Darren Stehle — Director of Development

Darren has spent most of his adult life exploring the vital and distinct role queer people play in society — as leaders, thinkers, and agents of change. He is an advocate and writer for queer self-empowerment, equity, social justice, and virtue ethics.

After leaving his Master’s program in German Literature and Linguistics at Carleton University in 1994, Darren spent eleven years at Pink Triangle Press, one of Canada’s most significant queer media organizations. He then spent fifteen years as a Fitness and Nutrition Coach before transitioning in 2018 into Professional Coaching, where he has supported queer change-makers and leaders through his practice and his advocacy publication, Th-Ink Queerly, and the Think Queerly Podcast.

He served as Executive Secretary on the Board of INSPIRE Awards from 2019 to 2021, and from 2022 to 2023 worked in Grant and Stewardship Development at Friends of Ruby in Toronto.

In March 2024, Darren joined Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada as Director of Development, where he leads major gift fundraising, legacy giving, donor stewardship, and national brand strategy — with a mandate to build the organizational infrastructure for Lambda’s long-term financial sustainability.

Darren is also the author of Queering the Way: A Virtue Ethics from the Margins — a leadership and philosophy book grounded in the Tao Te Ching and queer experience, structured around six principles for living and leading with integrity. He lives in Montreal with his partner Christiaan.