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Linda DeMarco – Co-President
Linda is the Vice-President of the Board of Directors of Boston Pride. She joined Boston Pride in 1998 as a festival coordinator and brings expertise in business and finance to the Board. She was President of Boston Pride from 2000 to 2013. Professionally, Linda is a successful entrepreneur and has been the owner of Boston Pretzel Bakery Inc. for over 18 years. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Faneuil Hall Merchants Association and the Small Merchants Association of Boston’s Downtown Crossing. Linda was elected as Co-President of InterPride at the 2017 AGM & World Conference in Indianapolis, IN, USA.
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Julian Sanjivan – Co-President
Julian is originally from Malaysia and left for New York City in August 2012 to be part of a fellowship funded by the US Department of State. Upon completion of the program, they applied for asylum due to their life-threatening experience with a group of police officers in Malaysia due to their sexual orientation. Prior to arriving in the United States, they were the Human Resources Director at PT Foundation, one of the largest non-profit organizations in Malaysia focusing on HIV awareness, education, care, and support for most-at-risk populations including men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers, transgender individuals and injecting drug users. Besides managing an organization of over 70 employees and 700 volunteers, they advocated for issues affecting the marginalized communities that PT Foundation worked very closely with. In 2013, they became the Director of Strategy & Communications at the Refugee & Immigrant Fund (RIF), an organization that provides support services for asylum seekers in New York City. Julian's asylum was granted in April 2015 and later obtained their Green Card in May of 2017. They are also a former Executive Board Member with Heritage of Pride as the NYC Pride March Director heading the annual Pride March in NYC. They were responsible for all aspects of one of the biggest Pride events in the world including the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising and the 2019 WorldPride held in New York City. Julian was also one of the producers for the 2019 NYC Dance Parade and the former Director of Visitor Services at the LGBT Community Center in NYC. Currently, they are on the advisory board of AsylumConnect, a tech nonprofit providing the first and only resource website and mobile app for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers. An avid globetrotting news junkie, Julian is extremely passionate about the movements for civil rights of the LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities.
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Hadi Damien – Co-President
Born in Beirut 1989, Hadi Damien is the initiator and organiser of Beirut Pride, the first Pride in the Arabic-speaking world. Arrested in May 2018, and placed in custody following the homophobic fabrication of a fake, sensational program that was attributed to Beirut Pride, he was released after the initiation of criminal proceedings against him, relative to the organisation of “events that incite to debauchery” and that are still ongoing. He authored the multi-sectoral framework for the LGBTIQ+ file in Lebanon (featuring a 10-year plan that responds to LGBTIQ+ challenges). Member of InterPride (Representative of Region 18, CSIC co-chair, committee member), he also sits on the International Advisory Boards of both AllOut NGO and the Human Rights Conference of the WorldPride Copenhagen 2021.
Postgraduate lecturer in the Jesuit Saint Joseph University in Beirut, he designs events and communications for the private and public sectors, and practices political communication. In this capacity, he lobbied during the Lebanese Parliament elections of May 2018 for LGBTIQ+ inclusion, succeeded in getting candidates and MPs pledge support for the decriminalization of LGBTIQ status, then authored the decriminalization parliament bill. He also wrote a bill for the national HIV response that features 72 sections, including a large part about non-discrimination procedures.
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Robyn Kennedy – Vice President of Global Outreach & Partnership
Liaison to Regions 12, 15, 18, 19 & 20
Robyn Kennedy is a member of the Management Committee of Australian Pride organisation First Mardi Gras Inc. and a former member of the Board of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. She has a long history of involvement in Pride and LGBQTI rights activism as well as broader social justice and human rights issues. Robyn’s career has included senior roles in government, the not for profit sector and consultancy, with a focus on addressing social inequity and disadvantage. Robyn is a frequent international speaker and writer on LGBTQI rights issues, with a focus on grassroots action. Robyn was the 2018 recipient of ACON’s prestigious Community Hero Award in recognition of contribution to advancing the rights of LGBTQI communities. She has also been recognised for her contribution to LGBTQI and women’s rights by the National Library of Australia in their collection of audio oral histories of distinguished Australians. In InterPride, Robyn has represented Region 20 on the Global Advisory Council and Co-Chairs the Human Rights and Diversity Committee and the Strategic Planning Committee. Over the last few years, Robyn has worked to better engage Region 20 in InterPride. In 2020, she established Oceania Pride which brings together the 20 countries of the region including those where homosexuality remains illegal.
