Sue Doster has been an LGBTQIA+ activist and community leader for almost 30 years. Currently serving as Co-Chair for NYC Pride for the second time, she has an impressive resume in the community. From 2013 to 2017 she served as the Co-President of InterPride, a membership organization that supports Pride Committees worldwide. Sue’s work at InterPride included her efforts to help grow WorldPride, a global event licensed by InterPride, as well as championing the PrideRadar project, a first of its kind report which cataloged more than 1,200 Prides around the globe. In 2017, Sue was named one of the National Co-chairs for the Equality March for Unity and Pride which took place in June of that year in Washington D.C. and drew over 100,000 of people from around the country. In addition to the many board positions she has held at NYC Pride over the years, she has also been an active member of New Jersey Pride almost since its inception. Sue has worked at amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, for nearly three decades, where she is currently The Chief Technology Officer. When she’s not working to change the world, she can be found around town with a camera in the never-ending pursuit of the perfect picture.
Kazz Alexander is an experienced non-profit executive and educator with a demonstrated history of enhancing programs and student experiences, serving in the youth development sector for the past twenty years. He is currently the Executive Director of Hit The Books, Harlem NY’s first mixed martial arts and tutoring organization, serving youth and teens. Kazz holds a B.A. in history and has also earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Virginia, as well post-graduate certificates from Fordham University (Executive Education), Baruch College (Non-Profit Management) and NYU (Diversity and Inclusion). For eight years, Kazz has also been a facilitator and coach with Ramapo For Children, conducting virtual and in person workshops-- providing leadership coaching for over 50 agencies in the New York metropolitan area. As an independent consultant, Kazz founded Teachable NYC in 2019, to help support the mission of creating diverse and inclusive programs for children, and specifically to help other non-profit professionals design safe spaces for boys of color. Kazz joined Heritage of Pride in 2019, and proudly serves as the Community Relations Director, connecting community agencies and HOP's membership to service initiatives in New York City.
Maryanne Roberto Fine is no stranger to the Pride organizing world. She began volunteering with NYC Pride in 1992 and since then has served in almost every executive board position at least once. She took an eighteen-month break after serving her eighth (non-consecutive) year as Co-chair and is now thrilled to return to serve the organization as Governance Director. In addition to NYC Pride, Maryanne volunteers with Jersey Pride Inc., New Hope Celebrates, and InterPride. Maryanne’s travels have brought her to Pride events in the tristate area, as well as Boston, Philadelphia, New Hope, Madrid, London, Stockholm, Cape Cod, Los Angeles, and Asbury Park where she has either volunteered, represented NYC Pride, or at times BOTH! Maryanne works as a realtor in Asbury Park, NJ, where she lives with her wife, Lori, their two rescue cats, Mitzi and Ana, and Nico, their rescue Sato pup. She enjoys fishing, video games, gathering with friends, and has a newfound love for RV travels. Diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer almost three years ago, Maryanne has a thought to share… do what you love, love what you do, and make every single day count, you owe nothing less to yourself or to the world.
Bansri is the first Indian American elected to serve on the NYC Pride board. Bansri has volunteered with NYC Pride since 2017 on the March Operations team. Managing Formation for WorldPride was an experience she still talks about! Professionally, Bansri is a growth-hacker working with small and mid-sized companies to build their business development strategy and refining operational processes for consistent long term results. Outside of work and Pride she can be found riding her bike in Prospect Park, hanging out with family and friends and exploring new neighborhoods. She makes it a point to visit Mumbai once a year for Holi.
Lori is a retired real estate entrepreneur, but if the right project came her way, she’d “un-retire” in a flash! An NJ native, she lives in Asbury Park with her wife, Maryanne, 2 rescue kitties, and a rescue pup. They have 3 grown children who they love spending time with. Avid world travelers, Lori and Maryanne recently began touring the United States in an RV, and are loving it! Their plan is to see as many states as they can. Volunteering for Pride has been a huge part of Lori’s life for over 20 years. Currently, she is on the Jersey Pride Planning Committee and is on the board of New Hope Celebrates. In her 20 plus years of service, Lori has held many positions, including security crew, talent runner, community grants organizer, volunteer captain, grand marshal driver, clean-up crew, ticket seller, etc., etc.
