The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) and The Chan National Queer Arts Center have appointed Ford Foundation executive Lane Sugata as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer effective Monday, Aug. 24, 2026.

Sugata will serve for an initial two-year term and will succeed Christopher Verdugo, who announced his intention to step down last September after a 10-year tenure.

During the next few months, Verdugo will consult with Sugata for a leadership transition and continuity of vision on the eve of the Chorus’s 49th season.

In a statement SFGMC Board Chair Tom Paulino said, “The word the Board of Directors would use to describe Lane is: visionary. Lane’s comprehensive, data-informed approach to problem solving coupled with their person-centered leadership style make for a potent combination that will prove most effective as the next Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.”

Paulino continued, “Lane’s transformative work with Dance/NYC and most recently, the Ford Foundation — uplifting and collaborating with marginalized communities — informs their strategy for positioning The Chan National Queer Arts Center as a hub for innovative and inspiring partnerships with artists of all disciplines throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.”

Sugata added, “The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus sits uniquely at the intersection of artistry, activism, and community — creating not only beautiful music, but refuge, visibility, and hope for generations of LGBTQ people. At a moment of heightened division and attack, I see tremendous opportunity for the Chorus to expand its role as a force for free expression and community resilience — and to shape a more courageous and connected future.”

Sugata is a nationally recognized arts, philanthropy, and nonprofit leader with deep roots in the Bay Area’s cultural and LGBTQ communities. Currently a Senior Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, they have managed more than $270 million in grants advancing creativity, civic engagement, and social justice in the United States and globally.

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