CenterLink Establishes Relief Fund for Puerto Rico LGBT Center

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Developing Strong LGBT Centers. Creating Healthy LGBT Communities.

CenterLink Board of Directors

The CenterLink Board of Directors advises, governs, oversees policy and direction, and assists with the leadership and general promotion of the organization so as to support its mission and needs. In keeping with our organizational value of governance by an inclusive and open process, a majority of seats on the Board are held by leaders of LGBT community centers and are elected by a vote of all member centers. A limited number of Board seats are filled by appointment, in order to assure representation of diverse viewpoints and appropriate expertise to prudently govern CenterLink. Board elections are held in late Fall for two-year terms beginning in January. The Board generally meets monthly by conference call, and in person two or three times per year.

Cece Cox

BOARD CO-CHAIR

Resource Center
CEO
Dallas, Texas

Cece Cox, J.D., is recognized for her effective leadership and advocacy in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights movement. Cox serves as CEO of Resource Center, which operates one of the largest LGBT community centers in the United States, and provides health services and programs to individuals affected by HIV. The Center, located in Dallas, Texas, serves more than 60,000 people annually with a staff of more than 50 employees and 1,100 volunteers.

Paul Moore

BOARD CO-CHAIR

David Bohnett Foundation
Program Officer
Los Angeles, CA

Paul Moore is the Program Officer for the Las Angeles-based David Bohnett Foundation, where he has worked for over a decade. Moore is additionally charged with handling select special assignments and initiatives related to Mr. Bohnett’s private equity firm, Baroda Ventures.

Every aspect of the Foundation’s grant-making process comes under Moore’s purview, including monitoring grant requests and grantee reports, conducting site visits, and representing the David Bohnett Foundation at community and industry events. He thoroughly embraces the Foundations’ philanthropic mission, and brings strong interpersonal skills and a keen intellect to his interactions with grantees, board members, and the public.

Among Moore’s chief responsibilities is supervising the Foundation’s entire David Bohnett CyberCenters program, which currently number over 60 centers nationwide. The CyberCenters offer free Internet access and technology support to the LGBT community, and provide educational and job-search resources for seniors and youth. His operational oversight of the popular program includes facilitating grant requests, directing logistics, organizing conference activities, maintaining grantee relationships, and fostering alliances with potential sites.

A native of Orange County, California, Paul Moore holds a B.S. in Finance, cum laude, from California State University, Northridge and earned an M.B.A. from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business, where he was a Society and Business Fellow. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2001, he was a licensed property insurance agent in Boston, Massachusetts.

Marvin Webb

TREASURER

Funders for LGBTQ Issues
Director of Finance and Administration
New York City, NY

Marvin Webb joined Funders for LGBTQ Issues in May 2010. He is a strategic thought-partner building and managing effective and streamlined administrative/finance systems, including finance, accounting, business planning and budgeting, legal, human resources, administration and IT and the organization’s physical infrastructure. He is involved in the strategic planning, evaluation and professional development initiatives, including helping define the process and implementation of infrastructure/systems needed to support agency growth and sustainability.

Previously, Marvin completed his MBA practicum as an intern in Human Resources at the international human rights organization Witness, and before that as the HR & Business Manager of a public relations firm in New York City. Marvin moved to New York City in 1989 to begin his 17-year career as a professional modern dancer. He has danced the works of various choreographers, including Martha Graham, Doug Varone, Ralph Lemon, Ron Brown, and Liz Lerman.

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Marvin received his BA from Creighton University, a Certificate in modern dance from the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, and his MFA, in modern dance, from New York University/Tisch School of the Arts. In 2011, Marvin received his MBA in Human Resources and Marketing from Baruch College/Zicklin School of Business. He is currently pursuing his MS in Accountancy at Southern New Hampshire University in an effort to sit for the CPA exam.

Marvin lives in Bethlehem, PA with his husband George.

Stacie Walls-Beegle

BOARD SECRETARY

LGBT Life Center
CEO
Norfolk, VA

Stacie Walls-Beegle has 25 years’ non-profit management experience. Her executive management experience includes leading non-profits through mergers and developing new HIV/AIDS programs including opening the LGBT Center of Hampton Roads in 2010. She has extensive grant writing and community planning experience. She has developed and managed a wide range of HIV/AIDS programs. She has 25 years of human service experience in developmental disabilities, mental health, HIV/AIDS and LGBT program development.

