GLO Center's upcoming executive director Aaron Schekorra wants the center to keep growing

On Thursday, Springfield's LGBTQ+ community center announced it has hired a former City of Springfield employee as its first "full-time executive director."

Formerly the spokesperson for the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, Aaron Schekorra will start at the GLO Center on Jan. 2, according to a press release. The GLO Center's current interim executive director Lou Hood started in March 2023, according to their LinkedIn.

After leaving the health department, Schekorra said he took a couple of months to focus on his businesses, Own Your Pride and Queerly Caffeinated.

"The timing really just seemed to line up," Schekorra said, adding that a couple board members had reached out to him to encourage him to apply. "Talking to those folks, it felt like the perfect fit for what I wanted to do next."

The press release lists Schekorra's responsibilities as "overseeing the strategic direction, fundraising efforts, and community outreach initiatives of The GLO Center, ensuring the organization's mission and objectives are effectively carried out." Schekorra said he is looking to build on the existing success of the GLO Center's programs and to expand resources for the center so it can "continue to grow and give back to the community."

In addition to a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University, a master's degree from Missouri State University and several graduate certificates, Schekorra also has a graduate certificate in non-profit leadership with a focus on fiscal management.

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He hopes to take the knowledge from that certificate and apply it to his time leading the GLO Center.

"A big part of what I'm trying to do at the GLO Center is create some financial stability and long term resources so the GLO Center is here to stay," Schekorra said.

That includes ensuring that resources are available to everyone so the center can focus on gaps that exist rather than duplicating resources already offered.

"There's a lot of disparities that the LGBTQ+ community faces and unfortunately some of the services that are available in our community are not welcoming to all people," Schekorra said. "There are times where the GLO Center is providing resources simply because another service provider isn't a safe place for the queer community."

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Schekorra previously served as development director for FosterAdopt Connect and was board president for PFLAG of Southwest Missouri. He credits his experience with PFLAG as part of what helped prepare him for the executive director role.

"I think it really played a huge role in looking forward to what I wanted to do with the GLO Center," Schekorra said. "I think that experience was really, really valuable."

Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.