Board Members

Demas Boudreaux, Chair

Demas Boudreaux serves as government relations manager for Virginia Housing, where he liaises and coordinates government relations activities among Virginia Housing, the Virginia General Assembly, executive branch, and congressional delegation. Prior to his work at Virginia Housing, Demas was the government relations director for the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and legislative liaison for the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations. He holds degrees from Hampden-Sydney College, Virginia Tech, and the University of Lynchburg, and is an alumnus of the Sorensen Institute’s Political Leaders Program.

Beyond his work in affordable housing, Demas is active in historic preservation, and also serves as the music director for St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Richmond. Demas is on the boards of the GERMAN Club Alumni Foundation of Virginia Tech, and Virginia21, which he chairs, an organization that empowers college students and young Virginians to be engaged citizens and advocates for issues important to them and Virginia’s future. In 2019, he was named one of Richmond’s “Top 40 under 40” by Style Weekly.

Thomas Turner, Vice Chair

Thomas is a lifelong resident of Suffolk, Virginia. He is a graduate of Liberty University and has been active in Conservative Politics since 2012.  He has worked for numerous campaigns in the Commonwealth and the East coast. He most notably worked for former Rep J. Randy Forbes’s campaign and most recently Glenn Youngkin’s Gubernatorial Campaign. Thomas is active in local, state and national politics and holds numerous roles in the Republican Party.  

Thomas has served on his School Boards Safety Audit Committee from 2020-2022 and has many years working in the Suffolk Circuit Court. He works as the State Director for Conservatives for Clean Energy Virginia.

Preston Main, Secretary

Preston Main was raised, and still resides, in Hanover County with his husband and eleven-year-old son. He has worked for the Hanover County Public Safety Emergency Communications Department (9-1-1) for the last sixteen years, where he currently serves as the Senior Supervisor of Quality Assurance. Preston is a member of the Virginia Chapters of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) and National Emergency Numbers Association (NENA) where he currently serves on the APCO Legislative Committee, Conference Committee, and chairs the Policies and Bylaws Committee. He also served his local community as a volunteer firefighter and EMT for many years. Preston currently serves as the Secretary for the Richmond Chapter of Log Cabin Republicans.

Michael Berlucchi

Council Member Michael Berlucchi was elected in 2019 and re-elected in 2020 to serve as the District #3 representative on the Virginia Beach City Council. He was born and raised in Virginia Beach and is a graduate of First Colonial High School, George Mason University, the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia, and the CIVIC Leadership Institute at Old Dominion University.

Michael is the community relations manager for the Chrysler Museum of Art, where he creates and implements educational and community partnerships designed to expand and diversify museum audiences, particularly among underserved constituencies. He been recognized as an OUTstanding Virginian by Equality Virginia, one of Inside Business’ Top Forty under 40, a M.A.S.K.E.D Award Honoree by UNCF Virginia, Adult Move Maker by Teens with a Purpose, and the Green Run Collegiate Foundation’s GRC Hero Award. Michael has authored articles and given presentations on a range of topics related to his work experience and community/civic engagement.

Michael is an active community volunteer and supports numerous nonprofit organizations, including Teens with a Purpose, CIVIC Leadership Institute, Green Run Collegiate Foundation, Connected Business Networking, United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Hampton Roads LGBT Public Safety Consortium, Virginia African American Cultural Center, the Hope House Foundation, Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, among others. He also served as a member of the Virginia Beach Human Rights Commission, Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation, and consecutive terms as president of Hampton Roads Pride.

Berlucchi serves as the City Council Liaison to the 5/31 Memorial Committee, Virginia Beach Cannabis Advisory Task Force, Arts and Humanities Commission, Virginia Beach Development Authority, Human Rights Commission, Virginia Beach Sister City Association, Social Services Advisory Board and the Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation.

The Honorable R. Clarke Cooper

The Honorable R. Clarke Cooper is the founder and President of Guard Hill House, LLC, serves as the International Affairs Advisor for Hellenic Group, LLC, is a Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council, and serves on the Board of Governors of DACOR and the DACOR Bacon House Foundation.

