Meet our Board of Directors!
Brigid Reilly
Board Chair
Retired from Workforce Development Board of Solano County (WDB). I was a Job Center Navigator helping people find their passion through employment and vocational training. I’m also continuing my Empowerment Coaching as a Certified Sound Therapist working with people who want to create their reality through vibrational sound therapy. I also work with foster youth and their families and anyone who’s ready to take their vision and passion to the next level. If this sounds like you, Call me at B-lovin life coaching! @ (707) 372-7884. Live Empowered!!
Donna J. Harris
(on the right with her wife Sandy who served as our Treasurer for years)
Secretary
My name is Donna J Harris. I have been a member of Solano Pride Center since I went to my first Pride picnic in 2004. I have also been a Board member for most of that time. I am very proud of the support & resources our SPC provides to those trying to come out, those who have been out quite awhile, and those who are fighting not to go back into the closet as we age! And to families & allies of those I listed!
When I retired from Nursing, I became a freelance Sign Language interpreter & teacher. Eventually I spent the last 27 years of my working career as a local elementary school ASL interpreter. For my “third act”, I focused my energies on arts, as an acrylic artist & member of Fairfield-Suisun Visual Arts Association. Most of my paintings are about nature, woodlands & seascapes, which you can sometimes see at one of our 3 art galleries.
I am a member of the Advisory Council of the Napa-Solano Area Agency on Aging. The AAA strives to help older adults in these 2 counties connect with each other & thrive, with home care, meals, health care, transportation, just to name a few services. Solano Pride Center is one of the many non-profits that the AAA helps fund with grants.
I have lived in Fairfield since 1972, originally with my husband & four children. When they all flew the nest to develop their own families, I finally decided to come out… in my fifties! My family have all been very supportive of me and later of my dear wife, Sandy Stelter of Strategic Organizing Solutions. Sandy was also an early member & Board member of Solano Pride Center until her death in 2022. We were proud & happy to be one of the first Lesbian couples to legally marry in Solano, in 2008. We also attended (I still do) Holy Family Old Catholic Church, in Fairfield, which is totally open & affirming for all.
Stephan Lawrence Theodore Clifford
Treasurer
Hello Solano Pride community! I am Stephan Clifford. I live and work primarily in Solano County as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I am a native born (Berkeley) Bay Area human. I was raised in Richmond before moving to Benicia where I graduated from Benicia High in 1998. I came out as Transgender in 2008 and began the lengthy transition to become the man I am today. I am a therapist, clinical supervisor, educator, public speaker, husband, father, and when I have extra time I am an avid nerd for many fandoms. I look forward to serving our community!
Charlotte Richardson
Fundraising Chair
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Charlotte resides in Vacaville. She is employed at Kaiser Permanente as a Clinical Practice Consultant. She is a Doctorate of Social Work candidate at USC. Her capstone project is focusing on building strong relationships within Black families with youth who identify as LGBTQ+. She serves Solano County community as a member of the local chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Don’t miss out on hearing her Podcast!
Black Embrace: A Podcast Supporting Black Families Navigating LGBTQIA+ Challenges
This podcast is dedicated to discussing the hard issues at the intersection of Black Family and LGBTQIA+ Youth. Historically the Black Community and LGBTQIA+ issues have been a point of disagreement and Black Family relationship breakdown. This podcast seeks to heal the wounds of family breakdown, create positive communication within Black Families with LGBTQIA+ Youth, and overall improve relationships and connection with Black Families and Community.
Our Clinical Director, Colin Amato, was one of Charlotte’s first interviews! Don’t miss it!
Audra Orr
Recently elected to the Vacaville School Board
Although she grew up in Kentucky, Audra fell in love with and has called California home since the Air Force brought her here in 1994. Audra has always been devoted to public service whether it be by serving her country for 26 years in the Air Force Reserve or by serving her community for over 20 years in a law enforcement capacity. Audra understands what its like to live completely in the closet as she served in the military before, during, and after Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT). She and her wife were legally married in 2008, and on September 20, 2011, the date DADT was repealed, Audra outed herself to her group commander and became the first out squadron commander at Travis AFB.
Trish Abbatiello
I’m a proud transplant from L.I., N.Y., moving here after receiving my Master’s Degree in Counseling and Psychology from Montclair State University in N.J.
Here since 1976, I feel the move to California was one of my best decisions. It gave me the opportunity to live my life as a proud open lesbian.
Retired now, much of my professional work has been in community mental health, working for non-profit organizations in Solano and Napa. In 1999 I opened and operated Sunset Bay Kayaks, offering rentals and tours of the Suisun Estuary. The business was a rewarding and healthy way to add balance to my life and work in mental health.
Three years ago I became involved with the Solano Pride Center, attending the Senior Luncheons. I enjoy the great lunches, the info and resources and making great new friendships.
Now as a board member, I look forward to the growth of our Pride Center and getting to know all of you.
Macksyn Peterson
History Student at UC Davis and LGBTQ advocate.
At the young age of 18, Macksyn brings a youth-centered approach to activism to the Solano Pride Center’s Board of Directors.
Most of Macksyn’s experience with the Queer community comes from their experience as the president of Benicia High Schools Gender and Sexualities club. Alongside the Solano Pride Center volunteers and club members, Macksyn organized and began the first whole pride week at a public high school in Solano County.
In addition to being the president of the GSA, he also participated in the Safe School Bathrooms Ad Hoc committee to pass SB 760 into law from May 2023 to September 2023. Insuring gender-neutral bathrooms in schools across the state. He graduated from Benicia High School in June 2024 and has since attended UC Davis. They hope to become a public high teacher after their master’s in history is completed after 6 years.
As a trans man, he has focused on creating inclusive environments for LGBTQ students at every opportunity. He hopes to use the experience and platform of Solano Pride to spread this agenda of open inclusion across the county.
Tyler Dorman
Development Manager of Meals on Wheels
Tyler Dorman brings a diverse background in film and television and nonprofit development to the Solano Pride Center’s Board of Directors.
The bulk of Tyler’s experience comes from locations management, camera operations, and on-screen talent, having contributed to projects at Paramount Pictures, American Zoetrope, Fairfield Channel 26, and numerous independent productions. He holds an Associate’s degree in Film & Television Production from Solano Community College, and a Bachelor’s degree in Film & Television Screenwriting from The Los Angeles Film School. He plans to pursue his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Film & Television Studies in the near future.
In addition to his creative work, Tyler has spent the past five years dedicated to nonprofit fundraising, development, and marketing, supporting causes that create meaningful community impact. He is currently the Development Manager at Meals on Wheels of Solano County, and has similar experience at a nonprofit in Sacramento working with women and children experiencing homelessness.
As a proud gay man, he believes deeply in the Solano Pride Center’s mission to uplift and support LGBTQ+ individuals, ensuring safe, inclusive spaces where everyone can thrive.