Gus Penaranda, the highly impactful leader of the N.J. Pride Chamber who helped get one of the most significant pieces of LGBTQ-based legislation in state history passed and exponentially increased the membership and the impact of the chamber, will step down Friday morning as its executive director, effective immediately, ROI-NJ has learned.
Penaranda said he intends to stay involved in issues around the LGBTQ+ community in the state and the region — as well as continue his involvement in the FIFA 2026 World Cup. He also will continue to be a part of the N.J. Diverse Business Advisory Council.
“I will be around as much as I’ve always been,” he said.
In the coming weeks, however, he will head to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he will help AFA (Argentine Football Association) run the 25th annual IGLFA (International Gay and Lesbian Football Association) Football World Championship.
Penaranda, who will meet with the U.S. Ambassador to Argentina while there, said he expects to be in Argentina for much of November.
Penaranda said the decision to move on was difficult, but the numerous opportunities in front of him made it easier.
“There are a number of opportunities that will allow me to take what I have done for the Pride Chamber but expand it to a larger audience, beyond the borders of New Jersey,” he said.
His work in New Jersey will not be forgotten.
Penaranda, who was named the Pride Chamber’s first-ever executive director in December of 2021, a part-time role, said the effort to allow LGBTQ+ businesses to be certified as an unrepresented group — thus allowing them far greater access to business opportunities with government and the private sector — will be his legacy.
“This will have – and already has had – a huge impact on our community and our state,” he said. “We are the first state in the country to recognize LGBTQ+ businesses in this manner, which is helping the state attract other LGBTQ+ businesses here.”
Penaranda worked to get Gov. Phil Murphy to sign an executive order in 2022, then worked to get the governor to sign a bill that was codified into law this past summer.
The impact of the executive order and bill were felt directly at the Pride Chamber, which increased its status and influence in the community. The chamber, which had 85 members when Penaranda started, now has more than 400.
The increased membership helped elevate the chamber’s status in the state — as did Penaranda’s work ethic. He was a common sight at business events of all types throughout the state, many of which were sponsored by the Pride Chamber.
Last month, he worked with chief sponsor Johnson & Johnson to host the second annual Supplier Diversity Summit — an event he helped create to not only serve the LGBTQ+ community but all underserved groups.
“This state is great when we all come together,” he said. “That was always my goal at the Pride Chamber, and it will continue to be my goal moving forward.”
