James Dobson May Have Stepped Down from Focus Chairmanship, But He Will Remain Public

Focus on the Family announced on Friday that James Dobson will step down from his role as chairman of the Colorado Springs-based evangelical organization he founded three decades ago. The 72-year-old Dobson, however, will remain in the public eye. The Denver Post quotes him in a statement as saying that he is moving aside to make way for the next generation but will continue to write a newsletter, speak out on moral issues, and host Focus’ radio program, which reaches 1.5 million listeners. Dobson will be replaced by retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Patrick P. Caruana, a member of Focus’ board since 1996 and former vice president of Northrop Grumman space technology, according to Focus. Neil Giuliano, the president of GLAAD, a gay-rights organization, is quoted by Towleroad as saying Dobson used his “expansive, well-funded media platform to promote defamatory and false information about the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.” Read more about Dobson’s empire in a feature from the July 2006 edition of 5280.