THE AMERICAN LGBTQ+ MUSEUM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Alice Y. Hom (she/they) is a community builder invested in bridging diverse and overlapping communities for social change. As the Director of Equity and Social Justice at Northern California Grantmakers, Alice focuses on racial equity with an intersectional lens that brings multiple issues, communities, and sectors together to build on the common good. Before joining NCG, Alice was a Soros Equality Fellow where she created a podcast and a digital archive on activism by LGBTQ People of Color. Prior to that, Alice worked as the Director of the Queer Justice Fund at Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy.
She serves on the board of Borealis Philanthropy and on the Advisory Council for the Conscious Style Guide, a place where you can find information on inclusive, respectful and empowering language on ability/disability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, sexuality, and socioeconomic status. Her previous board service has included California Humanities, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice, Visual Communications, and APAIT. Alice is a historian with a PhD from Claremont Graduate University, an MA from UCLA, and a BA from Yale University. She is the co-editor of Q & A: Voices from Queer Asian North America and Q & A: Queer in Asian America and has published articles in various journals and anthologies.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Andy Bowen (she/her) is a Senior Advisor within the Office of the Mayor of New York City, with extensive experience in lobbying, policy analysis, and civil rights and economic justice advocacy. She believes in demonstrating the power of government to improve peoples' lives, which involves working with communities and those in government at all levels to find solutions that further economic democracy and bring about the end of governmental institutions that harm marginalized communities.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Museum Staff Member
Ben Garcia (he/him) has worked for 20 years to help museums become places of welcome and belonging for all people. He started as a gallery guide and educator, moved on to exhibition development, and then served in middle- and upper-management administrative roles, before joining the American LGBTQ+ Museum as Executive Director. He has presented and published regularly on creating structural equity in museums through transparency, accountability, fair labor practices, and by adding missing voices and perspectives.
Prior to joining the American LGBTQ+ Museum, Ben worked in various roles as an educator and administrator at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Skirball Cultural Center, and Hearst Museum of Anthropology. He then served as Deputy Director of the Museum of Us, and as Deputy Executive Director and Chief Learning Officer at the Ohio History Connection. He is versed in museum interpretation, operations, management, and fundraising. Ben led initiatives to return Indigenous ancestral human remains and belongings in San Diego and Ohio. He serves as a board member at Equality Ohio, working to get the Ohio Fairness Act passed, and as Vice President of the Association of Midwest Museums.
Ben graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Boston with a B.A. in Art and from Bank Street College of Education with an M.S. Ed. In Museum Leadership. He has shared his life since 1999 with his husband, Scott Fabianek, a UX/UI Designer and comic book artist. Ben is the child of a journalist and visual artist. He has six siblings, thirteen nieces and nephews, and a great-niece and nephew (as well as many beloved in-laws). He is a proud fantasy and science fiction nerd.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- NYC Councilmember Emeritus
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Project Manager at Paratus Group
Cortez Crosby (he/him) is a project manager at Paratus Group, a firm specializing in project direction services for mission-driven, cultural institutions. During his time at Paratus Group, Cortez has managed projects for Center for Art, Research and Alliances in Manhattan, NY; The Echo Project in Laurens, SC; Sarasota Performing Arts Center in Sarasota, FL; Osage Nation Museum in Pawhuska, OK; and Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, NY.
Prior to joining Paratus Group, Cortez was a senior associate at SHoP Architects in New York City and a designer at DLR Group in Orlando, FL. His portfolio of constructed work includes the expansion and renovation of SITE Santa Fe, a contemporary art space in Santa Fe, NM; workSHoP, an architectural exhibition at SITE Santa Fe; the George C. Young Federal Building renovation in Orlando, FL; and the Winter Park 9th Grade Center in Winter Park, FL.
Cortez holds a Master of Architecture from Yale University and a Bachelor of Design in Architecture from the University of Florida. He is a licensed architect in the state of New York. Cortez is originally from upstate South Carolina and currently lives in Brooklyn, NY.
