I’m Kim Fountain (she/they), Deputy CEO of The Center, and as we celebrate Women’s History Month, I am filled with gratitude for the bold, brave, and brilliant women’s leadership that has shaped The Center’s past and fiercely leads us forward today.
The Center’s story is rooted in women’s leadership, especially LGBTQ+ women who refused to be sidelined. In 1975, Jeri Dilno (she/her) became the first female Executive Director of The Center (then the “Gay Center”). She not only led with courage during a pivotal time, but insisted we expand our name to include “lesbian” and “community,” more accurately affirming who we were and who we fight for.
Jeri passed away in 2024, and the celebration of life that we held here at The Center brought together people from across Jeri’s long history of LGBTQ+ activism and advocacy to celebrate her memory and profound impact.
Dr. Delores A. Jacobs (she/her), our longest-serving CEO, carried Jeri’s legacy forward with visionary, intersectional leadership. Before ascending to the role of CEO, Dr. Jacobs served as Director of Behavioral Health Services at The Center, bringing deep clinical expertise and a justice-centered lens to her work.
As CEO, she led the historic renovation of The Center’s main building, creating a more welcoming and expansive home for the communities we serve. She helped launch on-site HIV and Hepatitis C testing, helped establish the first Latin@x Services program at an LGBTQ+ community center, and founded the Sunburst Youth Housing Project, one of the first permanent supportive housing projects for LGBTQ+ youth in the nation, providing safe, affirming homes for young people experiencing homelessness.
She also commissioned a comprehensive senior housing needs assessment, ensuring The Center’s growing commitment to older LGBTQ+ adults was grounded in data and community voice. Her unwavering commitment to collaboration, social justice, and holistic care transformed The Center into a regional force for equity and community power.
Today, our CEO, Cara Dessert (she/her), continues that tradition of bold leadership and building power for our community. Since stepping into her role in 2018, Cara has more than doubled our budget, expanded services to over 109,000 visits annually, and led us through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her transformative leadership has been recognized with honors including California State Senator Akilah Weber Pierson’s 2025 Woman of the Year Award, the 2026 Equality Advocate of the Year Award, and the 2026 Prebys Leadership Award. More importantly, she is bravely guiding The Center through one of the most challenging chapters in our history with bold strategy, compassion, and courage.
I am also proud that The Center’s executive team is made up of fierce women whose expertise and commitment to The Center’s mission drive our work every day.
Dr. Beth Davenport (she/her), our Chief Operating Officer, oversees operations across seven sites and advances the critical programming and partnerships that sustain our growth. With more than 25 years of experience and a deep passion for LGBTQ+ equity and well-being, Beth has been a driving force behind some of The Center’s most transformative milestones.
She collaborated with Dr. Jacobs to bring on-site HIV and hepatitis C testing to The Center, which has expanded to include STI screenings for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Beth is the architect of The Center’s Housing Continuum, expanding from a single service to a robust network of eight distinct housing supports. The Center now provides a full spectrum of options for youth, adults, and seniors, from emergency to long-term housing, including one of the largest LGBTQ-affirming youth shelters in the nation.
Beth helped to design and implement The Center’s Crisis Services department to address the compounding crises of housing instability, mental health, and food insecurity facing our community. Her work is defined by a deep commitment to equity, quality, and long-term impact, which has strengthened our commitment to whole-person care.
Gloria Cruz Cardenas (she/they), our Chief Impact Officer, joined The Center in 2024 to lead our Public Affairs team, building adaptive strategies and advocacy efforts to push back against harmful legislation, and protecting our community’s rights. As a lifelong advocate for LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights, Gloria’s leadership around immigration justice has strengthened our ability to meet this moment and support LGBTQ+ immigrants facing escalating attacks on their rights and dignity.
Beyond our executive team, women are driving transformative impact across our entire organization, including our staff, board, and volunteers. There are so many extraordinary women whose leadership, expertise, and compassion at The Center touch the lives of community members in San Diego, and while I wish I could name them all, I’d like to highlight two:
Pamuela Halliwell (she/her), Director of Behavioral Health Services at The Center and a recipient of the 2025 Bayard Rustin Awards, leads life-saving mental health services and groundbreaking research protecting trans and nonbinary lives. Her work at The Center has ensured our LGBTQ+ community has affirming mental health support and resources, including substance use support, counseling, and suicide prevention resources.
Carolina Ramos (she/her), our Client Crisis Responder and Community Advocate, has worked at The Center for more than 20 years and began as a volunteer in 1990. There are many people across San Diego who say that Carolina’s support and advocacy saved them in times of profound crisis. She shows up, and uses connections across systems to effectively serve people in need.
She helped build our Latin@x Services at The Center from the ground up, founded the Mi Familia and Shades of Color support groups, and has worked extensively in HIV prevention and support, earning the 2024 Truax Award for her contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Through life-saving crisis intervention and advocacy, Carolina supports generations of LGBTQ+ and immigrant families with kindness and resilience.
This Women’s History Month, I am proud and honored to celebrate so many incredible women making an impact at The Center. In this moment of intensified attacks against the most vulnerable in our community, we need leaders with unwavering commitment to fighting for our community, and it is the bold, skillful, and compassionate leadership of women at The Center answering that call—strengthening our ability to protect LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights, expanding our services, and ensuring our community can thrive.
In community,
Kim Fountain (she/they)
Deputy CEO