Executive Committee
James Hermansen-Parker - President
mailto:president@hamptonroadspride.org
I have been the President of Hampton Roads Pride since April of 2008 and am happy to be serving this great organization until this term is over. I have seen this organization grow to becoming an outstanding resource for our community at large and am happy to represent all of you as President. I came to Hampton Roads in June of 2001 while in the Navy and decided to stay here after being discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". I started my work with Pride as an entertainer and a former Queen of Pride (2006-2007). I then began a career in Nursing as an LPN and am currently completing my RN at TCC. I am happily married (still a newly wed) to a wonderful man named Josh. We live in Norfolk with our two cats and are thinking about a baby in our future.
Patrick Mullins - Vice President
mailto:vicepresident@hamptonroadspride.org
Patrick Mullins is the Associate Artistic Director at the Virginia Stage Company where he directs, writes, and oversees outreach initiatives. He holds an MFA in Theatre from the University of South Carolina where he returned for graduate work after six years teaching high school in the Atlanta area. Patrick especially enjoys directing and adapting work that empowers community growth and interaction. His work was recognized by the Hampton Roads Cultural Alliance with the Bettie Minette Cooper Arts Educator award in 2010. He is also an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University. Last year, he joined the board of Hampton Roads Pride and participated in the move of their Out in the Park event to Town Point Park in Norfolk, VA. He is currently chair of the Out in the Park event for 2012.
Beth Brooker - Secretary
mailto:secretary@hamptonroadspride.org
Beth Brooker was elected to the HR Pride Board in January 2011. She served on the Sponsorship Committee and as Chair of the Vendors Committee for this year’s Out In The Park event. Beth is a graduate of Western Carolina university with a degree and Parks & Recreation Management. She has been organizing various types of events for 23 years.
Beth also serves as the state lead for GetEQUAL VA. GetEQUAL is an organization that empowers the LGBT community and our allies to take action to demand full legal and social equality.
As a committed volunteer to HR Pride, Beth has and will continue to work to make the organization the best it can be. With the momentum HR Pride has, there are so many more things we can do for our community. Moving OITP to Norfolk was the best thing we ever could have done. Now we need to ride the wave of success, be more involved in the community as a whole, plan well organized events, use the talents of the people in Hampton Roads, and promote LGBT pride like never before!
Bill Calvert -
Treasurer
mailto:treasurer@hamptonroadspride.org
Bill Calvert is a federal public health executive with over 22 years of leadership and management experience. Beginning in the late 80’s, Bill was a civil servant working at State and local levels. His experience included managing an HIV/AIDS program for a multi-county, large metropolitan area, overseeing prevention, testing and clinical services. His experience at this time included establishing and overseeing county HIV/AIDS clinics, managing grants and projects funded to local community based organizations, and establishing the area’s first consortium to accept the newly established Ryan White congressional funding. Bill moved to Hampton Roads 14 years ago as public health executive for a major military organization responsible for several global public health programs. Bill has served, and currently serves on national panels and committees including the National Academies, Institute of Medicine, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Department of Defense in areas of public health, community preventive services, and HIV/STD prevention strategies. Bill has 3 master degrees including an MBA. Recently, he volunteered with Out in the Park 2011 to lead the Inaugural Pride Boat Parade committee. Currently, he is volunteering for Equality Virginia’s DADT Repeal Celebration planning group and has begun organization of Out in the Park 2012 Boat Parade. He resides in Norfolk Virginia with his partner of 15 years, Darren, and their basset hound Annie.
Larry Sauger - Member (2 year term)
mailto:larry@hamptonroadspride.org
My name is Larry Sauger. I have began with pride as a member and volunteer in 2009. After helping with that years pride, and going to 14 meetings I decided to run for the board in 2010. I helped with vendors in 2010 and then was in charge of logistics for OITP of 2011. I moved to Norfolk in 2008 from Washington DC and became involved with the local leather community and joined the Knight Hawks of Virginia. I became an officer with them and have served as their Secretary, Pledgemaster and Vice President. I have also served on the Norfolk Hotel Motel association board.
My goals for Hampton Roads Pride are to build it into the premier LGBT community resource in the area. In my mind HRP should not be where people go to get HIV testing, it should not be where parents can go to get help for their kids, it should also not just be about a one day event every year. Hampton Roads Pride should be a resource to point people in the direction of what resources are available in the community, and should also be a year-long celebration of who we are, what we are, and the pride we all have in our hearts for ourselves, the ones we love and the community we all build together.
Michael Hamar - Member (1 year term)
mailto:michael@hamptonroadspride.org
Professional: Licensed attorney with offices in Ghent specializing in real estate, estate planning, corporate transactions, and services to the LGBT community – e.g., wills, trusts, financial and medical powers of attorney and birth certificate amendment. One of the few “out” LGBT attorneys in Hampton Roads.
