Neil Giuliano, a former four-term mayor of Tempe, Ariz., has been named president of the of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation by the organization’s board of directors. Mr. Giuliano succeeds Joan Garry, a former Showtime and MTV executive who stepped down from GLAAD in June after leading the organization for eight years.

Before becoming a politician Mr. Giuliano worked at Arizona State University, where he served as director for federal government relations, director for community relations and most recently as the co-chair of the final 2004 presidential debate held at ASU in Tempe.

Mr. Giuliano also has served in the U.S. Conference of Mayors, on the board of directors for the National League of Cities and as the host mayor for the 1996 Super Bowl.