Stern to leave National Stonewall Democrats after barely one year

At least three National Stonewall Democrats insiders have stated publicly this week that Eric Stern is leaving as NSD's Executive Director, according to several sources. Stern has held the position for barely thirteen months. Deputy Director Jo Wyrick will handle his responsibilities on an interim basis.

NSD has not made a public announcement, but one is expected within days. Health concerns apparently will be cited as the reason for Stern's departure, but we are also hearing reports that Stern is not actually ill. The two stories seem to contradict each other, but in the funhouse mirror world of NSD, we can actually see a way in which they do not: we suppose it is possible that Stern is leaving to prevent health problems. This explanation, however, would cast an unfortunate light on NSD's perpetual inability to attract and retain qualified staff.

Uncompetitive elections for the board of directors and then for the board's executive committee positions have resulted in a number of questionable characters rising to prominent positions in the organization. In the estimation of some NSD observers, some such individuals have lacked the skill sets and character attributes normally needed for high-level leadership. Micromanagement and nitpicking of staff and board infighting have invariably been the result, leading to high employee turnover.

"'Illness and fatique' can be a polite way of saying 'sick and tired'", one insider stated, referring to Stern's apparent reason for leaving.

Because of weak board leadership, NSD has long had a revolving door for staff (one wag has said that Executive Directors' name plates should be attached to the door with Velcro). Stern's replacement will be NSD's sixth Executive Director in only five years.

NSD has had a complicated relationship with each of its Executive Directors. The longest-serving was Dave Noble, who served for only twenty-four months from February 2003 to February 2005.

NSD's Executive Directors, and their tenures, have been:

Mike Colby, March 2000 - May 2001, 14 months
Paul Yandura, May 2001 - September 2001, 4 months
Chad Johnson, September 2001 - December 2002, 15 months
Dave Noble, February 2003 - February 2005, 24 months
Eric Stern, February 2005 - March 2006, 13 months