LGBT Activism: Founding director of Hampton Roads Business OutReach (“HRBOR”), the region’s LGBT and LGBT friendly chamber of commerce; served on the Equality Virginia Legends Committee (Legends is EV’s second largest fund raiser) for five years and was committee co-chair in 2008: HR Pride board member in 2009 and sponsor for 2011 Out in the Park and 2011 Hampton Pride and Diversity; provided initial endowment for the HRBOR scholarship for graduating LGBT high school seniors (first award through the Hampton Roads Community Foundation to be in May, 2012); author/editor of blog “Michael-in-Norfolk,” contributor to national LGBT blog, The Bilerico Project, LGBT columnist for Veer magazine.
Melissa Richard - Member (1 year term)
mailto:melissa@hamptonroadspride.org
My name is Melissa Richard, and I'm honored to be nominated for the Board of Hampton Roads Pride! Since working at several events, including recruiting and managing over 150 volunteers for Out in the Park, I've immersed myself in the organization. I studied Political and Legal Studies at ODU with minors in English and Public Service with the intent to go to law school; I planned to pursue a career in making equal human rights a reality. Then the reality of financially realizing law school during a recession hit home, and I began looking for grassroots and community organizations that furthered the cause of equality here at home. I found HR Pride and have been working with the group ever since! I'm diligent, extremely organized, and driven...sometimes to fault, but you can be sure if given a task, I work like a dog until it's done! I've also been involved with other local nonprofits, including Access Aids, Southeastern Food Bank and Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic. I look forward to working with Hampton Roads Pride for years to come as a proud straight ally! Thanks!
Organizational Members
http://www.hrbor.org
Hampton Roads Business OutReach (HRBOR) is a broad based coalition of LGBT owned and LGBT supportive businesses and professionals dedicated to the development, growth and advocacy of Hampton Roads and its LGBT community. By promoting an environment in which diversity can flourish, HRBOR is committed to the economic growth and prosperity of our members and our community.
Founded in 2007, HRBOR is an affiliate member of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) and the only LGBT chamber of commerce in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2010, the NGLCC awarded HRBOR the national “Rising Star Chamber of the Year” award for its phenomenal growth, community outreach and innovative approach to forwarding the goals of equality and inclusiveness for the Hampton Roads LGBT community.
HRBOR is governed by a volunteer board of committed professionals who daily strive to advance the concerns of our membership and engage our community. Since its inception, HRBOR’s focus has been two-fold: promoting member businesses and strengthening ties to the community at large.
In December of 2004 we opened our home to the community on the heels of the events surrounding the change in the constitution of Virginia concerning gay marriage rights. During that first event we realized that there was a very diverse population in our community and a strong need for events that connect people in our area. How many times have people walked by one another and wondered if they were part of the community. What do you say in the grocery store to someone? Are you gay? How awkward would that be?! This area is so rich and diverse with so many incredible people, but where and how do they meet? With this as our “fuel,” we began creating events at our home which eventually lead to doors opening up in our area to bigger venues. It was our hope that people coming out to the social events we hosted would make connections the next time they were out and saw someone they could at least say hello or “Oh, we met at Mike-n-Mark’s party” instead of sharing an elevator ride in silence wondering. Since that first party we have been making introductions ever since, and it has evolved into our current role within the community as a “bridge builder.”
In our efforts to bring the community closer, we never imagined it would have turned into what it is today. We are extremely proud and very humble in the same moment that our efforts have touched so many and have been so well received and appreciated by the community. Last summer we were honored and recognized by Virginia Pride in Richmond with The George Michael “Buster” Zurik Community Commitment Award. Virginia Pride selects recipients who by virtue of their actions have made an overwhelming difference in the lives of the GLBT citizens within our state. It was an overwhelming honor to be recognized by an organization in a different part of the state and to realize our efforts had reached beyond just our local area.
Things are slowly changing, and we look forward to seeing more groups working together in the upcoming years. We are also looking forward to the time when our local community comes together and is a blended one filled with people who believe in equality.
ACCESS AIDS Care Mission http://www.accessaids.org
Our mission is to promote the dignity and wellness of adults, families, youth and children impacted by HIV/AIDS through quality support and prevention services so they may live healthy lives.
At ACCESS AIDS Care, we have worked to adapt our services to the advances that been made to fight HIV and AIDS. Individuals are now living longer with the disease, but their need for services from ACCESS AIDS Care has not diminished. In addition, the face of HIV/AIDS is constantly changing and it is out commitment to our community to serve those children, women and men who are affected by HIV/AIDS.
St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Hampton, VA. http://www.stmarkshampton.org
St. Mark's is a spirit-filled experience in an authentic community celebrating our trust in Gods unconditional love and healing. We received wholeness, through our relationships, vibrant worship and radical hospitality. Through the disciplines of our daily lives, we seek freedom and abundance: a world without fear, prejudice or judgment.