Ms. Walls-Beegle has a special interest in international development and worked with the Dutch NGO ‘AIDS Foundation East/West’ in Moscow, Russia, providing training and capacity building around HIV/AIDS care and treatment. Stacie lives in Norfolk Virginia and has two children, Patrick and Molly.

Chris Bartlett

William Way LGBT Community Center
Executive Director
Philadelphia, PA

Chris Bartlett is the Executive Director of the William Way Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Community Center in Philadelphia (www.waygay.org). For over 20 years, he has been an innovative thinker and leader in technology-driven community organizing, having led the SafeGuards Gay Men's Health Project, the LGBT Community Assessment, and the national LGBT Leadership Initiative. He also serves on the board of the Jonathan Lax Scholarship for Gay Men, and is the founder of the Gay History Wiki, which documents the lives of the gay men who have died of AIDS in Philadelphia (http://gayhistory.wikispaces.com). He is an avid user of social media and can be found on twitter at http://twitter.com/harveymilk.

Robert Boo

Pride Center at Equality Park
CEO
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Robert Boo has invested his passion, humor, vision and professionalism as Chief Executive Officer for The Pride Center at Equality Park since March 2012. His dedication to The Pride Center began much earlier. Robert served as Director of Development for five years (2006 – 2010) and on the 2011 Board of Directors. During his leadership, The Center has expanded service, programs and events for Seniors, LGBT Families, People Living with HIV/AIDS, Women, Couples, People of Color, the Transgender community, and more. As Director of Development, Robert tripled the number of major donors in the Founders Circle, helped quadruple the annual operating budget and launched a multi-million dollar capital campaign. In 2008, The Pride Center, formerly known as The Gay and Lesbian Community Center, purchased a 5+ acre campus with 30,000 square feet of office and meeting space and completed a $1 million renovation of the Alan Edward Schubert Building.

Prior to joining The Pride Center team, Robert worked for 23 years with ARAMARK Corporation and Sodexo, USA. Robert traveled extensively for both organizations, working his way up the operational side of the business to Regional and National positions.

For over 20 years, The Pride Center has provided a warm, welcoming and safe space – an inclusive home that celebrates, nurtures and empowers the LGBTQ communities and our friends and neighbors in South Florida.

Linda Elliott

one•n•ten
Executive Director
Phoenix, AZ

Linda has extensive experience in executive-level management, as well as fundraising and board experience with local and national non-profits working in support of LGBTQ causes. She co-founded Colorado Steering Committee and the Arizona Steering Committee for the Human Rights Campaign and has been one of the most visible and active members of the Phoenix LGBTQ community.

Linda received her Master of Public Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Denver. Previously she was Vice President and Chief Information Officer for ING Security Life. She has also served on many boards and committees, including serving on Phoenix Mayor Stanton’s Transition Committee, as the Co-chair of the Public Policy Committee of the Human Rights Campaign, the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS, and the Colorado AIDS Project. Linda was awarded the 2011 Individual Equality Award at the 7th Annual Human Rights Campaign Arizona Gala for her pioneering efforts on behalf of the community and her tireless advocacy for LGBTQ causes.

Linda lives with in Phoenix with her partner of 15 years, Carolyn Lane.

Lorri L. Jean

Los Angeles LGBT Center
CEO
Los Angeles, CA

An activist on LGBT issues since 1979, Lorri L. Jean is one of the LGBT movement’s longest tenured leaders. She serves as CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the world's largest LGBT organization (she spent 6 years at the helm in the 1990’s and her current tenure as CEO began in June, 2003). From 2001 – 2003, she was the Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. In 1994, Jean co‐founded CenterLink with the Executive Directors of the New York City, Minneapolis, Dallas and Denver LGBT centers.

David Kilmnick

The LGBT Network
CEO
Bay Shore, NY

David Kilmnick, PhD, MSW has more than 23 years of experience working on behalf of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) communities to end homophobia and transphobia, provide a home and a safe space for the community and advocate for equality under the law.

David founded Long Island Gay and Lesbian Youth (LIGALY) in 1993 and has led the organization through growing and developing substantially in its 21-year history including the purchase of the first GLBT community center on Long Island. The most significant growth was in 2005 when David established the Long Island GLBT Services Network (The Network) to expand services for Long Island’s GLBT community throughout the lifespan. The Network included two other new organizations – the Long Island GLBT Community Center (The Center) for adults and families, and Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders – Long Island (SAGE-LI) for seniors so that GLBT Long Islanders of all ages have access to needed programs and services.

