Osburn resigns as
executive director of SLDN

The cofounder and executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is leaving his post this month. C. Dixon Osburn will step down after 13 years at the organization to take on new career opportunities.

"Dixon Osburn is at the top of his game," Zoe Dunning, SLDN board cochair, said in a statement. "His commitment to our troops has been unwavering."

Cochair Joe Tom Easley also said in the statement that Osburn's contributions have helped propel the group. "His able leadership over many years has greatly helped SLDN become the strong and effective organization that it is today," Easley said.

Under Osburn's leadership, the SLDN has provided 8,000 service members with legal assistance, filed a constitutional challenge against the U.S. Department of Defense, and motivated several public figures to speak out against the ban on gays in the military.

Temporarily filling in for Osburn will be Kathleen DeBold, former executive director of the Mautner Project. (The Advocate)