The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has announced that Jeff Trexler has been named the organization's new interim director following the departure of previous director Charles Brownstein amid allegations of abuse.
"Jeff's depth of experience coupled with his skill and dedication to the industry is the leadership the organization needs," says CBLDF President Christina Merkler in the announcement of Trexler's hiring. "He will leverage that experience to cultivate an inclusive, responsive and relevant organization to support our community."
"The original mission of the CBLDF is one I passionately support as a longtime member of the comics community," Trexler adds. "This is a time of evolution for the organization and I am honored to be part of it. To quote from my favorite comic book sequence of all time, the last issue of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol: 'There is another world. There is a better world. Well... there must be.'"
According to CBLDF's statement, Trexler "will oversee and update the organization’s operations to more effectively execute the CBLDF mission, drawing on his breadth of legal experience as a law professor and an ethics advisor for a variety of non-profit organizations, media companies and fashion brands."
Prior to his hiring by CBLDF, Trexler was associate director of the Fashion Law Institute and previously served on the board of the Museum of Comics and Cartoon Art. Trexler currently serves on the ethics committee of Kering Americas, a consultant group working toward building sustainability in luxury brands.
The allegations against Brownstein and subsequent controversy surrounding the CBLDF's handling of the matter led to the departure of three CBLDF board members, including Paul Levitz, Jeff Abraham, and Katherine Keller. Here's a full rundown of the details (opens in new tab) regarding the recent CBLDF controversy.