Mission
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Foster a vibrant and inclusive celebration of Queer community and its diversity,
where visibility, belonging, support and equity are at the heart.
Showcase the rich and complicated tapestry of what it means to be Queer, here.
Amplify the voices and experiences of our community, through an intentionally
created atmosphere of acceptance, understanding and celebration.
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Vision
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A community where
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ALL Queer people, their chosen relationships and families are thriving!
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Leading an authentic life is respected and valued.
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Joy and empathy are commonplace.
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People uplift, celebrate and support individuals and communities that are similar and different than them.
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SLC Pride will do everything to reach these goals:
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center marginalized voices and spaces
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provide and create space to help build Queer community
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be financially sustainable and transparent
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be environmentally sustainable in all that we can control
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be physically accessible, meeting, if not, exceeding ADA requirements
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be transparent about who is in leadership and who we are partnering with
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be focused on our own local-local community artists, performers, organizations, activists and politicians
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maximize our safety and minimize our past/reoccurring trauma in all ways we control
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allow all who are 0-18 in for free
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ask the smallest dollar amount possible for 19+ amazing years of age
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partner with likeminded groups and people so that we ALL feel the PRIDE
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do everything we can to allow you to feel love of yourself, love of your community, love of your relationships...if only for a weekend
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Meet The Committee
Festival Director
I work hard to listen, make positive changes in my community and support marginalized communities with my vote, time and energy. I have helped plan outdoor Queer festivals and parades for 13 years. I grew up in Ogden in a blue collar home and now live in Rose Park with my wife, kids and dogs. I have taught in Title I public schools for 16 years. Proud to of advised the QSA, BSU, and student councils at multiple public schools. I was a proud SLEA/UEA member and believe we are stronger when we stick together. I worked tirelessly to break the systemic racism that was keeping Students of Color and Queer students out of AP and college prep classes, running for student office, or not attending school dances and activities. Excited to see former students engage the community and make real change for their neighborhood and city. I am here to do the work, behind the scenes and be the difference for people whom I do not know, but care about and respect. Love to garden and repair neighborhood kids bikes all summer. Also...my nephew has me wrapped around his finger.
Development Director
Hello, My name is Roberto; I have been actively involved in community organizing, education, and advocacy within the OTBiPOC/LGBTQIA+ community for 10.5 years with a deep commitment to promoting inclusivity and equality for the QTBiPOC and LGBTQIA+ community. As a first-generation immigrant from Mexico, my background allows me a unique perspective and understanding of the challenges faced by QTBiPOC /LGBTQIA+ individuals from diverse backgrounds. I am proud father of three, Who values the importance of resilience, love, and unwavering support. I have served on several board and committees including Project Rainbow, Unidxs SLC, UPC, Redrox Music Festival. And currently as leadership for F.A.M. Utah, Co-Director of Fashion Fluid and Co-Director of SLC Pride.
Hola me llamo Roberto, Yo estado involucrado activamente en la organización, educación y defensa comunitaria dentro de la comunidad OTBiPOC/LGBTQIA+ durante 10.5 años con un profundo compromiso de promover la inclusión y la igualdad para la comunidad QTBiPOC y LGBTQIA+. Como inmigrante mexicano de primera generación, mis antecedentes me permiten una perspectiva y comprensión únicas de los desafíos que enfrentan las personas QTBiPOC/LGBTQIA+ de diversos orígenes. Soy un orgulloso padre de tres hijxs que valora la importancia de la resiliencia, el amor y el apoyo inquebrantable. He formado parte de varias juntas y comités, incluidos Project Rainbow, Unidxs SLC, UPC, Redrox Music Festival. Y actualmente como dirigencia de F.A.M. Utah, Codirectxr de Fashion Fluid y Codirectxr de SLC Pride.
Volunteer Director
Hello, I'm Kyle, a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. Over 15 years of experience in leading people, I've been dedicated to supporting non-profit causes. Happily married to my husband of 7 years and a dog dad. I bring passion and commitment to drive for positive change and inclusivity.
Vendor Director
Quinn Winter is a local fiber artist, photographer, and multimedia communications specialist. They’re the marketing and communications manager for Utah Arts Alliance, an arts nonprofit, as well as an artist vendor at a variety of events, including ones they organize. They’re passionate about furthering inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility efforts through marketing, communication, and event planning. They have volunteer experience and currently volunteer at Under the Umbrella Bookstore. Outside of their work, Quinn can be found walking their dog, listening to an audiobook, or making a nice cup of tea.
Entertainment Director
Sammee Jackman
they.she
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Sammee St. James (They/She) is a chameleon in the art world from clown to drag to director! They quickly found a calling to utilize their stage management, and fundraising background to elevate the local queer community. She has spent the last 20 years as professional performing artists finding every way imaginable to create art and find community wherever she lands. They strive to use their art to encourage everyone to truly love the skin you're in and to always choose kindness. They are a local artist, educator and producer in the Salt Lake Valley for the Queer and Black communities with a focus on theatre and performance art.
