Denise is the CEO of CenterLink – the association of LGBTQ community centers, where she has spent over ten years working with center leaders. Denise joined CenterLink after working in the private sector for over twenty years in both broadcasting and management. Denise holds a certification from BoardSource for nonprofit governance training and is a Standards for Excellence Licensed Consultant.
Lance Toma
Co-Chair, CenterLink
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.
Michelle Kristel
Co-Chair, CenterLink
Michelle is the Managing Partner of 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.
Robert Boo
Treasurer, CenterLink
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.
Jay Maddock
Secretary, CenterLink
Jay is a therapist 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.
Cece Cox
Chief Executive Officer, Resource Center
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 in Dallas TX, 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, serves more than 60,000 people annually with a staff of more than 50 employees and 1,100 volunteer.
Caroline Dessert
Chief Executive Officer, The San Diego LGBT Community Center
Caroline (Cara) Dessert, Esq. is the CEO at The San Diego LGBT Community Center. A queer Latina, Dessert is an attorney and executive with nearly 20 years in non-profit and social justice leadership. Dessert was previously the executive director of Immigration Equality, a national organization focused on LGBTQ immigrant rights. She worked closely with the Obama Administration, as well as local, state and national organizations working at the intersection of the rights of the LGBTQ and immigrant communities. During this time, she was also named an Arcus Leadership Fellow. Prior to joining The Center as CEO, Dessert served in the California Department of Justice in the Office of the Attorney General as a Deputy Attorney General in the Public Rights Division, where she also worked with then-California Attorney General (now Vice President) Kamala Harris’ executive team. Cara Dessert was recognized in 2022 as a Top 50 LGBTQ Leader of Influence by the San Diego Business Journal. She has served as a commissioner for both the Healthy California for All Commission and the Leon L. Williams San Diego County Human Relations Commission. Dessert is the Chair of the Engage San Diego Advisory Board.
Joe Hollendoner
Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles LGBT Center
Joe Hollendoner, MSW, is the CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Since joining the Center in 2022, Joe has noted that “The most rewarding part of working at the Center is seeing the impact that we are having on our community. Whether it is when I walk around the Anita May Rosenstein Campus or visit one of our community sites like Trans Wellness Center, I see the joy and resiliency of our clients. Truthfully, there is not a single day that I don’t get to witness a young person or senior accessing our services light up because they can be their authentic selves in a space that is designed to care for their unique needs. It’s a regular reminder to me of what an honor and privilege it is to be leading the Center.” Prior to joining the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Hollendoner led San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) from 2016 to 2021. During his tenure, he spearheaded the adoption of a new five-year strategic plan in 2019 that prioritized the expansion of health and social services and established racial justice as a fundamental principle to guide the organization’s growth. During his nearly five years at SFAF, he has grown revenue by 84 percent and significantly increased corporate and private donations to support the organization’s life-saving services. Hollendoner has a background in health and youth services. He has been part of the LGBTQ movement since coming out as gay at the age of 16. With nearly 25 years of movement leadership, he has proven himself to be a trusted collaborator and ally to all members of the LGBTQ community. Hollendoner has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Tandra R. LaGrone
Chief Executive Officer, In Our Own Voices
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.
Jasper Liem
Executive Director, The Attic Youth Center
Jasper (they/he) has been a tireless champion for queer and trans youth across the Philadelphia area. Their leadership spans a diverse array of initiatives, from spearheading a Syringe Exchange program to driving the success of the Primary Care Behavior Health program and access to Gender Affirming Care at a Federally Qualified Health Center. In 2022, Jasper was appointed executive director of The Attic Youth Center, where they continue to serve and empower LGBTQ+ youth.