Andrew joined Heritage of Pride as a member in early 2020 after volunteering the previous summer for WorldPride in NYC. Andrew worked with the March Committee and supported the committee as secretary. Andrew works in education and prioritizes educational options for students and caregivers to ensure students have equitable access to high quality education. Outside of work, Andrew also serves opportunity youth by volunteering with a wide range of organizations including the Ali Forney Center, Hetrick Martin Institute, and the Petey Greene Program. He is also the founding board chair of Teach for America's NYC PRISM Chapter, an alumni group focused on celebrating LGBTQ+ and queer identities in education. When not engaged in volunteer work, Andrew can be seen running the streets of NYC training for an upcoming marathon or participating in a festival – you can find Andrew with his glitter beard at The March or puppeteering at the Village Halloween Parade!
Tommy has been a member of Heritage of Pride since 1986. Coming out at an early age, he found himself with chosen families within the leather/kink and Pride communities. His previous board experience include Recording Secretary (1989), March Co-Chair (2003), CoCoordinator (2004-2005) and most recently Stonewall 50/WP Director (2016-2019). Born on the lower east side and lives in Brooklyn with his partner of over 30 years. He graduated Brooklyn College with a Bachelors in Computer Science. He founded a small company to run The Backroom BBS from 1992-1996 which would later pivot to offset printing and promotional products - stepping down soon after due to health. As a person living with disabilities from HIV, he brings compassion and empathy during this shifting time of rebuilding from Covid.
Afiya Clarke started volunteering with NYC Pride in 2017. Over the years, her participation and roles within the organization grew. In 2021, she was the Volunteer Captain of the March. This role allowed her to learn more about the organization and find ways to use her skillset to move the movement forward. In December 2022, Afiya accepted the role of Co-Director of the DEAI Committee. Afiya has experience with DEAI as a Director and participant in many ERGs within her company. She is a member of her company’s DIAC council and has been since 2018. Afiya is born and bred in NYC by way of Brooklyn. She resides in Washington Heights with her Partner and cat children, She-Ra & Shiloh.
Michele Irimia is currently the Development Director at NYC Pride.
Sandra Pérez is a non-profit executive with experience in non-profit management, resource development and special events. A native New Yorker grounded in the Bronx and Puerto Rico, Sandra brings a wealth of lived experience to the work of NYC Pride. In prior roles, she has served as an advocate for Latino/e arts and culture and has deep roots in the philanthropic sector, serving in multiple development roles for the Ms. Foundation for Women and as a consultant to the public and the private sector. Sandra has also served as a program auditor and grant panelist for a variety of entities in the arts and social justice sectors such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Council on the Humanities. As a volunteer, Sandra brings an intersectional lens to her work and has proudly served on the LGBTQ+ Giving Circle with the Chicago Foundation for Women and the YMCA Young Achievers Program, where her efforts centered support to and training of BIPOC youth and leaders. As she begins her journey as executive director for NYC Pride Sandra looks forward to collaborating creatively with other advocates on the issues confronting our diverse communities and mentoring the next generation of young leaders.
Zoë Gorringe has been working on the NYC Pride March since 2018, and has loved every second of it. Born in New Orleans, Zoë migrated to New York to study Event Management at SUNY Purchase. From there, she cultivated a wide array of experience within the event community, from concert series to large scale activations. Since joining the Heritage of Pride Team, Zoë has organized the WorldPride | Stonewall 50 March and was the Associate Producer on the first in-person television broadcast in NYC since the pandemic. She is very much looking forward to continuing this work!
