GLAD Law Welcomes New Board Members and Newly Elected Leadership

GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) announces Joseph Metmowlee Garland as the new President of its Board of Directors, Dallas Ducar as Vice President, and Beth Myers as Clerk. The three join Marlène Seltzer who continues as Treasurer, and Shane Dunn, who will remain in leadership as Immediate Past President.

The organization also welcomes new board members Nima Eshghi, an experienced leader in higher education and a former GLAD Law staff attorney; and Matt Wilder, a communications and media strategist with expertise in LGBTQ+ focused campaigns.

“GLAD Law is ready for a challenging political and policy landscape in the coming years and the new Board leadership has the experience and capability needed to aggressively defend and advance protections for LGBTQ+ people and people with HIV,” said Immediate Past President Shane Dunn. “Joe, Dallas, and Beth have been effective and conscientious Board members. Marlene has been an outstanding Treasurer for several years. The entire Board will continue to partner closely with new Executive Director Ricardo Martinez and the most talented staff in the movement to defend, protect, and advance the rights of our community.”

GLAD Law’s biannual Board elections came amid a coordinated nationwide effort to erode, roll back, or restrict rights for LGBTQ+ Americans, especially transgender people and LGBTQ students. In response, with the support of the Board, GLAD Law has grown its legal team and expanded its work both in New England and nationally. 

“I’m honored to serve as President of GLAD Law’s Board of Directors during this pivotal chapter in the organization’s and the LGBTQ+ movement’s history. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Shane for his service and the example of his thoughtful and consistent leadership,”  said Board President Joe Garland. “We’re also thrilled to welcome Nima and Matt, each of whom brings valuable skills and experiences to the Board that we need to further expand GLAD Law’s national reach and ensure our dedicated staff have the tools and resources to sustain the challenging work ahead.”

“The fights to come may be some of the toughest of our lives. Election results across the country, including in New England, may mean an increase in laws that seek to limit or strip away our fundamental rights and freedoms,” said GLAD Law Executive Director Ricardo Martinez. “We’re confident in the strategic vision and leadership of Joe, Dallas, and Beth to keep us moving forward. GLAD Law is also grateful to have Nima and Matt on the Board, as each possesses a commitment to justice and equality for LGBTQ+ people that’s produced tangible benefits for our community.” 

Joe Garland, MD AAHIVS (he/him/his) has served on GLAD Law’s board since 2016. He is the Medical Director of the Infectious Diseases and Immunology Center and the Corliss Street Clinic, both at Brown University Health in Providence, Rhode Island. He also serves as a clinician and a member of the Medical Advisory Board at Clínica Esperanza, also located in Providence. 

Dr Garland is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. As a physician, he provides both primary care and infectious diseases specialty care, with a focus on the prevention and treatment of HIV. He is board certified in Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine and is a practicing HIV Specialist of the American Academy of HIV Medicine. 

Dr Garland received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Harvard Medical School and completed residency and fellowship training at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Dallas Ducar, MSN, RN, NP, CNL, FAAN (she/her/ella) has served on GLAD Law’s board since 2022. Dallas Ducar (she/her/ella) is the Executive Vice President of Donor Engagement and External Relations at Fenway Health, a leading LGBTQ+ healthcare center. In the past she served as the founding President and CEO of Transhealth, establishing the first independent, comprehensive transgender health center in Western Massachusetts. A Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Dallas serves on the boards of GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD Law), Healing Our Community Collaborative (HOCC), and the University of Virginia IDEA Fund. Dallas is on faculty at Columbia University, the MGH Institute for Health Professionals, and the University of Virginia. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and holds degrees from the University of Virginia and a certificate in Public Leadership from the Harvard Kennedy School. She has formally advised state government leaders, served on the Attorney General’s Official Transition Team, and her advocacy focuses on creating inclusive healthcare systems. Her writings have appeared in outlets such as The Boston Globe, The Hill, Newsweek, and STAT.

Beth Myers (she/her/hers) has served on GLAD Law’s board since 2022. She is a Founding Partner at Zucker Law Group LLP. Beth is respected in her field as a zealous advocate for employees and an experienced litigator. Beth represents individuals in every aspect of the employment relationship, with a particular concentration on litigation in state and federal court in cases involving discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation, as well as wage and hour laws, contract and common law. Beth highly values her role to affect real change in individual’s lives by advocating on their behalf in situations where they have been mistreated in the workplace due to their gender, age, sexual orientation, race, disability status, etc.

Before joining Zucker Law Group LLP, Beth was a partner at the Boston law firms of Powers, Jodoin, Margolis & Mantell LLP and Burns & Levinson. Beth also served as a law clerk for the Honorable Margaret R. Hinkle in the Massachusetts Superior Court, where she developed a passion for the courtroom. Beth received recognition in Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers in 2020 and 2021.

As an LGBTQ parent, the causes that GLAD Law fights for align with Beth’s personal and professional values. She is honored to serve as a member of the board of an organization that does for New England and the country what she tries to accomplish on an individual level.

Nima Eshghi (she/her) is Associate Dean for Academic Programs at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute.

She has more than 25 years of professional experience in higher education and the legal profession, including four years as a GLAD Law Staff Attorney from 2006-2010, During her tenure on staff at GLAD Law, she litigated to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act, to secure legal protections for non-biological parents, and led efforts to ensure that Massachusetts’ schools remained inclusive of LGBTQ+ families, among other important work. Before joining the GLAD Law staff, Nima served a previous term on the board from 2003-2006 and served as a Spirit of Justice Awards Co-Chair. 

Nima also has experience working on legal issues arising from HIV/AIDS, having represented HIV-affected individuals and families as a staff attorney at the AIDS Law Project of the Harvard Law School, where she also volunteered during law school. 

Following her tenure at GLAD Law, Nima was an Attorney Advisor at Harvard Law School, where she worked closely with students pursuing careers in public interest law. She then served as Assistant Dean for the Center for Cooperative Legal Education and Career Development at Northeastern University School of Law, before joining the Harvard Radcliffe Institute.

Nima is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Washington and a bachelor’s degree from Smith College.

In 2020, Nima was named one of Boston’s 50 Most Influential People of Color in Higher Education by GBH / Get Konnected.

Nima and her wife Kate live in Lincoln, MA. They are the parents of two adult children.

Matt Wilder (he/him) is a communications and media strategist with a passion for telling great stories. With deep roots in the education, government, and non-profit sectors, Matt has crafted and executed communications plans that educated and inspired stakeholders and also moved constituencies to rewrite the narrative, challenge the status quo, and move forward together.

Notably, Matt led the communications for the historic ‘Yes on 3’ campaign, which upheld Massachusetts’ law protecting transgender individuals from discrimination in public places—the first statewide vote on transgender rights in U.S. history. Prior to creating his consultancy, Matt served as chief of staff and communications director to the Massachusetts secretary of education in the administration of Governor Deval Patrick. Before state service, Matt served in the administration of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino as the chief spokesperson for the Boston Public Schools and as an advisor to Superintendent Carol Johnson. During the Superintendent’s tenure, Matt led the communications efforts of a proposal to dramatically improve the way students were assigned to the city’s public schools. In this role Matt also led the district’s public response to a wide variety of emergency and crisis situations. He also created and executed a strategy that strengthened the reputation of the district through proactive engagement with local and national media as well as through the use of rapidly emerging social media tools.

Prior to his public service, Matt was a television news producer at Boston’s ABC affiliate, WCVB-TV, Channel 5. Matt currently serves on the Board of Directors for World Ocean School. He is a graduate of Suffolk University in Boston.

Find GLAD Law’s full list of board members on our website.