Task Force announces the election of Shilpen Patel as new board secretary

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Foundation announced the election of Shilpen Patel as secretary of its board of directors. Patel lives in Seattle, Wash., where board members Marsha Botzer and Ken Thompson also reside. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is the oldest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights organization and the leading progressive voice for full LGBT equality.

Patel is a radiation oncologist at the University of Washington. He works as an assistant professor and specializes in lung and gastrointestinal tumors. He served as chair for two years of Equal Rights Washington from August 2009-November 2011. During his term as chair, Equal Rights Washington successfully campaigned to become the first state in the United States where the voters upheld domestic partnerships.

Patel also works with a number of organizations to improve health care, including the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, American Medical Association (AMA) and Washington State Medical Association. He earned his M.D. from the University of Texas and has published extensively in the medical field. Patel has recently been named one of “Seattle’s Top Doctors” in Seattle Magazine and won the AMA Foundation Leadership Award. He has been a member of the Task Force’s board since January 2011.

“The Task Force is the leading progressive voice of the LGBT movement and it is exciting to be part of the effort to advance equality at this critical time,” says Patel. “We are continuing to build the grassroots power of the LGBT community in order to create lasting change and opportunity for all.”