Job Titles:
- NYC Councilmember Emeritus
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- Deputy Chief of Protocol, US Department of State
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- Mayor of the City of New York
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer of Native Americans
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- President and CEO, Hispanic Federation ( HF )
Job Titles:
- Museum Staff Member
- Executive Assistant & Board Liaison
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
James Lima (he/him) has extensive private and public sector experience in the planning and implementation of urban revitalization projects throughout North America. His real estate and economic advisory firm, James Lima Planning + Development (JLP+D), focuses on the economics of place making.
Prior to founding JLP+D in 2011, James was a partner at a national real estate and economic advisory firm focusing on affordable housing, community development, and waterfront revitalization. Under Mayor Bloomberg, he served as founding president of the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation.
James has been an assistant adjunct professor at Columbia University, where he has taught "Public-Private Partnerships in Real Estate Development." James earned a B.A. from Columbia College and stayed on at Columbia to complete his master's of science in real estate development. He is a frequent speaker at the Urban Land Institute and other conferences, and has lectured on urban redevelopment at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Penn, Syracuse, and in Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and Sao Paulo.
James is a board member of the Billion Oyster Project and ArtBridge, and served on the economic development committee of the fourth regional plan for the Regional Plan Association in New York.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President of the Educational Alliance
Job Titles:
- NYC Councilmember Emeritus
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Civitas Public Affairs Group
- Managing Partner at Civitas Public Affairs Group
Katherine Grainger (she/her) is a Managing Partner at Civitas Public Affairs Group. With 25 years of policy, legal, and advocacy experience Katherine is a thought leader on gender, race, and sexuality. A lawyer by training she has a unique ability to combine big-picture vision with real-world solutions to generate tangible results.
Katherine spent several years working in New York state government, which she describes as a master class in learning how to build, harness and generate power. Katherine now uses that knowledge to help clients produce solutions to disrupt systems and generate change. She is responsible for crafting and implementing several major legislative initiatives, including the Marriage Equality Act for the state of New York.
One of Katherine's greatest honors is teaching the next generation of policy makers, as an Adjunct Professor at Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University. Katherine is also a co-founder of Supermajority, an organization that focuses on building women's political power. She sits on the boards of the national YWCA and Way to Win Action Fund and lives in Brooklyn New York.
Kevin McGruder (he/him), is Associate Professor of History at Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio. He received a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University, an M.B.A. in Real Estate Finance from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in History from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Before pursuing doctoral studies, he worked for many years in nonprofit community development, including as Program Officer with Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and Director of Real Estate Development with the Abyssinian Development Corporation (Harlem), and as Executive Director of Gay Men of African Descent (New York City). Kevin also owned two retail businesses with products celebrating Harlem (Home to Harlem, 1990-1991; Harlemade Styleshop, 2000-2008).
Kevin is co-author of The Emancipation Proclamation: Forever Free, and of Witness: Two Hundred Years of African-American Faith and Practice at the Abyssinian Baptist Church of Harlem, New York, author of Race and Real Estate: Conflict and Cooperation in Harlem, 1890-1920, and of the biography, Philip Payton: The Father of Black Harlem, and editor of Home at Last: The Writings of AIDS Journalist LeRoy Whitfield.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Museum Board Treasurer & Stallone Consulting
- Senior Financial and Operations Executive
Kristine A. Stallone (she/her) is a senior financial and operations executive with more than 25 years of domestic and international experience in the corporate, philanthropic and nonprofit sectors. Kristine is currently consulting with several organizations around issues of financial management and operations.
Kristine previously served as the Vice President for Finance and Administration at American Jewish World Service (AJWS). As AJWS's top financial officer, Kristine was responsible for leading and overseeing finance, information technology, human resources, risk management and administrative operations. Prior to AJWS, Kristine served as the Chief Financial Officer at the Arcus Foundation. After starting her career in Public Accounting, she served as Controller of the Americas and Global Functional teams for Bloomberg L.P. and as Assistant Controller at World Color Press.
Kristine volunteers for and supports several charitable organizations. She is currently an officer of the board of directors of 350 Action, an organization that mobilizes progressive voters, gets climate champions elected and trains young movement leaders. She is a Certified Public Accountant with a B.S. in accounting from Mercy College in New York.
