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About the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board

The Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board was established by Governor Northam and signed into law on Monday, April 26, 2021. The board is composed of 21 non-legislative citizens’ members of the Commonwealth, including at least 15 members of the board identifying as LGBTQ+. Each member of the LGBTQ+ advisory board will be appointed by the Governor; Secretaries of the Commonwealth, Commerce and Trade, Education, Health and Human Resources, and Public Safety and Homeland Security, or their designees, who shall serve as ex officio members.

Ex-Officio Members

Boudreaux Headshot

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

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

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.

Joanna Keller

Joanna Keller

Joanna Keller is very active in her local LGBTQ+ community. She is on the Program Committee and in charge of the Community Clothes Closet at the Shenandoah LGBTQ Center in Staunton, she is a volunteer for Staunton Pride and a member of Shenandoah Valley Equality. Joanna is also a Moderator of Transgender Heaven.com, a safe web site to discuss, help and share resources with transgender identifying individuals.

She has served on the Red Cross Board of Directors, chairperson of the disaster committee, Big Brothers Big Sisters Board, chairperson of activities committee, and board member of the Anchorage Youth Hostel in Anchorage Alaska.

Joanna was a former Air Traffic Controller and a Maintenance Director until her retirement in 2020. 

Michael Berlucci

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

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

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

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. 

He started his diversity advocacy in 2009 by helping set up the first GLBT Employee Resource Group at the National Security Agency. Jason serves on the Diversity Council at NTIA, and as a member of the DEI Council of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University, where he is an alumnus. Jason and his husband, Patrick, live in historic Old Town Alexandria with their Wheaten Terrier, Bella. 
Kevin Han

Kevin Han

Kevin Han (he/him) is a second-generation Korean American born and raised in Virginia.  Kevin has gained experience with community engagement in a wide range of fields, including youth development, teaching English, and public service in the federal government. As a community health worker, he is focused on educating and connecting diverse communities with health coverage. He believes everyone deserves access to affordable healthcare, and is fully committed to helping anyone, including immigrants, LGBTQ+, women, and those with disabilities, acquire that basic human right. With an educational background in politics and foreign affairs, he is passionate about civic engagement and voting rights. Kevin is committed to representing the communities that he is a part of. In his free time, Kevin enjoys traveling, spending time with loved ones, and watching sunsets at the beach.

Thomas Butler

Phil Kazmierczak

Phil Kazmierczak is a Realtor, Associate Broker and President of Property Management for Atlantic Sotheby's International Realty.  In 2021, he ran for the Republican nomination for the 83rd District in the House of Delegates.  He is currently the Government Affairs Director for the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals, is on the Board of Directors of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Republican Professional Network, is Vice President of the Young Republicans of Virginia Beach, was the founding member and President of the Log Cabin Republicans of Hampton Roads and now serves as Treasurer, is a member of the Republican City Committee of Virginia Beach and serves as the Treasurer of the Hampton Roads REALTORS Association.  Phil was also appointed by Virginia Beach City Council to the Housing Advisory Board and most recently, to the Independent Citizen Review Board. For fun, Phil competed in the 2022 edition of Hampton Roads Dancing with the Celebrity Stars and won People's Choice while finishing Runner-up in his group. Phil lives in Virginia Beach with his husband, Aaron Abreu, a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, and their two rescue dogs, Cooper and Chonk. 

Monica Motley

Dr. Monica Motley

Dr. Monica Motley launched “The Motley Consulting Group” in 2016 to help activists, universities, and organizations address community disparities, complex social issues (e.g. racism, homophobia, etc.) and health inequities in rural communities. As a result, Dr. Motley and TMCG were selected for Business Equality Magazine’s 2019 “LGBTQ Leaders 40 under 40” list. She has also presented their research at the 2016, 2017, and 2018 American Public Health Association National Conference. As a Research Faculty Member at Virginia Tech, she works alongside the Center Director, Dr. Kathy Hosig, to manage a five-year United States Department of Agriculture Grant entitled “Empowering Healthy Families” that will partner with more than 20 congregations across Virginia to assess the effectiveness of a family nutrition and physical activity program to reduce childhood obesity in African American families via faith-based partnerships. She received her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in addition to two master’s degrees and a doctoral degree from Virginia Tech. Monica is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.

Derrick Pitts

Derrick Pitts

Derrick is a New Jersey native with a heart that beats for the South. With campaign politics running in his veins, he's made his way across Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Colorado. Currently serving as a Research Associate at Majority Strategies in Washington, D.C., Derrick's resume includes a tenure with heavyweights such as the Congressional Leadership Fund, the Republican Governors Association, and America Rising.

Derrick's academic credentials are equally impressive, having earned a bachelor's in political science from Montclair State University in New Jersey and a master's in organizational leadership from the Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.

When he's not busy strategizing and planning political victories, Derrick spends his time in Northern Virginia with his husband and their beloved rescue, Rusk.

Hoeflich Nickels

Jeffrey Hoeflich-Nickels

Jeffrey Hoeflich-Nickels, of Roanoke County, owner, i77 Strategies, LLC

Clay Hammer

Clay Hamner

Hamner graduated from the University of Richmond with a Bachelors degree in chemistry in 1983 and worked as a chemist for Roche Laboratories for a few years before joining his family pre-press advertising business in Richmond  in 1990.  The desktop publishing explosion was a perfect fit for someone with a highly technical background and his family business grew to become the largest desktop publishing company in the region servicing other agencies from New York to Georgia.

Over the years, that business has again transformed into an advertising agency offering service that include public relations, media planning and buying, web development, and social media strategies.  Lythos Studios is a full service agency that has included clients such as the Martin Agency, Lowe and Partners in New York, and the city of Petersburg.  A variety of Petersburg organizations have been clients of Lythos Studios since 2012 beginning with Historic Petersburg Foundation, the city itself, and the Petersburg Preservation Task Force.  This is Hamner’s fourth avdisory board  appointment from a Governor as he has served three terms over the past 20 years on the Citizen’s Advisory Council for Furnishing and Interpreting the Executive Mansion of Virginia.

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Teri Crawford Brown

Teri Crawford Brown, of Tazewell County, CEO/President, Blackberry Winter 

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Tuan Ho

Tuan Ho of McLean, serial entrepreneur

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Carson Cox

Carson Cox, of Richmond, Associate Attorney, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP

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Thomas Butler

Alonzo Mable

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.