Who we are
Click on a heading to learn more about our board, staff, working groups and National Advisory Council.
Board of Directors
Pedro Arista
Pedro Arista is a Vice-President at Third Plateau and a bold advocate for trust-based philanthropy. He leads engagements with philanthropists and community-based programs. He also directs the Hellman Collaborative Change Initiative, an innovative program of the Hellman Foundation, a Third Plateau client. Prior to joining Third Plateau, Pedro led the Healthy Eating and Active Living grantmaking portfolio for the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, where he directed resources to impactful community-based organizations across the U.S. He began his career in public health advocating for Latino LGBTQ+ health through more inclusive behavioral research and clinical trials. Pedro holds a B.S. in Health Science and a Master of Public Health from San Francisco State University, where he previously served as faculty in the Department of Public Health.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Yves Averous
Yves Averous is a journalist, author, and linguist based in San Francisco. Yves started his journalism career in Paris, writing for various entertainment and gay publications. Once in the Bay Area, Yves applied his translation skills and passion for computers to localization, helping tech companies port their products to the French market and beyond.
In the late 80s, before moving to San Francisco, Yves took part in building up ACT UP Paris. In the 2000s, he brought his membership development experience to the Northern California Translators Association, where he served as Director of Publications and Vice-President. Joining the board of the GLBT Historical Society in 2020 felt like a natural evolution after having been a writer for Tetu, an AIDS activist, a student of LGBTQ History at City College of San Francisco, and husband of the prolific gay filmmaker Marc Smolowitz.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Tali Bray (Co-Chair)
Tali Bray, a recognized technology leader and innovator, brings over two decades of experience spanning both entrepreneurial ventures and Fortune 50 transformations. Contributing to three successful startup exits and leading enterprise-scale technology operations with teams of 1,500+ and budgets exceeding $400M, she brings a unique perspective that bridges early-stage agility with enterprise-level execution. Her work has been recognized by Fast Company's Queer Top 50 (2023) and Breaking Barriers in Tech (2024), with current focus on intentional GenAI adoption and strategy.
Tali is a passionate advocate for diversity in technology, frequently speaking on the topic and contributing to reports like the Latinos in Tech Report - AI Edition and the Women Corporate Tech Executives in WBC's Annual Report. In addition to her role as Vice Chair for the Board of the GLBT Historical Society, she is on the board of directors for the World Institute on Disability and the Golden Gate Business Association. She is also an advisory board member for Women Business Collaborative and Lesbians Who Tech. Tali lives with her two daughters and a menagerie of pets in Oakland.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Ben Chavez Gilliam (Co-Chair)
Ben Gilliam is managing principal and national market leader for Coldwell Banker Commercial. He oversees the corporate real estate portfolio for Realogy Holdings, the parent company of Coldwell Bankers, Sotheby’s and 40 other affiliated real-estate brands. He has served on numerous boards and committees in his 35-year career and was instrumental in getting powerlifting back in the Gay Games for 2022. He holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Colorado and an M.B.A in strategic management from Regis University.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Ardel Haefele-Thomas
Ardel Haefele-Thomas is the author of Introduction to Transgender Studies and Queer Others in Victorian Gothic: Transgressing Monstrosity. They received the doctorate in Modern Thought and Literature with a Minor in History at Stanford University. Haefele-Thomas serves as Chair of LGBT Studies at City College of San Francisco.
Pronouns: they/them/theirs
Mason J. (At-Large Member of the Executive Committee)
Mason is a Black and Indigenous San Francisco-born artist, historiographer, media strategist and community organizer. Their focused passions include land use, youth empowerment, LGBTQ senior services, disability justice, intersex rights and gender/sexuality. In addition to previous jobs handing out condoms and hugs as a kid during the AIDS Walk and more recently working with the San Francisco Public Library’s James C. Hormel Center, Transgender Cultural District, and RADAR Productions, Mason takes great pride in their Public Health Nerd, Two-Spirit, Jewish, HIV War Survivor, Nightlifer, Ballroom, Leather, Punk and Soulie identities.