Samantha Marie Johnson is an experienced Event Producer and Project Manager. She takes pride in designing experiences that align with target audiences. Her current role at NYC Pride places her programming skills in the forefront of LGBTQIA+ social justice work. As the Development and RALLY Event Manager for NYC Pride, she is responsible for creating programming geared towards the LGBTQIA+ community, producing more than 10 events (in a NON-COVID Pride season), and curating/managing sponsor integrations. Prior to working with NYC Pride, Samantha was the National Director of Volunteers for the Green Festivals which included managing over 900 volunteers per event, in addition to developing and implementing new long-term volunteer engagement efforts. In 2017, she helped co-found Cultural Crawl, a booze, food & street art bar crawl which created space for BIPOC individuals to celebrate and explore neighborhoods across the USA in a safe way. Samantha is currently the co-founder of VASCANO Tequila! In her spare time, Samantha is intentional about producing freelance events that connect with her core values. Her skills include graphic design, fundraising initiatives, concept pitching and development, event management and creative direction, sponsor management, data driven and event integrations, volunteer and staffing management.
Joshua Woods is a skilled Operations Manager with over 10 years of experience. Born in Columbus, Ohio, Joshua received his degree in Political Science from The Ohio State University. During his time at OSU he interned for the Ohio Democratic Party’s LGBT caucus, there he lobbied the state legislator for fair housing legislation. He made his way to NYC in 2014 to work in operations in luxury hotels like the Four Seasons and The Pierre. In his spare time, he loves the theatre, reading a good book and cooking and baking. Joshua is very excited to join the NYC Pride team to help make a safe space for everyone to love and express themselves without fear. His goal in life is to try and leave the world a little better than he found it.
Tyler Sadonis is the Partnerships Coordinator with NYC Pride. Previously, he worked in politics and served on the staff of four congressional campaigns and one presidential campaign. Originally from Syracuse, New York, he received his Political Science degree from American University in Washington D.C. His interests include exploring NYC on Citi Bike, taking Zoom cooking classes, and discovering new podcasts.
David Clarke is a skilled publicity and communications professional with a personal dedication to uplifting the voices of underrepresented communities. He has worked for storied New York institutions such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, National Sawdust, Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater, and The WNET Group. He also dabbles in freelance journalism and has contributed entertainment and other pieces to outlets such as Out.com, Logo’s NewNowNext, Playbill, OutSmart Magazine, BroadwayWorld, Houstonia Magazine, Houston Press, and Houston Ballet Magazine. Raised in and around Houston, Texas, prior to moving to NYC, David worked as a special education teacher, working primarily with students grades 6-8 diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, a 7th grade writing teacher, and as a college composition instructor. When he’s not at work, you will find David attending performing arts events, running, reading, trying to learn Spanish, playing video games, hanging out with friends, traveling the world with his partner, or exploring the city.
Matt Cheng is a community-centric fundraiser specializing in corporate partnerships and volunteerism. Born in Maryland, Matt moved to New York to study Media, Culture, and Communication at NYU. While at NYU, he interned at Doctors without Borders and AIDS Walk and after graduating, continued to cultivate his skills as a fundraiser at Nonprofit New York. Joining the Heritage of Pride team has allowed Matt to put his professional skills towards supporting and uplifting his community. When not at work, you can find Matt playing with his two frenchies, Dim Sum and Rizzo, exploring Chinatown neighborhoods, or dancing across the city.
Dylan Milton (they/them) is a New York-based musician, artist, and creative, originally from Detroit, Michigan. After graduating from Kalamazoo College in 2021 with a BA in Political Science , they moved to NYC with a desire to meet and collaborate with fellow creatives and work in spaces that prioritize community, diversity, and forward-thinking initiative. They were inspired after attending their first NYC Pride in 2022 to work with the organization and are honored to continue fostering new relationships with the LGBTQIA+ community-at-large as the Partnerships Coordinator. When not working diligently, Dylan can be found exploring the city, playing basketball, recording music, and spending time with friends.
Nicky Perry is a skilled Administrative Assistant with four years of experience in office functions & tasks. Originally from Massachusetts, Nicky attended Massachusetts College of Art & Design with a focus in Illustration. She has a strong interest in queer art, queer culture and sharing the voices & work of underrepresented voices in the LGBTQIA+ community. Prior to NYC Pride, Nicky worked as a Staff Training Specialist for AHRC, a non-profit organization that helps folks with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, painting, playing with her orange tabby cat Mango, and going to any drag shows she possibly can throughout the city. Nicky appreciates being surrounded by her community and is excited for the opportunities NYC Pride will bring her!
