Openhouse announces the departure of Executive Director Kathleen Sullivan, Ph.D. and the appointment of Vinny Eng as Interim Executive Director

San Francisco, CA – The Board of Directors of Openhouse today announced the departure of Executive Director Kathleen Sullivan, Ph.D., as she leaves to pursue new opportunities. Vinny Eng has stepped in as Interim Executive Director, having previously served as the Co-Chair of the organization’s Board of Directors.

“We are deeply grateful for Kathleen’s contributions to Openhouse over the last three years,” said Board Co-Chair Mark Buchanan. “Her vision and dedication have shaped an incredible team that will continue driving our mission forward. Kathleen has made a significant impact on advancing care for LGBTQ+ older adults and we are excited to see her continue making a difference in her future endeavors. We wish her every success as she embarks on her next chapter.” 

Sullivan, who joined Openhouse in 2021, has made a profound impact during her tenure, which included the opening of Openhouse’s Community Center at 75 Laguna, expanding the organization to meet the needs of the community, and making significant strides towards opening 1939 Market Street, a planned development which will significantly expand affordable housing for LGBTQ+ older adults. 

“It has been such a wonderful experience serving as the Executive Director of Openhouse,” said Sullivan. “I am so proud of the work we have done together to expand programming in order to better serve the LGBTQ+ community of people age 50 and older in San Francisco.” 

Sullivan continued, “I am moving on to focus on the work I love, including developing a worker owned in-home care business that will support higher pay and advancement for the worker owners and a Master Training working with older adults to help them remain independent in their community.” 

Vinny Eng, an LGBTQ+ community advocate and public health sector leader in San Francisco, has taken on the role of Interim Executive Director for the organization. Eng will be championing continued support for Openhouse’s focused mission and strategy for providing best in class care and services for our LGBTQ+ older adult member community while supporting the Board on its national search for a new permanent Executive Director.

“The Board could not be more excited about Vinny taking on the Interim Executive Director role,” said Mark Buchanan. “Vinny brings over 20 years of diverse community leadership experiences and achievements to the role, passionately advocating for LGBTQ+ rights with a longstanding commitment to health equity, human rights, and racial justice along with deep expertise in driving policy change in public health and public safety.” During the COVID-19 public health emergency, Eng was a founding member of SF New Deal, rapidly scaling community efforts to deliver 1,000,000 meals to vulnerable community members which provided local businesses with reliable and recurring revenue. In addition, he has served as an advisor to the California Department of Social Services and the Tuberculosis Research Action Center at the University of California San Francisco and Physicians for Human Rights. He served as a community grand marshal in the 2022 San Francisco PRIDE parade.

Eng will support a team that together brings decades of experience in nonprofit leadership and supporting LGBTQ+ older adults. “I am humbled and inspired every day by the incredible team at Openhouse” said Dani Soto, Ph.D., Openhouse’s Deputy Director. They continued, “this rock-star team works tirelessly to support thousands of community members each and every day.” In addition to Soto and Eng, the leadership team includes Matthew Cimino, Director of Finance & Operations; Carla Peña, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Education; Carrie Schell, Director of Community Support Services; Andrew Shaffer, Director of Development; and Sylvia Vargas, Director of Community Engagement Programs.

“I am in constant awe and full of gratitude when I think about how far we’ve come since I had the opportunity to join Openhouse as an intern 11 years ago,” said Sylvia Vargas. “And I know our best days are still ahead of us, as we continue to expand to meet the needs of our increasingly diverse community.”  

Openhouse’s Board of Directors has established a committee that will conduct a national search for the organization's next permanent leader, and looks forward to updating the community on its executive leadership search. 

About Openhouse

Openhouse enables San Francisco Bay Area LGBTQ+ seniors to overcome the unique challenges they face as they age by providing housing, direct services and community programs. The Openhouse and Mercy Housing buildings include 119 affordable LGBTQ-welcoming senior apartments, a shared outdoor courtyard and balcony, and 10,000 square feet of programming space, as well as large community rooms and individual meeting rooms throughout. On-site structures include the apartment building at 55 Laguna, the Bob Ross LGBT Senior Center at 65 Laguna, the Marcy Adelman and Jeanette Gurevitch Openhouse Community at 95 Laguna, and the Openhouse Community Center at 75 Laguna. 

Founded in 1998, Openhouse works to center the voices and experiences of LGBTQ+ older adults by providing opportunities to make social connections and build community. Openhouse is committed to creating a safe environment to encourage and support community members to share diverse perspectives and identities to foster dynamic community engagement. 

Photo of Kathleen Sullivan, courtesy of Openhouse