Job Titles:
- Commissioner of Cultural Affairs of the City of New York
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Activist and Author
- Co - Editor of Queer Brown Voices
: Personal Narratives of Latina/o LGBT Activism. Leti has been a Latina lesbian activist since joining the Gay Chicano Caucus in Houston in 1982. During the 1990's, she was a president of ENLACE, a social support organization for lesbian and gay Latina/os in the D.C. metro area, and one of the founding co-chairs of LLEGÓ, the first national Latina/o LGBT organization that was headquartered in Washington, D.C. She served as Executive Director of LLEGÓ from 1993-1995.
Leti was among Latinas organizing for the 1991 National Lesbian Conference, served on DC's Civilian Complaint Review Board, served on the boards of D.C. Council on Women and AIDs, National Lesbian and Gay Health Foundation, AIDs Action, the D.C. Latino Civil Rights Taskforce, and served as a member and secretary of the D.C. Democratic State Committee.
During the 2000's, she served on advisory boards for the Lesbian Services Program of DC's Whitman-Walker Clinic, the Rainbow History Project, and the D.C. Latino/a LGBT History Project, and served on the boards of the Whitman Walker Clinic, Many Voices, La Trenza Leadership, and Congregation Bet Mishpachah.
Leti retired from Federal government in 2021 after 34 years of service. She is currently collaborating with Dr. Lourdes Torres on a book documenting the history of LLEGÓ.
Leti Gomez (she/her) Co-editor of Queer Brown Voices: Personal Narratives of Latina/o LGBT Activism. Leti has been a Latina lesbian activist since joining the Gay Chicano Caucus in Houston in 1982. During the 1990's, she was a president of ENLACE, a social support organization for lesbian and gay Latina/os in the D.C. metro area, and one of the founding co-chairs of LLEGÓ, the first national Latina/o LGBT organization that was headquartered in Washington, D.C. She served as Executive Director of LLEGÓ from 1993-1995.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Manhattan Borough President
Job Titles:
- Them Magazine, Condé Nast
Job Titles:
- Deputy General Counsel
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Partner
Michael Bosworth (He/Him) is a partner and deputy general counsel in theLegal Division. He oversees several global functions, including Litigation, Employment Law and Corporate Governance. Michael serves on the Firmwide Conduct Committee, Americas Regional Vetting Group, Firmwide Insider Threat Steering Group and Firmwide Client Franchise Committee. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2022 as a partner.
Prior to joining the firm, Michael worked at Latham & Watkins LLP, where he was a partner and co-chair of the New York Litigation and Trial Department. In that role, he served as a key advisor to clients across various industries on complex litigation issues, investigatory matters and crisis management.
Previously, Michael served as deputy assistant and deputy counsel to President Barack H. Obama and special counsel to the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Earlier in his career, Michael served as co-chief of the Complex Frauds Unit in the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and clerked for the Honorable Jed S. Rakoff for the US District Court, Southern District of New York, the Honorable Robert A. Katzmann on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Justice Stephen G. Breyer on the US Supreme Court.
Michael earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 2000 and a JD from Yale Law School in 2003.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Odell Mays (he/him) is a nonprofit executive with over 25 years of experience in managing nonprofits and serving as a leader on nonprofit boards. He is the founder of Mays2 Consutling, LLC, a boutique consulting practice working with organizations around issues of financial management and sustainability.
Odell has provided intensive financial management for several executive directors and CEOs. He has consulted for organizations such as Amnesty International USA, from National Advocates for Pregnant Women (NAPW), City University of New York Law School (CUNY Law) and In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda.
In addition to his professional work, Odell has engaged in extensive community service work focused on board service and governance. Odell served as treasurer and chair of the board of Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) in New York City and as treasurer of the board for New York City's LGBT Community Center. Currently, Odell is serving as the treasurer for the Proteus Fund, a leading human rights, progressive democracy philanthropic organization.
Odell has a BA in psychology Stanford University and an MBA in finance and taxation from New York University's Stern School of Business. He also currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies and the School of Social Work, where he teaches nonprofit financial management. In addition, Odell has written several articles on nonprofit management.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Management Consultant and Executive Coach
- Museum Board Chair & Johnson Family Foundation
Richard D. Burns (he/him) is a nonprofit management consultant and executive coach who is the interim executive director of GLAD, GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders. He has served as interim executive director of the Johnson Family Foundation, the Drug Policy Alliance, Lambda Legal, the North Star Fund, PENCIL, the Funding Exchange, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, and the Stonewall Community Foundation.