Sarah Mikhail
Chief Executive Officer, Time Out Youth
As Chief Executive Officer of Time Out Youth, Sarah helps the team bring their visions for creating safe space for LGBTQ youth to life. Sarah has been a social worker for 20 years and has spent her career working with LGBTQ youth, fighting for access to safe housing, supportive families, and their right to exist fully as they are. She is passionate about this work and uses any opportunity she has to remove obstacles for vibrant queer and trans youth. Sarah relocated to Charlotte in 2020 after spending 15 years in Brooklyn, New York. She received her MSW from New York University and has spent her career working at the intersection of LGBTQ community and youth. Prior to coming to Time Out Youth, Sarah worked at A Way Home America, a national initiative focused on ending homelessness for LGBTQ youth and youth of color, and at The LGBT Community Center in New York. Sarah has also been an adjunct professor of Child Welfare at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College as well as an adjunct professor of clinical practice and policy at NYU's Silver School of Social Work.
Paul Moore
Executive Director, David Bohnett Foundation
Paul Moore is the Executive Director 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.
President, Penchina Partners
Daniel Penchina (he/him) is the president of Penchina Partners, where he applies over 22 years of experience navigating the intersection of nonprofit management, public policy advocacy, and strategy on behalf of social justice organizations. Most recently, Daniel was president of Voices for Progress and Voices for Progress Education Fund, and prior to that, Daniel was principal at The Raben Group, a progressive public affairs firm, where he designed and managed issue and advocacy campaigns. He graduated with honors from New York University.
Nate Rhoton
Chief Executive Officer, one-n-ten
Nate Rhoton serves as the CEO for one-n-ten, an LGBTQ non-profit delivering youth services in Arizona. Joining the team in 2015, he served as the Director of Development followed by Director of Finance & Operations, before assuming his current role in January of 2018. Following a career of fifteen years in corporate management and finance, Rhoton chose to serve the community with his nonprofit fundraising and development expertise. Serving for twelve years as the operations director and then CFO of a local construction company, he worked to expand corporate community involvement and non-discrimination protections to LGBTQ employees. Managing significant growth for the company, he saw early on the need for continued staff development and instituted training to increase retention and help new employees to assume higher paying roles within the company.
Joli Robinson
CEO, Center on Halsted
Joli Angel Robinson (she/her) currently serves as CEO of Center on Halsted, the largest LGBTQ+ serving community center in the Midwest. Previously, Joli served as the President/CEO of Housing Forward (formerly known as Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance). She previously served in board capacities on the ACLU of Texas board & the North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce Board. Joli holds a Master’s Degree in Communications specializing in Organizational Communication Management and a Bachelor’s of Art and Science in Sociology and Communication, both from Dallas Baptist University.
Adrian Shanker
Shanker Strategies
Adrian Shanker (he/him) most recently served as a senior political appointee in the Biden-Harris administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy and Senior Advisor on LGBTQI+ Health Equity at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and earlier in the Biden administration, as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Prior to his federal service, Adrian served as founding executive director of Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Pennsylvania and as executive director of The Spahr Center in California. Adrian is now principal of Shanker Strategies, a boutique consulting practice working with LGBTQI+ and HIV nonprofit organizations. He has edited two anthologies on LGBTQI+ health, Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health and Crisis and Care: Queer Activist Responses to a Global Pandemic and he lives in Washington DC.
Stacie Walls
Chief Executive Officer, LGBT Life Center
Stacie Walls is the Chief Executive Officer of LGBT Life Center, a health services, education, HIV, and housing organization based in Norfolk, VA. Under her visionary leadership since 2011, the 35-year-old organization has expanded from its original focus on HIV to become one of the largest LGBT community centers in the United States. Serving the entire Virginia Peninsula and Hampton Roads region, LGBT Life Center now maintains over 60 employees and delivers holistic health services. During Stacie’s tenure, the Center has seen substantial growth, with its annual budget expanding from $600K to $15M. The organization operates the largest HIV housing program in Virginia and includes two LGBT primary care and HIV specialty care medical clinics, complete with on-site pharmacies. With over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management and leadership, Stacie has significantly enhanced the impact and reach of LGBT Life Center. She is currently a member of the board of directors for CenterLink and previously served as its co-chair for three years. Additionally, Stacie is actively involved in multiple local workgroups and committees, advocating for the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities to be adequately represented in systems of care. Her extensive background in HIV program delivery, particularly in housing and medical client services, continues to drive critical advancements in community health and support.