Atlanta Mayor Announces New LGBTQ+ Advisory Council Members to Kick Off National Pride Month – 95.5 WSB

The mayor’s office said the release of the report marks an important milestone for Atlanta in its efforts to ensure the city’s LGBTQ+ community is visible “across the urban fabric of Atlanta.”

In May, Dickens appointed the city’s first openly LGBTQ+ judge to the bench, placing Judge Pierce Hand Seitz on the Atlanta Municipal Court.

Along with the report, the newly announced members of the Mayor’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Council come from a variety of backgrounds, fields and organizations, including regional organizations and cultural institutions.

“We are deeply honored to serve as co-chairs of the Mayor’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Council,” co-chairs Dr. Alie Redd and David Roemer said in a statement. “Atlanta is a beacon of hope and inclusiveness, and the undisputed LGBTQ capital of the South. The Mayor’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is proud to continue to advise and support Mayor Dickens, the Division of LGBTQ+ Affairs and city officials.

The members of the Mayor’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Council are:

• Dr. Alie Redd, Ph.D., LCSW, CEO, Covenant House Georgia
• Andrew Westover, Ph.D., assistant director, learning and civic engagement, High Museum of Art
• Alex Santiago, COO, Destination Tomorrow
• Ben Ackerley, Co-Chapter Leader, TransParent Metro Atlanta
• Bridget Harris, Deputy Director, Department for HIV Elimination, Fulton County
• Cassandra Cantave-Burton, Senior Research Advisor, AARP
• Chris Lugo, executive director, Out Georgia Business Alliance
• Chris McCain, Executive Director, Atlanta Pride
• Dan Preister, Managing Director, Coxe Curry and Associates
• Dr Danyelle Jinks, executive coach
• DaShawn Usher, Senior Director, Communities of Color and Media, GLAAD
• David Roemer, CEO, Ideas United
• Don Terry, ADRC Advisor, Atlanta Regional Commission
• Dr Eric Solomon, cultural historian
• Jamie Anne Harrell, Head of Business Intelligence and Analytics, Emory University
• Jenny Barlow, Senior Creative Project Manager, Wellstar Health System
• Jonathan Foulk, Board of Directors, Joining Hearts
• Jonathan Gould, assistant professor of architecture, Kennesaw State University
• Joshua O’Neal, sexual health advocate
• Julio Carrillo, Executive Director, HOPE Atlanta
• Lisa Cunningham, Director of Digital Communications, Black Women’s Health Imperative
• Marvin Guelce, North America Community Marketing Manager, lululemon
• Matthew Pritchard, Industry Lead, Travel, Southeast US, Google
• Melanea Alvarez, Executive Director, Lost N Found Youth
• Dr. Melanie Thompson, MD, MD, Thacker & Thompson
• Nailah Malak, co-founder, Correlate Health, Inc.
• Nathan Regan, COO, Arcum
• Nicole Williams, small business owner
• Dr. Nury Lizeth Castro, Senior Program Manager, Future Black Teachers and Future Latinx Teachers, TEACH
• Rashad Burgess, vice president, health promotion and black equity, Gilead Sciences
• Shateena Love, M.Ed., Executive Director, Office of Equity and Social Justice, Atlanta Public Schools
• Steven Igarashi-Ball, founder and executive director, Drag Story Hour Atlanta
• Tiana Tukes, professor, Spelman College
• Toni-Michelle Williams, Executive Director, Solutions NOT Punishment Collaborative (SnapCo.)
• Tyler Reinagel, associate vice president for economic development, Kennesaw State University

More information about the Mayor’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Council and the biennial report of the Mayor’s Division of LGBTQ+ Affairs is available online at ATLGBTQ.atlantaga.gov.