Mr. Cooper has over two decades of experience in diplomatic, intelligence, and military roles. He served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs from 2019 - 2021, where he led a global enterprise and on an annual basis oversaw $170 billion in arms sales and $16 billion in security assistance. In 2021, he received the Superior Honor Award for coordination and implementation of the security cooperation elements of the Abraham Accords in support of the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Kingdom of Morocco normalizing relations with the State of Israel.

In previous diplomatic posts, Mr. Cooper served as U.S. Alternate Representative to the United Nations Security Council, U.S. Delegate to the United Nations Administration & Budget Committee, Senior Advisor in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, and Advisor at U.S. Embassy-Baghdad. His active-duty military assignments included tours with Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Africa Command, Special Operations Command Africa, Joint Special Operations Task Force Trans-Sahara, and Special Operations Command Central.

From 2010-2012, Mr. Cooper served as Executive Director of the Log Cabin Republicans, the national LGBT conservative political and educational organization. There, he secured the Republican votes in the U.S. Congress to repeal the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” ban on gays and lesbians openly serving in the military, served on the Republican National Committee’s Finance Committee, and managed a political action committee dedicated to supporting pro-equality Republican candidates nationwide.

‎An outdoor enthusiast, he served as an Assistant Director of the National Park Service early in his career and attained the Eagle Scout rank in his youth.

Mr. Cooper is a graduate of The Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in history, is an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School Senior Executives in National and International Security program and is a graduate degree candidate at the University of Oxford in England.

A field grade officer in the U.S. Army Reserve, Mr. Cooper is married to fellow combat veteran, Lieutenant Colonel Michael J. Marin. They reside in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley in rural Warren County, Virginia.

Kerry Flynn

Kerry Flynn is currently a graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University where he received his Bachelors of Arts in History, he is an active member in his College Republicans Chapter, and will be receiving a Masters in Teaching with a concentration in Secondary Social Studies in the summer of 2023. Before entering graduate school, he worked as part of the office staff for two members to the Virginia House of Delegates, and helped to research HR 151. Kerry is no stranger to sitting on boards as prior to redistricting he was the College Republican Representative on the Seventh Congressional District Republican Committee and was elected to the College Republican Federation of Virginia’s First Vice Chairman, which sits on the Republican Party of Virginia’s State Central Committee. He is an active member of his local GOP Unit. Kerry currently resides in Midlothian, Virginia with his fiancé, their cat Hammo, and dog Max.

Jason Geske

Jason Geske is a policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunication and Information Administration. NTIA’s programs and policymaking focus largely on expanding broadband Internet access and adoption in America. 

Teri Crawford Brown

Teri Crawford Brown was born and raised in Jewel Ridge, Va., and as a child never went off the mountain unless it was for a special family trip to Dairy Queen. Teri now lives in Richlands, Va., in a century-old church that she has been sustainably renovating with her husband. To her, the mountains of Virginia have always been home, and a home she wants to protect.

Mrs. Crawford Brown serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Blackberry Winter, a nonprofit dedicated to providing a “hand up” to people during a “cold snap” in their lives.

Mrs. Crawford Brown earned her MSN with a concentration in Nursing Administration and Leadership at VCU Medical Center. She was appointed to the VA LGBTQ+ Advisory Board by Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2022.

Tuan Ho

Tuan is a serial founder and Partner at Xfund. Prior to Xfund, as co-founder of Philo, Tuan pioneered live-streaming television, marking Xfund's first investment. While building Philo, Tuan’s commitment to entrepreneurship at Harvard extended through his role in helping to launch the Harvard Innovation Lab. After Philo, Tuan was instrumental in establishing the Founder-In-Residence program at Atomic Labs, where he became the Co-Founder & CEO of Raydiant, a leading AI platform for automating in-store customer experiences. In North Carolina, Tuan was a key figure working with investors, partners, and the local government to transform the historic Lucky Strike tobacco factory into a dynamic startup hub.

Tuan earned his A.B. degree in Chemistry & Physics at Harvard College and M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School, specializing in tech policy and national security. Beyond his involvement with Xfund, Tuan actively advises and angel invests in startups specializing in telemedicine, robotics, data infrastructure, and blockchain. Tuan also serves on the Governor of Virginia’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board.

Alonzo Mable

Alonzo Mable is originally a Washington, D.C. native and is now a resident of Henrico County.