Today, David is the Chief Executive Officer of The Network that serves tens of thousands annually, reaches an additional 80,000 through education and outreach and employs 30 full-time staff members in four Community Centers located in Woodbury, Bay Shore, Patchogue and Sag Harbor. The Network in the fall of 2014 announced the first ever affordable housing in the New York tri-state area for LGBT and LGBT friendly seniors in Bay Shore and expanded its service region to include Queens County. With an annual budget of over $3 million, The Network service region includes over 6 million people that spans the entire length of the Long Island Expressway from the Midtown Tunnel to Montauk.

David has been widely recognized for his work on Long Island, throughout New York State and across the country. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the New York Civil Liberties Union Equality Award and the Lawrence Timpa Humanitarian Award for Professional Service from the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission. He is past co-chair of the Board of Directors for Centerlink, the national organization that represents nearly 200 GLBT Centers, was appointed to the Suffolk County Hate Crimes Taskforce in 2009, and was named to the 10th Annual Long Island Press Power List in 2012 and 2013 as one of the 50 most influential Long Islanders.

In addition to his innovative work in the GLBT community, David is a professor at several colleges and universities, including University of Maryland-University College in Nonprofit Management, Capella University in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management and at Walden University in the School of Public Policy and Administration. Kilmnick received his Ph.D. from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York in Social Welfare, where his dissertation focused on heterosexist attitudes and changes following contact with an openly gay instructor. David and his husband, Robert, live in Centereach with their two Yorkshire Terrier children, Sparky and Petey.

Michelle Kristel

McCormack + Kristel
Partner

Michelle is a partner with McCormack+Kristel, a national provider of executive search consulting services for nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. A former nonprofit executive who understands the impact a great hire has on an organization, she believes placing the right leader in the right position builds stronger and more effective teams. Michelle has a keen eye for matching talent to opportunity, and is driven by a fierce commitment to advance her client’s missions. Through her experience in both executive search and nonprofit leadership, she has seen firsthand the impact great hires have on programs, fundraising, governance and fiscal health. She is proud to bring her clients the essential talent to meet their goals and realize their vision.

Michelle is the former executive director of In The Life Media (ITLM), a nonprofit organization producing social change media to raise awareness of issues related to gender, HIV/AIDS and LGBT rights. ITLM's signature series, IN THE LIFE, was broadcast nationally on PBS from 1992 through 2012.

Michelle earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master of Arts from New York University.

Lorraine Langlois

Metro Wellness & Community Centers
CEO
St. Petersburg, FL

Lorraine Langlois, Executive Director of Metropolitan Charities, has been running what is now one of the largest and most respected HIV/AIDS and GBLT service organization for over 15 years. However, it is surprising how few people know who she is.

Langlois, a native of Ottawa , Ontario (Canada) had worked for the Canadian government for 14 years and decided she needed a change and return to school. Her parents had a condo in one of the Suncoast beach communities, so she was somewhat familiar with the area. She decided St. Petersburg would be a good place to start her new life.

Lorraine, acquired a Health Management degree at St. Pete College to add to her U.S. government recognized Business Management degree. Her involvement with King of Peace Metropolitan Community Church came about when she started dating one of the church’s ministers. “I got real involved in the life of the church,” she says, “and helped out with some of the administrative work of Metropolitan Charities starting in about 1993.” At the time, Metropolitan Charities was a very small operation, without even one full-time employee. The operating budget for that first year was just $42,000, and the agency operated out of a small room in King of Peace Metropolitan Community Church.

Utilizing her strong leadership skills, compassion and guidance over the years, Langlois has grown Metro Charities to become the largest HIV/AIDS service organizations and nationally known GBLT community centers, operating with an annual budget of over $2,500,000, 45 employees and offices in both St. Petersburg and Tampa. Metro Charities has evolved to become the known service leader in providing case management services, mental health counseling and substance abuse programs to people with HIV/AIDS.

Lorraine continuously leads Metropolitan Charities to success today, just as she did in the beginning. Her most recent leadership accomplishments at Metro Charities include the building/land purchase of the Metro Thrift Store located in downtown St Petersburg and successfully implementing the new GLBT Community Centers in St Pete and Tampa and continues to be an influential leader in our community.

