LGBTQ+ Victory Institute’s Board of Directors has elected new leadership and has welcomed four new members. The board governs the work of LGBTQ+ Victory Institute and guides the organization’s strategy and vision. Members serve two-year terms.
The board’s leadership includes Chair Howard Pulchin-Ramos, Vice Chair Nancy Katz, Treasurer Brian Maloney and Secretary David Reid. Joining the board as a new members are Caroline Fisher-O’Neill, Dr. Jay Kumar and Ambassador Eric Nelson.
Howard Pulchin-Ramos is a communications and creative consultant who was most recently the global creative director at APCO Worldwide. At APCO he worked with a range of companies, associations and NGOs spanning consumer brands, corporate, health care, technology and industry sectors. Pulchin-Ramos joined the Victory Institute board in 2022.
Nancy Katz is a philanthropist, activist and attorney who graduated from Oberlin College and the University of Michigan Law School. She worked for the Pepper Hamilton law firm in Detroit, before joining the energy sector as deputy general counsel of ANR Pipeline Company. This is her sixth year serving on the Victory Institute Board of Directors.
Brian Maloney is Senior Director of External Affairs at Genentech where he leads the company’s Strategic Alliances team. Before joining Genentech, Brian spent 10 years at AstraZeneca where he held a variety of leadership roles in U.S. public policy, global public policy, international relations and government affairs for Europe and Russia. Maloney joined the board in 2024.
As policy director at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, David Reid leverages his extensive political finance experience to maximize the impact of clients’ political giving. He also leads Brownstein’s bipartisan political operation. Before joining Brownstein, David served as the Washington, DC and PAC finance director at Hillary for America. Prior, he worked as the Mid-Atlantic finance director for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, ran the political finance operation of a Fortune 50 global health care company and served as the deputy finance director of the Democratic Governors Association. Reid has served on the Victory Institute board since 2020.
Caroline Fisher-O’Neill is a senior public affairs leader with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of government, policy, and the biopharmaceutical industry. She currently serves as Director of Alliance Development at Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc., where she leads a newly established function focused on building strategic partnerships that strengthen patient access, advance health equity, and shape public policy across multiple therapeutic areas.
Dr. Jay Kumar is a recognized expert in brain science and behavior, bringing a unique perspective to political advocacy, leadership, and strategic engagement. As a Victory Institute board member, he applies neuroscience-driven strategies to foster resilience, optimize decision-making, and support the mental health of LGBTQ+ elected officials—equipping them to navigate polarization, build consensus, and lead effectively in today’s complex political landscape.
Ambassador Eric Nelson most recently served as the associate director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Previously, he served for 34 years in the U.S. diplomatic service, including as the U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Eric previously served as executive director of the Executive Secretariat supporting three secretaries of state. As director of the Office of eDiplomacy, Eric was selected as one of fourteen visionary leaders in federal information technology by Fedscoop magazine. He also served as deputy chief of mission in Costa Rica, consul general in Munich as well as in Islamabad, Milan, Mexico City, Frankfurt and Santo Domingo. Eric began his career in public service as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching in Liberia.
Full biographical information for the new leaders and members can be found at https://victoryinstitute.org/about/board/.
About LGBTQ+ Victory Institute
Through leadership development, trainings and convenings, LGBTQ+ Victory Institute works to achieve and sustain global equality by increasing the number, expanding the diversity of and ensuring the success of out LGBTQ+ elected and appointed officials at all levels of government.
