This Pride season, the Office of LGBT Affairs is proud to announce the new and returning members of the Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs.
In January 2022, we opened our search process and were thrilled to receive nearly a hundred applications to join the Commission. With their submission, each applicant was thanked for their time and thoughtful responses while the review committee carefully reviewed their application. The review committee then invited qualified applicants to participate in interviews, and final candidates to join the commission were notified in early spring.
Each candidate, new and returning, was asked to sign an acknowledgement of their responsibilities as a member, as well as the policies and procedures of the Commission.
Following their welcome and onboarding to the Commission, the new members will be formally presented at the June 3rd Flag Raising ceremony kicking off Pride season in Philadelphia.
Members of the Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs are listed below:
Jay Alston* (he/they) – has served on the Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs since 2019. Jay was part of the first cohort of the Mayor’s Officer of LGBT Affairs’ Leadership Pipeline, a program designed to encourage and train marginalized community members to serve on the boards of local nonprofits and other organizations. After being selected to serve on the Commission, Jay became the secretary of the group and has now been serving as the interim chair of the Commission since May 2021. Jay is a 2017 graduate from the University of Delaware with a B.S. in Business Administration. He works as the Human Resources Manager at Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia’s center for LGBTQ health and well-being. In his free time, Jay enjoys playing video games (PC and Switch), cooking, and spending time with his 4 year old Chihuahua mix Mila. Jay is nonbinary, black, Jewish, disabled, fat and fabulous and enjoys serving the community in any way he can.
Chris Bartlett* (he/him) – is the Executive Director of the William Way Community Center. Bartlett is an American gay activist, feminist, educator, and researcher. At the start of his career, Bartlett served as the director of SafeGuards Gay Men’s Health Project where he worked to develop programs to address health needs of gay and bisexual men on a broader spectrum beyond HIV and AIDS. In 2003, Bartlett, along with activist Eric Rofes, created the Gay Men’s Health Leadership Academy. Bartlett is a long-time leader within the Gay Men’s Health Movement and has participated as both an organizer and presenter at numerous Gay Men’s Health Summits. During his tenure at the William Way Community Center, Bartlett has focused on community building and has been a leader in the effort to create housing for LGBTQ+ seniors.
Andrew Clark (he/him) – Andrew Clark is the Director of Finance at Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence and has worked in local non-profits for 10+ years. He has experience with non-profit work for financial literacy, debt assistance, public space, civic engagement, and youth oriented social work, which he is excited to bring to the role in advising the Office of LGBT Affairs in the diverse needs and opportunities of the community.
Dr. R.O. Corbett (she/they) – Dr. R.O. Corbett is a Sports Medicine Researcher, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Specialist, and a Certified Athletic Trainer. Dr. ROC has committed themselves to promoting diverse, equitable, and inclusive practices with an emphasis on healthcare and higher education. Dr. ROC breaks down the need for empathetic, inclusive and equitable practices to be used to facilitate better outcomes for historically excluded populations. Dr. ROC is originally from New York, and has always enjoyed visiting the city of Philadelphia and now as a resident, looks forward to using her skillset to serve the LGBTQIA+ community here in Philadelphia.
Jason Culler (he/him) – Born and raised in the heart of North Philadelphia. The Program Manager for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Public Health Division in Philadelphia. Also, the Co Founder, and CEO of Social Life Entertainment, LLC, an organization that creates safe space for the LGBTQ+ Community. Background in community organizing in Black & Brown, and LGBTQ+ communities. A world traveler, and an actives. Focus and passion is equality for all.
Peter Andrew Danzig (they/them) – LSW, MSS, MA, CCPT, CPT is a Senior Leadership Strategist, Psychotherapist, Author, and DEI (AB) Professional in the Greater Philadelphia region. Peter’s research and practice interests are invested in community mental health, theories on adult play and the ways it frames our social interactions, and trauma informed work with clients specifically LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and artists/creatives populations. Peter’s research and Op-Eds have been featured in the Psychology Today, The Wall Street Journal, Philadelphia Gay News, The Mighty, and others. Peter has experience in senior leadership and administration providing strategic planning, case management and organizational psychology in a variety of settings including hospitals, higher education, and non-profit arts agencies. In 2014, Peter founded Theatrical Trainer, a non-profit research collective dedicated to social service and wellness for artists across the country.
Stephanie Haynes* (she/her) – Stephanie Haynes is the Executive Director of Philadelphia Family Pride, a position she’s held since 2014. Stephanie, her wife and their twin sons live in West Philadelphia.
Jacqueline Hopkins (she/her) – Jacqueline Hopkins is a creative, strategic and passionate leader with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), employee relations, EEO and legal experience. She has served as the Director of EEO and Employee Relations at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), where she spearheaded their diversity and inclusion initiatives and fostered transformative change. Most recently she joined Gopuff, the “go-to” instant delivery platform for everyday essentials, and is currently leading their global diversity and inclusion programs.
Izzy ‘Criptastic’ Kaufman (she/they)- is a proud queer multiply disabled person and the Vice President of Disability Pride PA. For over five years they have been working as a sexuality educator in the Philadelphia area and nationally. Izzy loves teaching others about the beauty of disability identity as well as highlighting barriers and systems that oppress marginalized people.
Freddy Purnell (he/him/they/them) – Freddy Purnell is currently a research assistant working at the University of Pennsylvania. Freddy graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 2020, while attending they worked as a student advocate and served as the President of The Pride roundtable and a student representative on State College Borough’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee. After graduation he was appointed to the Governor’s Commission for LGBTQ Affairs. Through their involvement in the Philadelphia commission, Freddy hopes to amplify the voices of queer youth and have a positve impact on his community!
Franz Utomo (he/him) – Franz is a graduate student in Public Policy at Temple University. Franz immigrated from Indonesia in 2016, fearing from religious persecution due to his sexual orientation. Franz was put in the foster care system in Philadelphia soon after his arrival and has since become a proud member of the community. Franz is committed to advocacy for the LGBTQ and immigrant communities as well as children and young adults who experience the child welfare system in Philadelphia. He has gratitude for the City and the community, who welcomed him with open arms.
Casper Voyles (he/him) – Casper has called Philly home for over 10 years, having originally hailed from Minnesota. He’s been enjoying his recent move to the Fairmount neighborhood, where he lives with his partner and playful pup. Casper has worked in the field of LGBTQ+ health since 2008 and is currently a PhD Candidate at Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University, where his focus has been on investigating participation of sexual and gender minorities in social spaces conducive to health. Following his graduation in June 2022, Casper will be working with Drexel’s Urban Health Collaborative as a postdoctoral trainee, focusing on LGBTQ+ inclusion in occupational settings. In the meantime, you’re likely to catch Casper caffeinating at one of Philly’s great local coffee shops, exploring Fairmount park, or stocking up on yarn for his next knitting project.
*Denotes a returning member of the Mayor’s Commission on LGBT Affairs.
