WASHINGTON, DC - SPARTA, a non-profit advocacy organization representing transgender Service members in the United States, is excited to recognize the selection of Alleria Stanley as its next Advocacy Director effective May, 2023.
Long-time SPARTA member and former Advocacy Director Jacob Eleazer stepped down after 11 years with SPARTA leadership, succeeded by Alleria Stanley, a retired U.S. Army Veteran of twenty years who most recently served as the acting Communications Director for the organization. “I am incredibly proud to have been part of SPARTA’s leadership team for the past 11 years, to have witnessed all of our achievements, and to have been among such an inspiring and talented community of TGD [sic] troops since before the organization was founded,” said Eleazer. “Whatever challenges the future may hold, I feel confident in the strength of our community and the future of SPARTA’s advocacy efforts under the leadership of Alleria Stanley as she steps into the role of Advocacy Director.“
"I have been a part of SPARTA for many years," Alleria said. "I joined when transgender persons were still prohibited from serving openly in the military. As an active-duty soldier in the Army, SPARTA provided me with resources, guidance, and peer support during the years I most crucially needed them. As my transition and career progressed, I sought ways to give back and contribute to SPARTA. It is a continuation of the support that has enabled us to serve and to continue to do so."
Alleria was driven to join the U.S. Army after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, giving up a comfortable corporate lifestyle for the rugged reality of military service - including deploying to a combat zone. She brings that commitment and zeal, as well as two decades of hard-won experience to her new role within SPARTA.
"We have much to do to ensure that transgender servicemembers may continue their long and storied tradition of serving this nation and defending its freedoms," Alleria said. "SPARTA’s members are well-trained for that mission, as with any military mission, and will continue to strive towards that end goal. As we do so, they will do their duties at installations and units of our Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration throughout the United States and abroad and on, and under, the seas. Their stories of service are as diverse as any in the military, yet they share a common thread – the desire to serve their country."
SPARTA is a group of transgender people currently serving or has served in the military. SPARTA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization not affiliated with the Department of Defense. Membership is open to transgender (to include non-binary and gender-nonconforming) individuals currently serving in the United States uniformed services – Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service Commissioned Officers Corps, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps.