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Marsha H. Levine – Vice Presidents of Global Outreach & Partnership
Liaison to Regions 1, 2, 3, 8 & 11
A Pride-organizing veteran since 1980, she has the distinction of being the Founder of InterPride and a co-founder of CAPI, Inc. (Consolidated Associations of Pride, Inc.). Currently, Marsha also serves as InterPride's Governance Committee Co-Chair. For 18 years, she was San Francisco Pride's Parade Manager, on top of a similar period as a volunteer for the organization in a variety of roles, including President and Vice President on their Board of Directors. In 2018, Marsha accepted the role of Community Relations Manager for SF Pride, responsible for coordinating community partners, volunteers, politicians, VIPs, and Grand Marshals. Prior to 1985, she was a member of Boston Pride for five years, the last three of which she served consecutively as their President. An activist since high school, Marsha has always been a strong advocate for human and civil rights.
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Emmanuel Temores – Vice President of Global Outreach & Partnership
Liaison to Regions 1 (shared), 7, 9, 13, 14 & 17
Since 2015 Emmanuel is a member of the executive board of Guadalajara Pride, focused on creating strategies and alliances. He served as Regional Director of South America in InterPride for two years. In 2007 Emmanuel started to collaborate as a journalist on LGBTI culture for independent newspapers, blogs, and magazines. From 2009 to 2014 he worked as Editor in Chief in Urbana Revista, an LGBTI publication distributed in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. He has participated in lobbies and campaigns to promote awareness of HIV and gay marriage in Mexico. Professionally, Emmanuel is a freelance Digital Advertising Professional; he develops successful campaigns for small, medium, large businesses, and startups.
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Natalie Thompson – Vice President of Global Outreach & Partnership
Liaison to Regions 4, 5, 6, 10 & 16
Natalie joined the InterPride Board in 2019. She is the current Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion of Capital Pride in Washington DC and joined their board in 2016. Professionally, Natalie is the Director, Programs, for a national nonprofit specializing in employment and housing supports. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington with a B.A. in Sociology and has dedicated her career to supporting the members of our community who are in greatest need. In her spare time, you can find her volunteering as a leadership coach, hanging with her partner and their two dogs, being crafty, or catching up on her television shows.
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Sherri Rase – Vice President of Development
Sherri Rase is an award-winning activist, photographer, expert public speaker and a founding member of Jersey Pride, Inc. She has served as Special Events Director since 1996 and has run the Rally Stage since 1997. Over the years, Sherri has been a board member and leader in a number of organizations including Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County and Planned Parenthood Central NJ and she enjoys bringing people and resources together. Sherri is also a member of New York City Pride where she has been a PrideFest volunteer for the past several years, running the Stage, then Information. She has been training and facilitating groups in the LGBTQIA+ Community and at-large for more than 20 years. Sherri is also a writer whose work has spanned op-ed, classical music, theatre and film. She has been serving InterPride in a number of roles, starting as a Regional Director, then co-Chair and Vice President of Member Services. Sherri works at the Pride Center of Staten Island as Youth and Senior Services Manager.