He was previously the chief operating officer of the Arcus Foundation and was executive director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City for 22 years, from 1986 to 2009.
Richard serves on the boards of directors of the Proteus Fund and the New York City AIDS Memorial Park. He is a member of the advisory board of the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project and recently completed 17 years of service on the advisory board of the Center for HIV Law & Policy. He recently retired from the board of Nonprofit New York and was a longtime member of the selection committee of the New York Community Trust Nonprofit Excellence Awards.
Richard was Managing Editor of Gay Community News in the late 1970's and was president of the founding board of directors of GLAD in Boston from 1978 through 1986, was co-chair of the founding board of Centerlink, and is an alumnus of the board of directors of Lambda Legal.
From 2013 to 2019 Richard developed and led the Arcus Foundation LGBT Leadership Initiative, a national coaching/mentoring program for executive directors working in social justice. He is a graduate of Hamilton College and Northeastern University School of Law.
Rogelio previously served as the Director of Membership for The Phillips Collection and oversaw the growth of their Membership and young patron program. He began his career in fundraising at the American Museum of Natural History, and has worked at various cultural institutions between New York and D.C., including El Museo del Barrio and The Smithsonian Institution.
Job Titles:
- NYC Councilmember Emeritus
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Museum Staff Member
- Associate, Public Programs & Partnerships
Job Titles:
- Chief Development Officer
- Museum Staff Member
Seth Rosen (he/him) is an attorney and seasoned fundraiser with over 20 years of experience raising funds for progressive human and civil rights nonprofits.
As a senior at Brandeis University, Seth spent a year at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) as an intake volunteer. Answering countless questions from members of the LGBTQ+ community, Seth saw how a small, dedicated staff tackled enormous problems and helped thousands of people obtain the equality they deserved. The experience was life-changing. It opened his eyes to the effectiveness of strategic advocacy and the power of perseverance. Seth's commitment to social justice and public service led him to law school and civil rights litigation. Since then, Seth has gained considerable expertise in nonprofit law and fundraising. He's held leadership positions at major national and international organizations, including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Amnesty International USA, GMHC, Lambda Legal, and the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association.
Seth received his JD from New York Law School and his MPA. from New York University. Seth and his husband, Dr. Jacob Goertz, reside in New York City with their two sons. Seth is an avid marathon and ultra-marathon runner and can often be found in Central Park, running miles or enjoying time with his family.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Museum Board Secretary & Executive Director at Cause Effective
Sonya Shields (she/her) is long-time nonprofit executive with over 25 years in the field. She currently serves as the Executive Director at Cause Effective. Sonya's specialty is development, marketing, communications, and organizational development, and she has raised millions of dollars and built the visibility of dozens of organizations around the country.
Sonya has worked on the executive staff for Children of Promise, NYC, Getting Out Staying Out, Brooklyn Community Services, Astraea Foundation, and Keep a Child Alive, Anti-Violence Project, and National LGBTQ Task Force. Sonya has also worked extensively as a consultant, providing services to more than a dozen nonprofits including: Lambda Literary, Every Mother Counts, Partners for Dignity and Rights, Rainbow Railroad, Washington, D.C. Tennis and Education Association, and Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. Sonya also works as a coach for nonprofit professionals, participates on panels and facilitates workshops and trainings in the areas of board governance, fundraising, marketing and communications.
Sonya is on the Board of Directors of the Association for Fundraising Professionals-New York and the American LGBTQ Museum. Sonya received a B.A. in Public Relations from Howard University in Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Job Titles:
- NYC Councilmember Emeritus
Job Titles:
- Museum Staff Member
- Director, Public Programs & Partnerships
Job Titles:
- CEO
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Philanthropic Advisor & Strategist
Surina Khan (she/her) is CEO Emerita for Women's Foundation California (WFC). Her tenure at WFC began in 2004 when she served as a volunteer for WFC's Grants Review Committee. Shortly after, she joined the organization in a full-time position and went on to become CEO in 2014, refocusing the organization's mission, doubling the budget, and expanding its grantmaking and training programs. After nine years as CEO, Surina stepped down in 2023 and continues to serve in an advisory capacity. Surina has served the social justice and philanthropic sector in a variety of ways including previous positions at the Ford Foundation, OutRight International, and Political Research Associates.
