Lancaster Prides Welcome New Board Members

Lancaster Pride is excited to announce the promotion of Micki Dawson as Vice President and the addition of several board members to our team.

Lancaster Pride desires social, legal, and financial equality for all members of the LGBTQ+ community. We desire to create an environment wherein all communities in Lancaster County are treated with respect and dignity. In turn, we want a world where understanding, acceptance, and celebration is reality for all people.

As an organization, Lancaster Pride strives to create a diverse board of volunteers to ensure that everyone in the community is heard and included.  From humble beginnings to large festivals with thousands of visitors, we have watched the transformation of Lancaster in both human rights and the celebration of diversity.

Meet and welcome our new members!

“I am looking forward to growing in a leadership role and strengthening connections within the community. While no one can speak on behalf of the whole LGBTQ+ community I am honored people are letting my voice be heard.”

As an out and proud bisexual transman, he knows and understands the value of Pride festivals to the community and the significant effects they can have on people’s life — as it has impacted his.

“I am also excited to aid PRIDE’s continuing growth and keep our momentum going. It’s so amazing to see how far we have come as an organization since I joined the board in 2020 and I can only imagine the places we are going!”

For many reasons, Pride brings people together, and allows them to express themselves authentically, the community it builds, and the joy it sparks. He joined the Pride Board to strengthen his ties to the Central PA Queer Community as he has found them to be some of the best people around!

“I am so excited to work alongside Micki as President and Vice President of Lancaster Pride! He brings such fierce passion and devotion to the organization and I am so incredibly grateful to be able to call him my friend. I am excited to see what he helps bring to the table for the next few years!” -Tiffany Shirley, President

Micki is the first to graduate with a master of the arts in music industry studies from York College of Pennsylvania. Micki works at ATOMIC! Design and lives in east Petersburg with his fiancee and 2 parrots.

Connect with them on socials: Instagram | Linkedin

Anastasius Jinks (they/he) is a board member at Lancaster Pride. Volunteering for Pride gives them the opportunity to put their skill set to use for both community benefit and a cause that is near & dear to them.

A non-binary, transmasculine native to Lancaster, they believe having a local organization that helps support Lancaster’s LGBTQ+ community in days both dark and bright, while still maintaining a celebration of that community as a core facet and function, is deeply necessary in our county and current times.As the next treasurer, they hope to use his experience in finances to provide ‘behind-the-scenes’ support to Lancaster Pride, as well as become more engaged with Lancaster’s LGBTQ+ community than they have had the opportunity to be in the past. Anastasius currently works with the Lancaster County Domestic Relations Office.

A proud pet parent to two cats, they love creative projects and DIY, including sewing, woodworking, music and other arts along with exploration.

Connect with them on social media: Instagram | LinkedIn

Alayna Mahoney (they/them) is Lancaster Pride’s Secretary. Having grown up in New Holland, they joined Lancaster Pride to make an impact and learn more about being an advocate and leader in the community to amplify voices. Alayna admires the resiliency of the Queer community and appreciates Lancaster Pride’s mission and vision to hype people up and be encouraging and a safe space to those in the community.

Pride is important to them because it made them feel less alone when they were a young queer kid – it was their second home, and they want to make sure that it continues to be a home for everyone in the queer community.

Evan Rowell (he/him) is Lancaster Pride’s Director of Volunteer Engagement. Through his role, Evan provides guidance and oversees Pride’s volunteers who help make our events and outreach possible.

For him, Pride is about having secure safe spaces to be one’s true self and have a community coming together and supporting one another. Evan, a native of Lancaster, wants to make a difference in our community and keep making improvements for future generations.

Evan works for Lancaster County. When the chance arises, he enjoys hanging out with friends, watching movies, playing video games, and immersing himself in exploring diverse cuisines.

Connect with them on socials: Instagram

To Sarah (she/her) having Pride means fully accepting all the parts of yourself and the ability to design the life that suits you. Through her work on with Lancaster Pride, she hopes to embody this by providing safe spaces for all others to thrive.

As the Events Coordinator, she is excited to combine all her areas of expertise into planning and executing events that highlight the abundance of love in our fantastic community. Sarah believes in the power of togetherness and wants to foster comradery through a variety of inclusive events. Sarah is partnered and has two daughters of her own, as well as two bonus daughters. Under the sun, she is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. By moonlight, she is the Vice President of the Board for Clare House of Lancaster, sits on various leadership teams throughout the county, and is an avid networker.

In her downtime, she likes superhero movies (Wonder Woman is her all-time favorite!) and reading. She’s a huge Swiftie; She almost always has a 1000-piece puzzle going; And loves to express her creativity through 3D art. 

Connect with them on socials: Instagram | LinkedIn

Pride isn’t just a month to me, it’s a state of mind. It’s a constant in my life. Pride is about living every day out with integrity and honesty so I can make a difference for others and live a life that is authentic to you! Choosing to love yourself and everyone around you in the way that they want and deserve, each and every day.”

Please join us in welcoming Brian Nguyen (he/they) to the Lancaster Pride Board of Directors as our Director of Communications!

Visionary, content creator, social media guru, and giant minion are just a few terms that have been used to describe Brian “bri” Nguyen.

As the volunteer Director of Communications for Lancaster Pride, Brian does more than oversee social media and communications functions. His life and work experiences allow him to see the world from a different perspective.

Bri is a transplant to Lancaster and a firm believer in community. If you see them out and about, don’t be afraid to say hello and expect a giant hug!

He is the Communications Manager at the Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County and is active in the community – they currently serve as Vice Chair of the Keystone Business Alliance – Central PA’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce, Advisory Member to Lancaster Chamber’s Young Professional Network, Leadership Lancaster and the LGBTQ+ Coalition.

Connect with them on social media: Instagram | LinkedIn

For a full list of our board of directors, click here.

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About Lancaster Pride

Lancaster Pride is a celebration of the progress that the local LGBTQ+ community has made toward achieving visibility, acceptance and equality within Lancaster County. As an organization, Lancaster Pride is committed to producing a vibrant festival that honors these achievements. We want to educate, collaborate, and build partnerships with our allies, associations, and other organizations that directly support the LGBTQ+ population.