Sussex Pride Board of Directors

Board Member

Kelly Simon

Kelly Simon and her wife Melissa Ascher Simon split their time between their home in Rehoboth Beach and their houseboat docked at the Wharf in the District of Columbia.

Kelly serves as the Senior Director of Development at Public Justice and has served as Development Director for several organizations including SMYAL and the National LGBT Bar Association.

Board Member

Bobbi Elaine Strang

she/her

Bobbi Strang is a bilingual professional with ten years management experience and expert knowledge of the DC Workers’ Compensation Act of 1979.   She is skilled in public speaking, writing, interviewing, training, and assessment. Expertise in workers’ compensation, labor relations, workforce development, education, management, and work place investigations.

Bobbi volunteers with the DC Center for the LGBT Community as the co-chair of the Center Careers program.

Board Member

Elizabeth Mantey

she/her

Elizabeth grew up vacationing in Delaware for nearly 30 years and dreamt of moving here, of being a part of the inclusive community she admired since she was small. Her dream of living here came true when she purchased her home in Rehoboth in 2018.

Living here and seeing the life she dreamt for herself become a reality made her realize she wanted to make other’s dream of owning a home come true too. As a real estate agent, equal housing opportunity is extremely important. Elizabeth works to help other members of the LGBTQ+ community in Sussex County feel supported and safe throughout the homebuying process.

Board Member

Kathy Carpenter Brown

she/hers

Kathy Carpenter Brown is the founder of Transliance, a non-profit group dedicated to helping transgender people network, learn, grow, and come together socially in safe, trans friendly venues.  Kathy is also President of Brown’s Real Estate Services Incorporated.

Board Member

Kameryn J. Lee

she/her

Kameryn J. Lee, MD, MSPH, FACOG is the founder and principal of the Radically Inclusive Consulting Collective, a recently developed consultancy that focuses on racial, LGBTQ+, and gender-diverse health equity, social justice, and education. She is a 2021-2022 American Medical Association/Satcher Health Leadership Institute Medical Justice in Advocacyfellow, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist, and a fellowship-trained minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon. In addition to her primary medical subspecialty, Dr. Lee is also a key opinion leader in minimally invasive surgical device design and a transgender medicine expert. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Master of Science in Public Health degree from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Dr. Lee is studying sexuality and religion at Pacific School of Religion, and was chosen as a participant in the 2020-2021 National Transgender Seminarian Cohort.

Executive Director

David Mariner

he/him

David Mariner is an advocate and activist who strives to empower individuals with the tools, the training, and the support they need in order to make meaningful changes in their local community.  He has more than twenty years of experience working and volunteering for social justice efforts at the national and local level. His work has focused on three core areas: LGBT Equality, HIV/AIDS Advocacy, and Progressive Politics.

David has served on the Board of Directors of Empowering the Transgender Community, which supports the local transgender community in the District of Columbia. He also served on the Board of Instigators of the Diverse City Fund, which works to nurture community leaders and grassroots projects that are acting to transform DC into a more just, vibrant place to live.

David Mariner has previously served as the Executive Director of CAMP Rehoboth and as the Executive Director of The DC Center for the LGBT Community.

Board Member

Jahleel Norman

he/him

Jahleel Norman is a recent transplant to Lincoln Delaware.  He previously lived in Baltimore, Maryland where he was active in a number of LGBT organizations.   He most recently served as President of Baltimore Shipmates, the first Leather group in the state of Maryland.

Jahleel currently works at nutrihealth in Georgetown.  He is also the assistant manager at Everyone Fitness in Rehoboth.    Jahleel has a special interest in supporting the deaf and hard of hearing LGBTQ community.

Board Member

Jamie McKenna

she/her

Jamie is a graduate of Villanova University and Seton Hall University School of Law, and is a member of the New York and New Jersey Bars.  She spent most of her career in and around New York City, with practice areas focusing on corporate litigation and appellate advocacy.  Upon coming out as a trans woman, she moved to Delaware and shifted to primarily non-profit work.  She is a member of the American Bar Association and the International Society of Professional Females.

Board Member

Alex Reed

he/him

Alex Reed and his husband Jed Millard split their time between Rehoboth Beach and the District of Columbia.

Alex currently serves as the Operations Manager at Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.    He has volunteered at a number of LGBT organizations including Whitman Walker Clinic.

Board Member

Julissa Coriano

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Julissa Coriano is a clinical social worker and sexuality therapist in private practice.  With over 30 years of personal and professional experience volunteering, advocating, and service, Julissa’s clinical focus centers the Latinx community, particularly the undocumented community, the LGBTQIA community, and the sex trafficked community.  Julissa is the founder of Orgullo Delaware, an organization that clinically serves LGBTQIA-identified Latinx and their families in Delaware.  In addition, Julissa holds a leadership role on several LGBTQIA boards and committees throughout Delaware.

Board Member

Michael MaLoon

he/him

Michael MaLoon is the principle at Re-Marketable.    Michael is a seasoned association communications executive specializing in public relations, sales, new business development, membership engagement and event programming. Proven success developing association branding and promotional strategies. Strong background in publishing: Internet/mobile technologies, content management systems, editorial front-end integration, online advertising platforms and social media strategy.

Michael resides in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware with his husband Michael Dick.