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CenterLink Strengthens, Supports, & Connects LGBTQ Community Centers

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. 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.

Robert Boo

CO-CHAIR

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.

Glennda Testone

CO-CHAIR

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).

Lance Toma

SECRETARY

San Francisco Community Health Center
Chief Executive Officer
San Francisco, CA

Lance Toma is the Chief Executive Officer of San Francisco Community Health Center (formerly Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center) in San Francisco, CA, a 30+ year-old health services, education, HIV, and policy organization. Lance transformed this long-standing HIV organization into a federally qualified health center in 2015 and expanded its mission and reach to serve as a critical primary care and behavioral health safety net for thousands of the most vulnerable residents of San Francisco.

Lance has over 25 years of nonprofit management and leadership experience and works toward a strategic and collaborative community vision, with deep commitment to A&PI, LGBT, HIV/AIDS, and people of color communities. Lance currently serves as vice chair of board of directors of the NMAC, co-chair of the San Francisco HIV/AIDS Providers Network, and board member of the CAEAR (Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief) Coalition.

Modesto Tico Valle

TREASURER

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.

Sarah Anderson

campbell and company
Consultant
Seattle, WA

Sarah Anderson is Director of Strategic Priorities at campbell & company, a fundraising consulting firm. For 12 years, she has worked with nonprofit organizations of all types to enhance their donor messaging and fundraising to increase giving. Sarah has been integrally involved in engagements with Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the LGBT Giving Project, and AARP among others.

Based in Seattle, Sarah helps lead campbell & company’s Northwest team and drives implementation of the firm’s strategic plan. In addition to serving on the CenterLink Board of Directors, she volunteers on the Giving USA Editorial Review Board, the Social Justice Fund Northwest Campaign Steering Committee, and Advancement Northwest’s Diversity Equity Inclusion and Access Committee. She recently published a children’s picture book called When Mommies Go to Work. She and her wife also run a yoga studio in Seattle.

Sarah graduated from the University of Florida’s honors college, where she studied journalism, political science, and business administration and served as editor-in-chief of The Independent Florida Alligator, the nation’s largest student-run newspaper.

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.

Cece Cox

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.

Dave Garcia

Affirmations
Executive Director
Ferndale, MI

Antonio David Garcia (Dave) is the Executive Director of Affirmations, for his second stint, after having served for five years as the Director of Policy and Community Building at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Previously, Dave also served served as the Executive Director of The Kalamazoo Gay and Lesbian Resource Center (now OutFront) and before that in various leadership capacities for the YMCA.

Dave first began his fight for LGBT equality after being fired from his position as the Community Services Coordinator of Swartz Creek for his attempt to start a Gay Straight Alliance in the public schools back in 2000. After walking 55 miles overnight from the doors of Swartz Creek High School to the State Capitol, Garcia delivered what would be one of many heartfelt and inspiring speeches. Over the past twenty years, Dave has continued his dedicated efforts to improve the lives and advance justice for the LGBTQ community.

Additional accomplishments include being named, “Civil Libertarian of the Year” by the ACLU of Flint, being featured in Dan Woog’s book, Jocks II – Coming Out to Play, winning two 2009 Michigan Addy awards for his film work and being named Student of the Year in Communications and Media at the University of Michigan – Flint. In addition, Dave has completed a full-length documentary, Fences and is a critically acclaimed playwright. His play, Candy Corn, Christ and the Convoluted Creation of Golf debuted to sold-out audiences at the Performance Network in Ann Arbor and was named a top ten show of Michigan by the Flint Journal.

Phyllis Harris

LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland
Executive Director
Cleveland, OH

With over twenty-five years of exceptional experience with nonprofits, Phyllis Harris has developed a keen passion for nonprofit management, social justice, and anti-oppression work to help ensure a better quality of life for all marginalized people. She has served in program development, fundraising, and upper-level management positions where her leadership skills and passion have led organizations and projects to success. She is considered to be a thought leader on issues related to, cultural change and skilled in the facilitation of anti-oppression, anti-black racism, and LGBTQ inclusion workshops. In her role as a nonprofit leader, Ms. Harris is community-focused, believes in coalition building, and known for addressing service gaps and problems via collaboration, a positive attitude, and unwavering commitment towards social justice.

Playing a vital role as an advocate in Cleveland’s LGBTQ+ community for many years, and now in leadership at the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, the organization has experienced transformational growth under her direction since the year 2012.

Ms. Harris’ experience in organizational leadership sprang from her passion for the nonprofit industry and her love of civic engagement. She has had the honor to serve with several nonprofit organizations. In addition to her work at the Center she is the co-founder of consulting practice “Sage and Maven” where she supports organizations around issues relevant to strategic direction, organizational change, equity, and inclusion. Ms. Harris has extensive experience serving on local and national nonprofit boards. She was recently appointed to Cuyahoga County’s Community Advisory Board for Equity.

She holds a master’s degree in non-profit management from Case Western Reserve University and a Bachelor of Arts from Baldwin Wallace College. She is a graduate of the 2019 class of Leadership Cleveland and was recognized as one of 2020’s most interesting people by Cleveland Magazine.

Michelle Kristel

McCormack + Kristel
Partner
New York, NY

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.

Tandra R. LaGrone

In Our Own Voices
CEO
Albany, NY

Tandra R. LaGrone is the Chief Executive Officer at In Our Own Voices, a national nonprofit working to ensure the physical, mental, spiritual, political, cultural, and economic survival and growth of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people of color communities. She is a member of the NYS Minority Health Council and served on the Capital Region, Albany Police Department reinvention, and reform Collaborative. Tandra is a Board Member of CenterLink and CLEAR, and both focus on the advancement of LGBTQ People.

Tandra previously served as Director of Girls Incorporated of the Greater Capital Region. She has been an advocate for HIV/AIDS treatment in the African American community, especially for women and young black men, for over 32 years. She has led panel discussions and workshops during various activist meetings, academic conferences, and events on Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgender (LGBT) issues, focusing on the people of color community (POC). Tandra has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of New Paltz.

Jay Maddock

Bell's Brewery, Inc.
Equity and Inclusion Specialist
Galesburg, MI

Jay is the Equity and Inclusion Specialist at Bell's Brewery and the former Executive Director at OutFront Kalamazoo. At OutFront Kalamazoo Jay led trans programming, youth programming, training to organizations and schools, created collaborations and partnerships with other social justice organizations, and assisted with the 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, training, 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.

Paul Moore

David Bohnett Foundation
Director of Programs
Los Angeles, CA

Paul Moore is the Director of Programs for the Los 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.

Stacie Walls

LGBT Life Center
CEO
Norfolk, VA

Stacie Walls 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 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.

Marvin Webb

Funders for LGBTQ Issues
Chief Financial Officer
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.

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