St. Pete Pride announced this week that the organization’s Executive Director, Eric Skains, has resigned to “pursue new opportunities.”
In a press release, Skains said that his five years with the organization“have been extremely fulfilling and always challenging,” noting that “retooling and strengthening [the] organization tested [him] in ways [he] never expected.”
“I have learned and grown enormously through this organization, and I am excited about my future journey,” he continued. “St. Pete will forever be a chapter in my life that I am extremely proud of. I’ve met great people, built amazing connections, and fell in love with a town that’s extremely diverse.”
Skains joined St. Pete Pride in 2012, having previously served as the Executive Director for Pride Houston in Texas. Watermark spoke with Skains in September of that year, with the then-incoming Executive Director explaining he’d left his previous organization after they changed their format.
“I’m not coming in to reinvent any wheels,” Skains said. “But the board is looking to expand the organization and they are in line with a lot of the things we worked on in Houston, such as expanding healthcare initiatives, community outreach and other areas.”
And expand it did. As the press release advises, “Skains was key in the transition of the organization’s Board of Directors moving from a working board to a governing board, created the organization’s first production committee that works year-round on the planning of St Pete Pride, worked with local officials to receive the region’s first LGBT Pride Month Proclamation from both Tampa and St Petersburg, and expanded the organization’s outreach to include voter registration drives and public awareness initiatives.”
“Since 2013, St Pete Pride received numerous community award achievements such as ‘Best LGBT organization’ from both Watermark Magazine and Creative Loafing readers,” the press release continued—a fact that we at Watermark can confirm is true. (Congratulations again!)
“In 2017, the nonprofit organization received the highest rating of Platinum from GuideStar, showing the organization meets the highest level of accountability and transparency and is focused on measuring and sharing its progress and results.”
Skains’ departure follows a successful but controversial pride event. For the first time in its 15 years, the St. Pete Pride parade moved from the Grand Central District to downtown St. Petersburg.
“The Board is extremely thankful for the impact Eric has made,” St. Pete Pride Board President Scion Crowder said in the statement. “Not only to the organization, but to the community and City of St. Petersburg, over the past 5 years. We are grateful for the strong foundation he has built, the respect he has gained the organization, and the battles he has overcome for us. “I can’t thank Eric enough for his time and commitment to this organization. We wish him much continued success in his next endeavors.”
Skains will remain with the organization until the end of August. According to the release, St. Pete Pride will undergo a national search for its next Executive Director, and an interim Executive Director will fulfill the role through 2018’s Pride event.
