At Cville Pride, we are ALL volunteers. Along with the board members, who volunteer to serve as “staff,” we have additional committees, leaders, interns, and volunteers who make everything we do possible.
Elena Michaels, Social Media & Communications Coordinator
Elena has lived in Charlottesville for 18 years and works for the UVA Health System. In her teen years, she was a principal member of ROSMY Blue Ride, now named Side to Side, and became a vocal advocate for LGBTQIA students in public schools. Elena served as Cville Pride’s first summer intern in 2016, helping to run social media, promote events, and keep the board members sane. After graduating from Lynchburg College, Elena returned to her hometown to share her passion, enthusiasm, and mean pasta-making with her friends, family and community.
Growing Facebook fans, promoting events, setting up email templates, finding raffle donations – Elena has done it all. A force to be reckoned with and a voice for change, Elena’s initiative and input has been a welcome addition to the team.
Eugene Fitzgerald, Social Media & Communications Coordinator
Eugene, new to the Charlottesville area, found Charlottesville Pride at a small celebration downtown on June 25, 2015, a day which we all know gave American LGBTQIA citizens the right to marry who they love. Since that gathering a few years ago, Eugene has taken advantage of all that Cville Pride has to offer – from festivals, parades, picnics, happy hours, training sessions, and volunteering to planning and board meetings.
Eugene has a passion for all things hospitality and service. He centered his professional career around servant leadership, development, and training individuals to succeed not only in their careers but also in their personal lives. Eugene has been a part of boards and volunteered with numerous organizations including The Salvation Army, United Way, Rotary Intl., and many other local charities/non-profits. When not at work or at Pride events, Eugene likes to cook and plays piano/organ for a local affirming church congregation. If you want advice on anything “local” or food/restaurant related, Eugene is the guy to go to! Eugene and his boyfriend Patrick look forward to working with and through Charlottesville Pride to connect the Charlottesville LGBTQIA community and their allies with other community groups. By championing Charlottesville Pride’s values and spirit at the local, regional, and greater communities, Eugene hopes we will continue to foster acceptance and build mutually beneficial relationships among these groups.
Kimberly Diaz, 2018 Darden Board Fellow
Kimberly is co-founder and CEO of oneTILT, an organization that grows education managers to lead from a place of equity and innovation. Kimberly started her career as a middle school math teacher in Washington, DC. After her time in the classroom, she joined staff at Teach for America, where she oversaw a team of eight responsible with training over 200 teacher a year and served as board chair of The Collective-DC, an association for Teach for America Alumni of color. Kimberly holds a BA in Psychology and Economics from the University of Virginia, an MAT from American University and is currently pursuing her MBA as a Forte Fellow and Consortium Scholar at UVA’s Darden School of Business. She loves SoulCycle, the Yankees, and all things Celia Cruz.
Dreama Belle, Entertainment Director
Dreama Belle is a drag artist located in the heart of Virginia serving comedy, live musicianship, lip-sync acts, and emcee abilities to audiences of ALL varieties.
She is the proud co-owner of Collaborative Arts Entertainment in which she directs, produces, and performs in many events sponsored under this label. She is the show director of “THE HAUS OF BELLE” produced bi-monthly at The Southern Cafe and Music Hall as well as “Diva Talk” produced at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. You can also catch Dreama periodically performing throughout the rest of this vibrant city on the show cast at IMPULSE GAY SOCIAL CLUB (2016-17 Vixen) as well as Fellini’s Drag Brunch when she is not street performing in the historic downtown.
When the current reigning Miss Harrisonburg at Large is not bopping around the bustling scene of the Valley, you can catch her traveling on a consistent basis across the east coast.
Remy St. Clair, Music Director
Host of The Throne Room, a weekly morning show on 101.3 Jamz, Charlottesville’s hip-hop and R&B station, Remy has performed at Cville Pride festivals and will be hosting for a second time in 2017. One of the founders of the 9 Pillars Hip Hop Cultural Festival, Remy’s passion for music and community is undeniable. As the music director for the Cville Pride festival, Remy hopes to make magic happen!
Lyndele von Schill, SafeCville Coordinator
Lyndele has lived in the Charlottesville/Albemarle County area since 1980, and feels deeply connected to the region and its diverse communities. She served as founding President of PFLAG Blue Ridge, and as a Board Member, from 2010-March, 2015, and is a volunteer with, and ardent supporter of, Cville Pride and ROSMY. As the parent of adult children who identify as LGBTQ, Lyndele is passionate about ensuring that all K-12 students are supported and respected as they become aware of, and express, their gender identities and sexual orientations.
Email Lyndele or sign up for a safe-space training.
Join Us!
Want to volunteer, intern, make a difference? Work with youth, seniors, business, fundraising, events? We have a lot of fun and work very hard. Join us! Get great experience while contributing to the community.