Pronouns: they/them/theirs or he/him/his
Rachel Pokorny (Treasurer)
Rachel Pokorny is the studio manager for Hardesty, Dwyer & Co, a bonus second career after two decades of queer community building with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and Olivia Travel. She also serves on the board of the Queer Chorus of San Francisco (formerly the Lesbian and Gay Chorus of San Francisco). Not the first historian in her family, Rachel knows the power of presenting your own narrative, and is excited to be helping queer history find a greater audience and build personal connections within our family.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Ani Rivera
Ani Rivera, a Chicana from the borderlands of San Diego/Tijuana has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for over 25 years.
Since 2012, Rivera has served as Executive Director of Galería de la Raza. Her work explores intersections of community development, art and social practice that create equitable and sustainable communities that center access and resources in the service of justice.
She is the Board Treasurer of the Chicana/Latina foundation, whose mission is to empower Chicana/Latinas through scholarship/leadership training. Appointed by San Francisco’s mayor, Rivera is a Commissioner at the Department of the Status of Women.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Emily Rosenberg
Emily Rosenberg has served on multiple non-profit boards in the Bay Area and nationally. She was on the founding board of PAWS San Francisco and most recently served as Chair of the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles where she led the board in a three year DEIA initiative and through the lockdown phase of the pandemic. She has a lifelong interest in museums, archives and collecting personal stories to share. Emily is deeply committed to LGBTQ organizations locally, nationally and internationally. She has a M.A. in Library Science from San Jose State University and is ever curious about people, places and ideas.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Jaime Santos (Secretary)
Jaime Santos is an attorney and partner at Santos Walding LLP, a welcome change after practicing law at big and boutique law firms owned and run by others. Now she can truly say she loves her boss. Jaime grew up in the Bay Area and has been an activist since her move to San Francisco in 1986. She’s helped to raise money and awareness for the LGBTQ+ community ever since. She’s served on the boards of Immigration Equality in New York and the Immune Enhancement Project, formerly in San Francisco.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Jason Seifer
Jason Seifer is the Chief Financial and Administrative Officer at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (the “Museums”) which operates the de Young and Legion of Honor Museums. The Museums are an $80M organization which welcomes 1.5M visitors per year. Prior to joining the Museums in 2017, he was the Director of Finance and Operations at American Conservatory Theater (ACT) which is the largest non-profit theater company in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also an SF Bay Area native and UCLA graduate. He serves on the Board of the GLBT Historical Society and the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Peggy Sue
Peggy Sue quit school at nineteen to join ACT-UP San Francisco in 1989 and never looked back. From managing the first large online forum for LGBTQ folks in 1993 to a twenty-three year career in software quality engineering, Peggy Sue has dedicated her time and her energy to empowering queers and other marginalized folks. She is also the founder of Culture Impact Consulting, a DEI firm that specializes in teaching privileged folks how to create more inclusive environments. Her career highlights include multiple civil disobedience arrests, teaching Ally Skills at Square and Dropbox, and holding Frank Jordan’s shoe.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Laura Thomas
Laura Thomas is a queer white femme living in the Mission in San Francisco with her three cats. She has been advocating on HIV and public health issues in San Francisco for 35 years, since becoming involved in AIDS activism through ACT UP in San Francisco. She currently works as the Senior Director of HIV & Harm Reduction Policy for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF). She has served on the San Francisco Entertainment Commission since 2016, promoting public health and queer nightlife. She is a long-time member of the San Francisco HIV Community Planning Council and volunteers with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and SFAF Syringe Access Services. She’s a former two-term co-president of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club and was a founding organizer of the SF Dyke March. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Masters in Public Health and a Masters in Public Policy.
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Lena Wong
Lena Wong is an attorney with deep expertise in the arts and museum sectors. They are currently the Associate General Counsel for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, which is the largest museum in the U.S. devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. In addition to advising the Academy Museum, Lena also works with the collections at the Margaret Herrick Library and the Academy Film Archives. Lena previously served as in-house counsel at major arts and cultural institutions in New York, including Sotheby's and the Brooklyn Museum.