Jay Maddock

Out Front Kalamazoo
Executive Director
Kalamazoo, MI

Jay is the Executive Director at OutFront Kalamazoo where he was previously the Program Director. At OutFront Kalamazoo Jay has led trans programming, youth programming, trainings to organizations and schools, created collaborations and partnerships with other social justice organizations, and assisted with implementation of other programmatic efforts. Prior to his work at the OutFront Kalamazoo, he worked at Planned Parenthood Mid South Michigan where he led the Calhoun County Coalition for Inclusion, a county-wide effort to create safe and affirming spaces for LGBT folks in Calhoun County.

Jay has a wide array of topics on which he provides presentations, trainings, and lectures, including The Dangers of InvisibiliT, Ally to Advocate, and Empowering LGBT Students. Prior to his LGBT focused work, Jay spent five years working in the mental health field.

In his spare time, Jay enjoys camping, hiking, and telling terribly bad puns.

Debra Pollock

The Center-Advancing LGBT Colorado
CEO
Denver, CO

Debra Pollock is a native of Colorado and the CEO of the GLBT Community Center of Colorado (The Center). The Center has been serving the LGBTQ community in Colorado for 41 years and produces the Coors Light PrideFest Parade, the Pride 5K and Denver PrideFest, which is the third largest event of its kind in North America hosting 385,000 annually for a parade, run and two day outdoor festival in Denver Colorado.

Gautam Raghavan

gr strategic llc
Consultant
Washington, D.C.

Gautam Raghavan is an independent consultant who works with progressive organizations focused on securing political power and social change. Most recently, Raghavan served as Vice President of Policy for the Gill Foundation, where he managed multi-million dollar investments to secure federal and state-level policies that ensure a level playing field for all LGBT Americans. From 2011 to 2014, Raghavan served as President Barack Obama’s liaison to the LGBTQ community as well as the Asian American & Pacific Islander community, and from 2009 to 2011, as White House Liaison for the U.S. Department of Defense and as Outreach Lead for the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Working Group. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Raghavan worked on the 2008 Obama campaign and at the Democratic National Committee. Raghavan was born in India, raised in Seattle, graduated from Stanford University, and currently lives in Washington, D.C. with his husband Andrew and daughter Maya. He also serves on the board of OptionB.org.

Glennda Testone

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center
Executive Director
New York, NY

Glennda Testone is the Executive Director of New York City's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center. Since joining The Center, she has strengthened its programs for adults, youth and families, ensuring all LGBT New Yorkers have an opportunity to live happy, healthy lives. Testone previously served as Vice President at The Women's Media Center and Senior Director of Media Programs for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

Modesto Tico Valle

Center on Halsted
CEO
Chicago, IL

Modesto Valle is the Chief Executive Officer of Center on Halsted, the most comprehensive community center in the Midwest dedicated to advancing community and securing the health and well-being of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community in Chicago.

A native of Chicago, Valle is a longtime community activist and organizer. He founded the Chicago Chapter NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in 1990 and was instrumental in bringing the AIDS Memorial Quilt to the National Mall in 1996. He has served as both a volunteer and staff member at a number of Chicago-area non-profits including Chicago House, Test Positive Awareness Network and Open Hand Chicago, where he served as the organization's first Volunteer Services Director.

Valle was named CEO of Center on Halsted in 2007, where he oversaw the opening of the 175,000 square foot community center. Since taking the helm, Center on Halsted has grown into a full-fledged community center with an annual operating budget of more than $5 million. Under his leadership, more than 1,000 community members visit the Center every day. Patrons participate in the wide variety of programs and services offered ranging from volleyball, cooking classes and yoga to HIV testing, group therapy and job training. Valle was instrumental in bringing several landmark efforts to the Center, such as the first LGBTQ-friendly affordable housing project for Seniors and the nation’s first LGBT clinical psychology internship with Northwestern University.

Valle attended DePaul University and Notre Dame's Seminary School. In addition, he holds certificates in nonprofit management from Harvard Business School and Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. He has served on the board of the NAMES Project Foundation, Equality Education Project, City of Chicago LGBT Health Council, Illinois Violence Prevention Authority Board, City of Chicago Employment Task Force, Welcoming Committee NATO, Illinois HIV/AIDS Advisory Council, Board Member of Horizons Community Services and the Chicago Children's Choir. In recognition of his work, Valle has been named Chicagoan of the Year by Chicago Magazine, inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, honored by the national NAMES Project Foundation and the Norman Bobins Leadership Award and he received a Red Ribbon Leadership Award from the State of Illinois. He also earned numerous yearly awards for Center on Halsted.

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