About Our Board
Cooper T Sealy (they/them) • Board President
I’ve had many job titles over the years from outreach specialist at North Seattle College for their business bachelors degrees currently, to professor in cinema studies at UW, to advisor, education director and non-profit manager in NYC and Ottawa, Canada. Consistently, my great passion is assisting students to find their path forward in life, both personally and professionally. We all need mentors of one form or another, someone who can relate to our experiences and listen as we navigate our next steps. Regardless of the context, essentially that’s what I do.
It’s my great pleasure to serve as a board member for LRP, where we centre the well-being of BIPOC trans women and femmes, where we engage relationally with each other and honor our life experiences.
David Strong (he/him) • Vice President
"I'm dedicated personally, pastorally, and professionally to working for equality for all people and housing for individuals and families and those affected by HIV/AIDS."
I'm currently a Housing Program Manager for Wellsprings Family Services in Seattle, which provides services to homeless families in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties. Before this, I served as the Executive Director of AHAT Homecare in Tacoma for 15 years and have worked in nonprofit organizations since 1994 in various capacities.
I serve on the PFLAG Washington State Council, BIPOC Committee of the Washington State LGBT Commission, and have served on various boards for over 20 years.
I serve as an independent Catholic priest who embraces new thought spirituality and as Pastor of Spirit of Christ Catholic Community, incorporating African-American spirituality and inclusion in our community.
I enjoy urban hikes, cooking, reading on theology, racial justice, nonprofit work, and fiction.
Shaun Glaze (they/them) • Treasurer
I'm Shaun.
Folks know me either for data or getting folks money. I'm excited to bring both parts to the board.
I dream of a world where everyone has what they need to thrive. I'm passionate about supporting Black trans women and femmes and following their leadership in all the things. I'm a Black genderqueer femme and I use they/them pronouns as an ancestral practice.
When I'm not doing board duties, I might be playing with my small-ish child, doing research, or downing excessive amounts of hot chocolate.
Aries Dial (she/her) • Secretary
I am a Chicago native that has chosen the PNW to be my home now for the past thirteen years. I'm a wife of ten years to one husband and Mom to three fur babies Bowie 'BoBo', Gracie, and Buster Dial. My life's work has consisted of working in the private financial sector but I made a change to public service seven years ago. It is my absolute calling to serve and nurture my communities. My identities as a Black transgender woman intersects on the outskirts of the margin and because of that reality, I have learned how to lead with love, compassion and a sense of belonging. My personal philosophy is to do no harm to myself or to others.
I have served in many capacities within affirming faith-based organizations from a Minister of Music to most recently as an Assistant Regional Coordinator within TransSaints of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries. I am also a Board of Director for the Lavender Rights project. It is my passion to uplift my Black and Brown siblings as we do this most important work for and within our communities and families.
In my spare time, I'm an avid thrifter, collector of vinyl records and cds, hostess of dinner parties, hiking and gardening. I choose to live on purpose.
Marcus Sanzi (they/them) • Board Member
Hi ya’ll, I’m Marcus.
I moved to Seattle with my husband and my dog in 2019. I am an immigrant, LatinX and proud Queer member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. I’m passionate about social justice, equity and advocate for historically disfranchised groups with multiple intersecting dimensions of gender, race, ethnicity, culture, class and migration.
Professionally, I’m a Qualitative Researcher Scientist. I apply my educational background in Counseling Psychology to understand the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’. If the data tells you ‘what’ someone is doing, my work provides insights about ‘why’ they are doing it. My research focus is to learn about people’s social and material circumstances, their experiences, perspectives, and histories as told by them. I use intersectionality and decolonization approaches and theories that unveils social and systemic problems that have been overlooked by government agencies. I’m particularly proud of this work because it created an analytic framework that attempts to identify how interlocking systems of power impact those who are most marginalized in our society.