Pronouns: they/she
Open Meetings
In compliance with the requirements of the City and County of San Francisco, two Board of Directors meetings per year are open to attendance by the public. The board typically meets monthly on the fourth Monday. Public meetings for 2024 are on May 29 and December 17 at our offices at 989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, and/or online. Meetings start at 6:00 p.m. To attend or to request an agenda in advance, write at least 72 hours before the meeting to board@glbthistory.org.
Staff
Roberto Ordeñana
Executive Director
Roberto’s career has focused on strengthening local LGBTQ communities at the nexus of equity, economic opportunity, health, well-being and culture for 25 years. In the late 1990s, he worked at STOP AIDS Project, where he developed nationally recognized HIV prevention programs and community organizing projects with Latinx gay, bisexual, and trans youth. Most recently he worked at the San Francisco LGBT Center, where he built direct service, arts and cultural programs and worked to strengthen its organizational capacity and long-term sustainability. At the Center, he served in several leadership positions, including director of community programs, director of development and marketing and most recently as deputy executive director. In addition to his long professional career leading LGBTQ programs and institutions, Roberto has also volunteered his time as part of San Francisco community boards and city commissions, including Bay Area Young Positives, the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and the San Francisco Arts Commission, where he served as president from 2019 to 2022.
Pronouns: he/him/his
Daniel Bao
Finance Director
Pronouns: he/him/his
Kelsi evans
Acting Director of Archives
Pronouns: she/her
ian fullmer
Communications & Marketing Manager
Pronouns: he/him
Elena Gross
Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs
Pronouns: she/they
Sailor Galaviz
Development & Events Associate
Pronouns: they/she
Muffy
Visitor Services Associate
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Devin McGeehan Muchmore
Managing Reference Archivist
Pronouns: he/him/his
Yates Pinkney
Visitor Services Associate
Pronouns: any
Leigh Pfeffer
Senior Manager of Museum Experience
Pronouns: they/them/theirs
Ramón Silvestre
Museum Registrar & Curatorial Specialist
Pronouns: he/him/his
Brad Snyder
Director of Development & Communications
Pronouns: he/him/his
aSH waltz
Assistant Archivist
Pronouns: they/any
Working Groups
The GLBT Historical Society’s volunteer working groups continue the organization’s tradition of engagement, passion, and creativity with deep roots in the community. They are advisory and operational bodies that carry out designated functions focused on key initiatives under the direction of the executive director and the supervision of each working group chair.
Members of the working groups are asked to commit to a six-month term of service, offering volunteers the opportunity to make a more sustained commitment to the society. The organization currently has four standing working groups. Active working group members receive a one-year regular membership in the GLBT Historical Society.
Please read below to find out more about each group. If you are interested in more information or joining one of the working groups, please contact that group’s chair.
Archives
The Archives Working Group consists of volunteers who serve in an advisory capacity to the director of archives and special collections and archives staff. The group is responsible for advising on collections policies and participating in assigned archival projects, including collection arrangement, description and preservation. The Archives Working Group charter is available here.
National Advisory Council
The society’s National Advisory Council advises and supports our staff and Board on the fulfillment of our mission, with particular emphasis on guiding our campaign to establish a New Museum of LGBTQ History and Culture—a world-class museum, archives and public history center in San Francisco that we believe is vital to the preservation of our heritage and the representation of our diverse LGBTQ communities.
Co-Chairs
Mark Leno
Alfredo Pedroza
Gayle Rubin
Susan Stryker
Amy Sueyoshi
Members
Dustin Lance Black
Jennifer DeVere Brody
Steven Correll
Ms. Bob Davis
John D’Emilio
Robert Dockendorff
Cheryl Dunye
Ramzi Fawaz
Estelle Freedman
Alicia Garza
Thomas Horn
Cleve Jones
Jordy Jones
Lani Ka'ahumanu
Tirza Latimer
Stu Maddux
Shannon Minter
Jim Obergefell
Hunter O’Hanian
Rebecca Prozan
Julia Serano
Sarah Schulman
Mike Shriver