A prominent executive who sits on the Boy Scouts of America board has come out against the organization’s policy of excluding gay people from membership, says Reuters.

Jim Turley, the CEO of the global tax and consulting firm Ernst & Young, said in a statement issued by the company that he will “work from within” to change the 102-year-old youth group’s policy on gays, which has come under increasing fire in recent weeks. A petition on activism Web site Change.org calling for the Scouts to end the gay ban has drawn 275,000 signatures.

“I support the meaningful work of the Boy Scouts in preparing young people for adventure, leadership, learning, and service. However, the membership policy is not one I would personally endorse,” Mr. Turley said.

Another national board member, AT&T chief Randall Stephenson, said Wednesday that he favors diversity, but he did not explicitly endorse lifting the gay ban. The organization said last week that it has no plans to change the policy.