Entertainment Director
Tia Tigler
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:)
ICCJ Outreach Coordinator
Emily Goss
she.her
Emily is the Community Outreach Coordinator for The Inclusion Center for Community and Justice. She has been involved with the ICCJ for over 10 years. She has volunteered with Pride festivities for 7 years. She believes that the mission of The Inclusion Center aligns perfectly with what SLCPride is aiming to accomplish and is excited to be involved in a grass roots, local, inclusive, accessible endeavor.
Entertainment Director
Kat Kellermeyer
they.them
Kat Kellermeyer is a nonbinary menace with a great love for music, theatrics, and the local art scene. They have 7 years of experience community organizing and managing entertainment and hospitality for festivals. They are excited to return to that work and help build a lineup that celebrates the amazing wealth of LGBTQIA+ musicians, artists, poets, and entertainers that call Salt Lake (and Utah) home.
Creative Director
Kate Rusk
she.her
First and foremost I'm a mom, it's the most important title I will ever have! I'm passionate about building a world I can feel proud to pass on to my children, and raising children I feel proud to share with the world.
I have 10 years experience volunteering with queer festivals, 7 in a leadership capacity. It's important to me that our youth are centered in the planning of SLC Pride, that we are creating a space that celebrates them and at the same time feels like coming home.
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Advisory Fairy
Liz Pitts
she.they
Liz is a Salt Lake City native and has for many years been a social justice activist and community volunteer in Utah and elsewhere. Liz served as the Utah Pride Festival Director in 2017 & 2018. She was also on the founding Board of Project Rainbow Utah and was one of the producing directors of the Redrox Music Festival 2017-2021. Liz is currently the President & CEO of The Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce. They earned bachelors degrees from the University of Utah in Women's Studies & Political Science and a Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of Washington. Liz is a librarian at heart and worked for many years in enterprise system sales, sales enablement, event management, and training before pivoting to a career in local LGBTQ+ non-profit work. Liz is a mother to a most amazing non-binary young adult, Chance. She is also an avid skier, loves travel, live theater, all things outdoors, and operates a ski lift in their spare time.
ERG Coordinator
Martine Celeste
she.her
:)
Finance Director
Tina Nee
she.her.hers
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I am an east-coast transplant that has lived in the Salt Lake Valley for twelve years. Since coming to UT, I have been active in the LGBTQIA+ community; volunteering and working in various roles working towards a safe and welcoming community. I am currently enrolled at WGU working towards by bachelor's degree in business administration management. I've been employed at Salt Lake City Corp. for almost 8 years. When not working, schooling, or volunteering, you will find me on my couch with a book and my dog June.
:)
Youth Coordinator
C Meyer
she.they
C Meyer, (she/they), holds a master's in social work from the University of Utah and a bachelor's in Recreational Therapy. As a therapist at Flourish Therapy, she strives to enhance accessibility to gender-affirming care. An avid outdoor enthusiast, C enjoys camping, snowboarding, running, motorcycling, climbing, and embarking on various adventures. Passionate about community integration, outdoor inclusion, and transgender rights, they actively participate in organizing Pride Ride Utah, an annual event at Brighton Utah, breaking barriers for the LGBTQIA2S+ community. With a decade of experience working with gender-expansive, neurodivergent youth, C is dedicated to her role as a youth coordinator for SLC Pride.
Sponsorship Coordinator
Heather Eisenstein
she.her
Heather Eisenstein (She, Her) is the Executive Administrative Assistant to the President
– Americas & Global Fibers at Hexcel. As the mother of 2 queer children, Heather is
passionate about representation and visibility in the LGBTQ+ Community. Heather has
4 dogs: Molly, Maisy, Daisy, and Minerva aka Minnie. She loves spending time with her
family, live music, travel and doing anything with her sweetheart, Troy.
Heather has worn many hats in her career; receptionist, assistant chef, senior executive
assistant, personal assistant, payroll administrator/HR and her current role as executive
administrative assistant. She is a servant leader and loves taking care of people and her
team. Heather believes in leaving things better than she found them, including people.
Heather was the founder and Co-Chair of the Pride+ Connections group at her former
employer, HealthEquity.
Queer Community Outreach Coordinator
Get excited...announcing soon!
:)
ADA Director
Sarah Hemmert
she.her.hers
Sarah has focused on ADA accessibility at various events since she began volunteering with Pride in 2015, coordinating American Sign Language interpreters. Sarah is a nationally certified ASL/English interpreter and when she's not volunteering she works with a team of hearing and D/deaf individuals to schedule interpreters across the country.
:)
Sponsorship Coordinator
Meg Orsini
she.her
:)
Sponsorship Lead
Amy Stocks
she.her
​
Amy has been a part of the inception of grassroots organizations, including Moab Pride and Rock Camps in Utah! For the last few years I’ve been working with the unsheltered population and am now focusing on policy surrounding these underrepresented folk. I enjoy local art, local music and all the outdoor fun Utah has to offer.
