The founders of Manchester, New Hampshire’s Queen City Pride have completed the process of becoming a nonprofit organization to serve their area’s vibrant LGBTQ community.
Queen City’s “annual festivals demonstrated that a social and celebratory group focusing on the LGBT community was sorely needed,” the organizers state in their announcement.
“We also wanted to legitimize ourselves in the community and to our community sponsors, for the work we do with the LGBTQ community. This growth will allow us to better follow-through on our mission, while also continuing to work with other groups in the area to continue striving for equity in the queer or minority community,” the organizers explain.
To make this happen:
The Queen City Pride NH Board of Directors has been established to provide governance, high-level strategy, oversight, and overall accountability to the organization. They will also establish the vision of the annual Pride Festival, its volunteers, and members who assume roles as committee chairs. Board Members are responsible for making key decisions that address the organization’s mission, strategy, and goals. After an exhaustive selection process that identified people from the Greater Manchester Area; We are honored to announce the first-ever Queen City Pride Board of Directors:
Robb Curry; serving as Chair of the Board, Owner, Madear’s Southern Eatery & Bakery
Dr. Christopher Matthews; serving as Director of Training, Diversity & Inclusion, Director of SNHU Honors Program
Alison Batey; serving as Director of Youth Services, General Manager, Granite Base Camp
Jessica Cantin; serving as Director of Governance, CEO, YWCA NH
Scott Cloutier; serving as Director of Communications & Secretary of the Board, Senior Marketing Architect, SNHU
Chloé LaCasse; serving as Director of Community Engagement, Storyteller and educator
Marcus Ponce de Leon; serving as Director of Treasury, Political activist and Community Organizer
Kyle Davis, serving as Executive Director, managing the day-to-day operations and executing the vision established by the Board. Owner, Madear’s Southern Eatery & Bakery
Queen City Pride’s founders felt that the greater Manchester area needed an annual celebration for the LGBTQ+ community, like most metropolitan areas around the world. The turnout, support, excitement and love has been greater than anticipated; the community embraced it and wanted more.
Over the last two years, the group has grown, even through the COVID-19 pandemic into something neither of the founders could have envisioned – a 3,000 person festival along the Merrimack River with over 60 vendors, 5 food trucks, 10 youth activities and over 50 local sponsors. Better known to most as Pride Festival 2021.
More: queencitypridenh.org
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