Mr. Mable is a senior logistician and systems manager for the Naval Sea Command within the U.S. Navy. He is a 2014 graduate of Geneva College where he completed a degree in Biochemistry and played strong safety for four years on the Geneva football team.

He continues his love for sports and football by coaching for the last 7 years at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond and has also been a coach for the Richmond Black Widows womens football team and team captain for the National Gay Flag Football League champion team - The DC Admirals.

Mr. Mable and his partner John attend St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Richmond and are active in community and charitable fundraising events. Alonzo travels overseas extensively and has worked or toured in more than 40 countries in Europe, Central and South America, Asia and Africa.

Dakota Stroud

Dakota R. Stroud is an agricultural educator and FFA advisor in Shenandoah County, Virginia. He leads the Signal Knob Middle School FFA Chapter, nationally recognized as the top middle school FFA chapter in the country. His work focuses on leadership development, workforce preparedness, and community engagement through agricultural education, with an emphasis on fostering inclusive environments where all students are respected and empowered to succeed.

Dakota holds a degree in Agricultural Education from Virginia State University and serves as a National FFA Teacher Ambassador. He has held leadership roles within the Virginia Association of Agricultural Educators, contributing to the advancement of agricultural education and professional development for educators statewide.

In 2025, Dakota was named Teacher of the Year for Shenandoah County Public Schools, a reflection of his dedication to student growth, educational excellence, and broadening civic engagement. His work is rooted in building connections between education, industry, and community stakeholders, with a commitment to creating spaces that value diverse perspectives and strengthen the social fabric of Virginia’s rural and agricultural communities.

Brandon Williams

Brandon Williams, a native of Dinwiddie County who recently relocated to Chester, Virginia, is a licensed funeral director with Woody Funeral Home & Cremation service.  Brandon has been in the funeral industry since 2022. Starting out as a part time funeral assistant, he worked his way through his apprenticeship and graduated from Bright Point Community College earning his Associates degree in Applied Science in Mortuary Science. Before Brandon pursued  his career in mortuary science, he acquired his degree in Culinary Arts from J Sergeant Reynolds. After working in the culinary arts. Brandon found himself looking for a more challenging and rewarding goal in life. After a suggestion from his grandmother, showing the compassion he had for others and his willingness to help.  She suggested he try his had in the funeral industry.  He decided to work part time for his local funeral home to see if he had what it took to succeed in the field of funeral service. 

Working in the funeral industry has taught Brandon so many things about culture, diversity, and various religions. Working with families during their time of need has given Brandon the perspective on life that tomorrow is never guaranteed and we have to live for the moment and live each day as if it’s our last.

When Brandon is not working for the funeral home you will find him still cooking up some tasty meals particularly southern and Italian dishes.  He loves to host dinner parties and loves merging food with interior design into his parties. He gives credit to both his grandmothers, who both knew how to cook and could also throw a good party. You will also find Brandon traveling , shopping, meeting new people, and taking in the sights of this great country. Brandon’s dream is to one day visit as many countries as possible to soak in different cultures and cuisines.  Though Brandon is not married  nor does he have any children he does cherish his fur baby CoCo Chanel Williams a three year old Golden Doodle. Brandon hopes to bring great things and insight to the LGBTQ Advisory board. He feels his work with different individuals within his current field can help bring some insight to others.

Steve Taylor

Dr. Steve C. Taylor is the Policy Director and Senior Fellow for Economic Mobility at Stand Together Trust. He leads the investment and partnership strategy and builds issue-focused coalitions to educate policymakers on reforms that empower and motivate all individuals to develop and leverage their skills and education to pursue meaningful work and contribute to society.

His career spans roles across higher education and workforce and organizational development. Taylor founded ED2WORK®, a consulting firm that helps stakeholders address the needs of adult and working learners. At the American Council on Education, he directed national initiatives on teaching and learning transformation, alternative credit and credentials, and quality assurance.

In July 2024, Taylor was appointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin to a 4-year term on the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Commonwealth’s policy and coordinating body for higher education.

As a first-generation college student and Pell Grant recipient, he is passionate about expanding educational opportunities for underserved learners and improving the value and relevance of education and credentials. Taylor earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from East Texas A&M University and a doctorate in business from Wilmington University.