Tech Support
Kayla Aitken
she.her.hers
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Kayla has about 6 years experience volunteering with Genderevolution, Utah’s first gender conference, as a planning committee member and volunteer and 1 year on the committee as the event co-chair. Kayla has 2 years experience volunteering with Transaction including helping with planning weekly events. She also has various other volunteer experience with the Utah Pride Center including fundraising, tabling events, technical support, etc and and has experience tabling for the ACLU. Kayla is a Private Pilot and a self-taught computer programmer with a Bachelor equivalent in Computer Science. She served a 2 year mission in South Korea and is fluent in Korean. Kayla has also previously volunteered as a builder with Homes for Humanity and was an Eagle Scout in her youth.
:)
Entertainent Lead
Alexis Dove aka Dove Daniels
he.she.they
​
In my years in Pennsylvania I was a very active drag queen in the community as well as a member of the Pennsylvania Round Table, an AIDS/HIV prevention group. Since moving to Utah in 2020, I have made great strides in becoming more and more involved in the Utah LGBTQIA+ community. I am currently apart of Wells Fargo’s Pride Connection, UT chapter, a LGBTQIA+ group within the company. I have attended multiple Pride events and festivals in the area as well as appearing in the parade in 2022 for working in the Viva La Diva Show. In 2023, I was on the Utah Pride Centers planning committee as head of VIP Experience & Hospitality. Additionally, that same year I started a show production company with my spouse called Cirque Du SoGAY. I’m ecstatic to be working with SLC Pride this year.
:)
Beverage Lead
Karissa Kermode
she.her.hers
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Karissa is originally from New England, but moved to Utah 3 years ago. She and her fiancee have been simultaneously fostering kittens and growing their fur family to an outlandish extent. She spends the majority of her free time reading, writing, and cuddling with her fur babies.
:)
community outreach
Alexzander Kilgore
he.him
Alexzander has been actively volunteering for at least a decade now, starting with food pantries and helping with clothing exchanges as a teenager and moving onto active teaching positions and other direct outreach as adulthood allowed. He has worked every single nook and cranny of food service, and organized panels and booths for conventions and conferences, along with performing at a semi-professional level in jazz trombone and classical singing. He is also always actively learning and growing in his field of choice and interests, keeping an open mind for when things come up he hasn't thought about yet.
Entertainment Lead
Poison Grace
he.she.they
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I helped run 2023 Riot pride as a local drag queen for our community. I have done volunteer work my entire life, and am excited to volunteer for a community I am passionate about helping. I work in digital marketing too!
:)
finance and pretty much anything else asked...
Megan Gallaugher
she.her
I'm a project manager looking to support the LGBTQIA+ community in any way I can. While my volunteering experience is limited, my love for Salt Lake and this community is not. I can't wait to work with this amazing team to bring a PRIDE festival that's just what the community needs and wants!
beverage lead
Charlotte Jones
she.they
Charlotte is a queer graduate student at the University of Utah pursuing a degree in Political Theory. They have worked with a number of political activism organisations in the community and on campus. She has worked with the queer community volunteering for a number of years. They find education and the democratization of education critical to constructing study and thriving community. Community action is the focus of her education and volunteer work to push for a liberated people. They also enjoy some quilting and her puppies on the side.
stage production and sound lead
Zack Barnson
he.they
I am a nonbinary audio engineer and music producer currently studying at Utah Valley University. I am also a bartender at Whiskey Street. I have worked on several local small films, as well as made music for youtube intros/outros, audiobook intros/outros, and have several years of percussion performing experience with Riverton High School and Gold Spike Percussion.
Entertainment lead
Craig Sorensen
he.they
Craig Sorensen is an emcee, comedian, and improviser. This comedic powerhouse proudly represents and advocates for queerdom everywhere he goes. See him teach and lead in Equinox Entertainment and Crowdsourced Comedy. He also co-produced the alt festival RIOT Pride in 2023, and won 'Best Local Comedian' in Best of Utah '23. Queer culture and rights are part of his soul, and yes he will pick you up from the airport if you ask nicely.
professional tape measure man and logistics lead
Spencer Wright
he.him
My volunteer work is vast and far. I have been on the Utah Pride Festival committee since about 2009-2019. I fix breakfast for the homeless youth once a month at VOA. I work in construction since 1986.
Community Outreach Lead
Aaron Welcher
he.him
Aaron Welcher moved to Utah from Indiana a year and a half ago to join the ACLU of Utah as Communications Director. He joined SLC Pride to become more connected with the LGBTQ+ community in SLC. Previously, he volunteered with Indy Pride and led statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy in faith spaces across Indiana. He believes that dynamic relationships are paramount to uniting changemakers; concurrently, communications are the vehicle to bolster these efforts and inspire action. Adopting non-traditional partnerships invigorates him to redefine the standard dogma around relationship-building. Fun fact: he has two cats, Oliver (Olly) and Owen (Owski).
ICCJ partner
Jamelle Avei
he.they
Jamelle Avei went to Anytown in 2003. He was an Intern for the Inclusion Center and Liaison of Woods Cross High School from 2003-2005. He has several years of experience in education, as well as worked for non profit organizations such as the the LBGT Pride Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Wildwoods Foundation in Los Angeles, California. Jamelle took a break from the Inclusion Center from 2009 and returned as staff in our Camp Anytown in 2019. He also is a member of the Action Research Team, to update our current Anytown programming.