. From spearheading record-breaking investment in the 2012 elections that enabled unprecedented victories from coast to coast, to historic advocacy around the Supreme Court’s rulings striking down Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act in June of 2013, Griffin has brought renewed passion and energy to a fight that is inspiring Americans—LGBT and straight—all around the country.

Dana Goldberg

Raised by a wild pack of Jews, otherwise known as her mother and siblings, Dana Goldberg is a force of nature on stage. She sets the standard for smart comedy, and her timing and tongue-in-cheek edginess is why she continues to collect loyal fans in cities all over the world. Goldberg’s quick wit and playful stage presence is spreading like wildfire! Voted one of the “Top Five Funniest Lesbians in America,” CURVE Magazine raves, “She’s smart, cute, and seriously funny!” The Irish Post writes, “Dana’s sharp, insightful observations are concealed behind an easy-going chatty style. This makes her one of a handful of comics able to transfer their work across the Atlantic.”

Goldberg started her comedy career in 2003 in front of 650 people in a sold out theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Seven months into her career she was invited to Scotland by Emmy Award Winning writer Paul Wagner to perform with 13 other American comedians as part of the US Comedy Invasion at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh. After returning to the states Goldberg began competing in festivals and competitions all over the country. She was one of five national finalists to perform in the “Wendy’s Good Taste Comedy Challenge” produced by HBO and TBS in Las Vegas, Nevada as part of The Comedy Festival. In 2005 Goldberg was chosen out of thousands of comedians to participate in the San Francisco International Comedy Competition. In three short years, she was invited to New York City to share the stage with powerhouse comedians Roz G, Laurie Kilmartin and Judy Gold for the 17th Annual Comedy Hour at Caroline’s On Broadway on behalf of the Ms. Foundation and Gloria Steinem. Since her explosive start, Goldberg has performed in clubs and theaters all over the country, graced two national magazine covers, and performed in 23 states and 7 countries across two continents.

TY Herndon