Nadine Smith stepping down at Equality Florida to lead Color Of Change

Equality Florida CEO Nadine Smith will step down at year’s end to lead national racial justice group Color Of Change.

The Equality Florida Board has named Stratton Pollitzer, who co-founded the group with Smith, as its new CEO and Executive Director.

In a video message, Smith said she was leaving Florida’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization in a position of strength. “My commitment to this organization and its mission is forever,” she stressed. “This is family. This is home. And I’m brimming with confidence because the team we’ve built here is without question among the most talented and dedicated in the nation.”

She has worked at Equality Florida for 28 years, and said the new opportunity came as a surprise. Color Of Change announced that she would begin there on Jan. 12.

“From the moment we first spoke with Nadine about this role, we knew we had found the exact visionary our movement needs at this critical juncture in our nation’s history,” said Color Of Change Chair Heather McGhee.

“Her three decades of tireless advocacy, her proven track record of turning impossible fights into victories, and her unwavering commitment to building power for overlooked and underserved communities make her the right person to guide Color Of Change.”

Smith said Color Of Change, founded in 2005, will play a critical role nationwide during “this time of enormous peril for our country.”

“I’m excited to join Color Of Change and build on its legacy. Millions are counting on us to reach our full strength. We have to turn grassroots energy into real power, stop those trying to drag the country backward, and counter media consolidation that puts both truth and democracy in the corrupt hands of a ruthless and fearful few,” she said in a statement released by Color Of Change.

“I’m optimistic even in the face of cruelty because this backlash signals a dying order. Our job is not only to defend our communities right now, but to build something stronger from what has been destroyed. The multiracial future our opponents fear is not only inevitable, it is the only future in which America survives and thrives.”

During Smith’s time leading Equality Florida, LGBTQ Floridians saw enormous wins, like legalization of same-sex marriage, and suffered tragedy, including the Pulse shooting in Orlando when a shooter killed 49 people at a gay nightclub.

“It has been the honor of my lifetime to build this movement alongside Stratton and our amazing team to turn what began as a vision for a better Florida into one of the most impactful statewide LGBTQ organizations in the nation,” Smith said in her goodbye message.

“We secured marriage equality before any other Southern state. We overturned Florida’s ban on gay and lesbian adoption. We transformed classrooms with best practices for supporting LGBTQ students, reaching more than 2 million young people statewide. And we’ve helped block hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills, including 29 of the 30 filed in just the last two years,” she added.

“Through all of it, from legal battles to legislative fights, Equality Florida has stood firm as a model of resistance, proving that courage and community can thrive even in the most hostile climates.”