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Kenneth Kwok – Vice President, Disability, Diversity & Inclusion; Human Rights
Kenneth Kwok (he/him/his) is a Young SDG Advocate whose focus is on the intersectionality of #impact, #innovation and #inclusion. Through a hybrid for-profit and non-profit circular model, he seeks to advance multi-stakeholder ownership towards financial and social justice, equality and well-being. He is the Founder and CEO of Global Citizen Capital, an inter-disciplinary impact venture focused on education, technology and healthcare. His for-profit ventures include Ntuple (a member of World Economic Forum and its Global Innovators Community), Family Mask (a member of the Forum's UpLink Innovators Community), the MXA Group (a UNGM member) and ITS Education. His non-profit ventures consist of Better Together Foundation, Asia World Anti-Aging and Well-Being Association ("AWAWA"), FamilyQ and KIDsforSDGs. During his career in investment banking, Kenneth is accredited for starting Hong Kong's first LGBTI+ focused employee resource group. Through KIDsforSDGs, he has built a leading community of young global changemakers in Asia through his engagements with World Humanitarian Forum (where he serves on the Youth Council), InterPride, Asian Development Bank, Geneva Tsinghua Institute, iGEM Community, UNITE 2030, YOUNGA, SDG Labs and more. With Better Together Foundation, Kenneth supports HIV/AIDs advocacy, youth upskilling and community pride initiatives across Asia. He is a passionate writer, and has authored the "Career Planning Algorithm" based on his 15 years of conducting campus recruitment and university alumni interviews. He is a frequent speaker and contributor on topics such as youth empowerment, health preservation, impact investment, social justice, LGBTI+ equality and the Global Goals. He is the curator of the #StartUpYourPride series, empowering LGBTI+ youth to become founders and entrepreneurs. In recognition for his decade-long contribution to global LGBTI+ equality and empowerment, Kenneth was invited to march at Toronto Pride 2019 alongside Prime Minister Mr. Justin Trudeau.
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Debbie Brixey – Vice President, Member Services
While in London Debbie worked in publishing and marketing. In 2000 she decided to change career and become a freelance IT tutor specializing in working with older people (usually 80+) and people with disabilities. She has continued to work in this field specializing in working with people with visual impairments and learning disabilities (including dyslexia). Debbie worked with the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, to create accessible courseware for blind users as well as creating screen reader modules for some examining bodies in the UK. She currently works with a number of companies to deliver training, both online and in person, and is a consultant on disability matters to several training organizations. She is passionate about accessibility and equality for people with disabilities. In 2018 she joined the committee of Oxford Pride as Communications Officer and also took on the role of Sponsorship and Fundraising Officer later in the same year. As Chair of Oxford Pride in 2019 she saw the biggest event to date with a two-week festival and a lot of community engagement in the months leading up to the Pride Day.
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Dave Wait – Treasurer
Dave began his involvement with the pride movement in 2004 when he first volunteered for a ‘shift’ at Motor City Pride. That led to serving as Chairperson of the festival since 2009. He began his involvement with InterPride in 2008 and became co-chair of the Conference Integrity and Structure Committee in 2014 and regional director in 2015. In additional to Motor City Pride, Dave served eight years on the board for Equality Michigan: Michigan’s statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, one year as treasurer, one as vice president and three as president. On a national level, for the past eleven years, he has been a member of the National LGBT Task Force Creating Change Conference’s Management Team. When not volunteering, Dave is employed by Eastern Michigan University where he serves as the Executive Director of three career and technical student organizations: DECA, SkillsUSA and FCCLA, which annually provides leadership and career development conferences for over 14,000 Michigan high school students.
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Alan Reiff – Secretary
Alan has had 30 years of Pride involvement in the U.S. and internationally and has been a volunteer with Heritage of Pride for more than 30 years. Positions he has held include Co-Chair, Secretary, Outreach and PrideFest Director, Acting Treasurer, Staff Implementing Committee, and he has served on the March, Rally, and Stonewall 50 Committees. On the Executive Board of Queens Pride, Alan’s roles have been Co-Chair, Pridefest Director, and Northeast Regional Prides (NERP) 2015 Programming Director. Working with Dirk McCall (Founder and Director) to produce OUTBronx, they’ve built a networking LGBT+ organization that creates safe spaces to increase visibility in the Bronx. Alan speaks English, Spanish, French, and some Portuguese.
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