Some activists rise to power with intention and planning; others move up the ranks quietly with steady purpose and effective leadership. David Selberg is the latter. He says he has always been more comfortable behind the scenes, but the time came for him to lead — and he accepted the call.
For the past 20 years, Selberg has volunteered and worked for various charities, including a transition house and Pacific Pride Foundation, a Santa Barbara County nonprofit organization focused on AIDS-, HIV-, and gay- and lesbian-related issues. Initially, he ran its food pantry, worked on program development and coordinated volunteers. Today, he runs the organization as its executive director.
A Santa Barbara native, Selberg attended UCSB and majored in liberal arts. He recalls the 1980s as a time of loss and panic in the gay community. He lost several friends and his life partner to the AIDS epidemic. He knew he had to get involved, and he never looked back.
Standing nearly 6-foot-5, Selberg is warm and friendly. He pauses before he speaks and holds eye contact as he talks about his foundation.
Last year when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed California’s revised $85 billion budget, he used his line-item veto authority to make $656 million in spending cuts. Among the casualties was $52 million from AIDS prevention and treatment programs, which resulted in a loss of $600,000 from Pacific Pride’s operating budget — a huge blow. Selberg had to lay off half of his staff and rally those remaining to pick up the slack.
He doesn’t complain, though. He says he sees the bigger picture and is committed to being more resourceful and increasingly creative with fundraising.
Funds for the Pacific Pride Foundation come equally from three areas: government contracts, public and private foundations, and individual donors and fundraising efforts, such as its annual Heart & Sole AIDS Walk, the annual women’s golf tournament and the Gay Pride festival. The foundation relies heavily on the help of volunteers, and full-time staffers wear numerous hats.
The foundation has become a hub for local gay events, news, activism and HIV-related services. For residents with HIV, it maintains a pantry stocked with an assortment of canned and dried foods. Shoppers must be low income and meet with a case manager. It also offers anonymous HIV testing and education, support groups, mental health counseling, and a safe-needle exchange.
For the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities, it provides youth services, including a prom, a speakers bureau to educate the public, a lending library, a film festival and numerous summits throughout the year.
Selberg is the driving force behind much of the programming, and he works hard to keep all the wheels turning.
He said his favorite part of his job is brainstorming ways to bring the community together. He was deeply involved in the unsuccessful campaign against Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure restricting the definition of marriage to opposite-sex couples.
He organized several well-attended rallies and town-hall meetings to educate and mobilize local activists. Selberg and his team also put together monthly mixers at various venues, including the Canary Hotel and Live Culture.
Selberg said local vendors have helped by donating products, services and space. Albertsons in Goleta pitched in snacks and water for the AIDS Walk, and Nordstrom and Macy’s gave thousands in cash. The Paul Mitchell beauty school donated haircuts to help with fundraising, and the U.S. Postal Service organized a food-drive pickup — through letter carriers — to stock the shelves of the Pacific Pride food pantry.
Running a nonprofit is more than a full-time job, and Selberg admits he finds it hard to leave his work at the office. An avid gardener, he said he loves the escape of tending to his yard.
Click here for more information about Pacific Pride Foundation or its volunteer opportunities.
— Noozhawk contributor Jenn Kennedy can be reached at jennkennedy@noozhawk.com. Click here to see more of her work.