She serves on several Boards including the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Funders for Reproductive Equity, and Voices for Progress. Her previous Board service has included CalNonprofits, Funders for LGBTQ Issues, Alliance for Justice, La Cocina, and the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice.
She is a recognized expert on gender, racial, and economic justice issues and is a frequent commentator on the power of women's philanthropy.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Co - Founder and Partner at Precision Strategies
Teddy Goff (he/him) is a co-founder and partner at Precision Strategies, a leading strategy and marketing agency. Prior to founding Precision, Teddy gained national and international recognition as the digital director for President Obama's reelection campaign. He led the president's digital strategy and managed a 250-person nationwide team responsible for the campaign's entire online presence, from social to mobile to paid ads. TIME described his work as "redefining the limits of viral politics" and included him on their inaugural list of 30 people under 30 who are changing the world. He is no longer under 30.
At Precision, he has been a key adviser to world leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, former Colombian President and Nobel Peace Laureate Juan Manuel Santos, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; prominent elected officials like Senator John Hickenlooper and Governor Jared Polis; leading progressive and Democratic organizations; and many of the world's largest and most innovative businesses. Precision has been named as best digital agency by the SABRE Awards and best global public affairs agency by PRWeek.
Before joining the 2012 Obama campaign, Teddy served as associate vice president at Blue State Digital. On President Obama's 2008 campaign, Teddy oversaw all state-level digital campaigns, managing teams in more than 25 battleground states. Afterward, Teddy oversaw the creation and launch of the Obama administration's new WhiteHouse.gov website as a member of the presidential transition team.
Teddy lives in Manhattan and is a graduate of Yale University. He is also a co-founder of Black Tap Craft Burgers and Beer in New York City and a board member of Run for Something.
Job Titles:
- President of the Vaid Group
Urvashi Vaid (she/her) was president of the Vaid Group, LLC, a mission-driven consulting and social innovation firm supporting nonprofits, foundations, businesses, and individuals working for equity and justice. She was also executive director of Justice Work, a social justice incubator and think tank.
Urvashi held leadership roles in philanthropic, advocacy, community, and academic organizations, including as executive director of the Arcus Foundation; deputy director of the Governance and Civil Society Unit at the Ford Foundation; senior fellow at the Center for Gender & Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School; executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force; and staff attorney at the National Prison Project, ACLU.
She authored Irresistible Revolution: Confronting Race, Class and the Assumptions of LGBT Politics (2012); Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay and Lesbian Liberation (1996); a co-edited anthology titled Creating Change: Public Policy, Sexuality and Civil Rights (2000); and many reports.
She was a board alumnus of the Gill Foundation, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, LPAC, the Roadwork Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Provincetown Commons. Urvashi was a graduate of Vassar College and Northeastern University School of Law.
Urvashi was one of the five incorporators of the American LGBTQ+ Museum.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- MASS Design Group
Job Titles:
- Editor, Journalist, MSNBC
- Journalist
Zach Stafford (he/him) is an award-winning journalist who currently serves as a contributor at MSNBC. Recently he was the editor-at-large of BuzzFeed and host of the daily live-streaming show AM2DM. Prior to these roles, he was the first black editor-in-chief of The Advocate, served as the chief content officer of Grindr and was a journalist at The Guardian.
Zach regularly provides commentary on television and frequently speaks at universities around North America including Columbia, Vanderbilt, and Princeton. During the 2020 Presidential election cycle, he created and hosted the first LGBTQ Presidential Forum in Iowa that brought together nearly every Democratic candidate to discuss LGBTQ issues and was watched by millions.
He is the co-editor of the book Boys, An Anthology, the co-author of the book When Dogs Heal, and the executive producer/host of the award-winning documentary BOYSTOWN. In 2019, he was included in the Forbes' 30 Under 30 list and named one of the 100 most influential Black people by The Root.