Staff & Board
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Q Center Board of Directors
Mayor Sam Adams, Honorary Chair
Sam Adams, Portland’s first openly gay mayor (and former city commissioner), serves as Q Center Honorary Chair. Considerable charm, smarts, leadership savvy, and good humor are but a few of the assets Sam brings to this work. A part of the center development team from day one, he holds a deep personal commitment to creating a vibrant, thriving LGBTQ community center.
“With Q Center, we finally have a place for us and our allies to call home.”
Check out Sam’s blog to learn more about his city-wide activities.
Jim Taff, Co-Chair
Jim is a native Oregonian, a graduate of Oregon State University and has worked in human resources since the early 1980s. Currently he is the Assistant Vice President of Compensation & Benefits at Standard Insurance Company. Jim and his long time partner Dirk moved from San Francisco to Portland in 1999 and currently live the SW neighborhood of Garden Home.
Anne Viola, Treasurer
Anne Viola is a Colorado native. She fell in love with both Portland and her partner in 2004, moving here permanently the following Spring. She has a strong background in accounting and bookkeeping which serves her well in her career as a loan officer. Anne has worked in the mortgage industry at Rose City Mortgage since December of 2005. She feels fortunate to work for a successful woman-owned business that is committed to being “green” and promoting sustainable practices. She and her dog Ishai volunteer at a local school and the public library through a pet assisted therapy program sponsored by Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital. Anne loves playing soccer year round and is a proud sponsor of Portland’s lesbian dragon boat team, the Amazon Dragons.
Tim Bias
Tim Bias has lived in the great Northwest for the past 40 years. Though originally from Santa Ana, CA, he thinks the Portland/Vancouver area is the most beautiful and wonderful place to live. His passion for the community, and love of the location, translate into the self-moniker of ‘Ambassador to Portland’. Mr. Bias is an agent for Farmers Insurance and has owed his own agency for 17 of the 23 years he’s been in the business. Outside of the office, he has been involved with the Rose City Softball Association for 15 of their 16 years; serving as assistant commissioner ( 6 years), Commissioner (2 years) and currently as Public Relations Ambassador. He lives by two mottos “Everything happens for a GOOD reason” and “You can NEVER have to many friends.”
Mary Wheat
Mary Wheat is a Portland native and lives in SW Portland with her partner Katie. Mary has worked for the Portland Police Bureau for the last nineteen years and is currently assigned as a Detective in the bureau’s Cold Case Homicide Unit. Past assignments have included investigating all bias/hate crimes in the Portland area and acting as the media representative for the Portland Police Bureau. Mary loves to travel internationally and she enjoys dining at Portland’s great restaurants with her partner and friends.
Aaron Hall
Aaron Hall is the owner of Aaron Hall Architecture (aha) and a LEED accredited professional. He previously served as president of the Portland Area Business Association (PABA), Portland’s GLBTQ Chamber of Commerce, representing hundreds of gay-owned and gay-friendly businesses in our community. Aaron led the search for Q Center’s permanent home and he is currently working with a group of trade and design professionals to develop the Center’s physical space and amenities.
Judge Kemp
Judge Kemp can be best described as a people person. He currently works as an Executive Assistant for FamilyCare, Inc. in Portland. Prior to coming to Portland more than a decade ago, Judge lived and travelled abroad in Europe where he worked as Chief Concierge for a luxury hotel in Amsterdam. A graduate of Portland State University, Judge majored in Communication and minored in Community Development. Being a community-minded leader but also one who likes to have fun, Judge has been a core volunteer and attendee for Portland’s premier Red Dress Party, a planning member for “Fire on the Columbia” on Sauvie Island, and is part of the PSU Department of Communication’s Alumni Resource Group. In the summer of 2011, Judge was also appointed by Governor John Kitzhaber to join the Commission on Black Affairs (OCBA). Judge resides in North Portland with his partner of 11 years, home designer Eric Schnell. The couple met in San Diego over 25 years ago when Eric’s hair was blonde and Judge had a moustache and a greasy Jheri curl. Judge and his partner enjoy traveling, meeting new people, and entertaining friends at their home.
Beth Allen
Beth is the owner of Beth Allen Law PC, a firm that reaches out specifically to the LGBT community and its allies. Her practice includes divorce and custody, adoptions, surrogacy and other family law matters, estate planning, business and employment law. She was a founding member of the Basic Rights Legal Group and still commits significant time to that organization. Beth teaches a seminar on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity as an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School, and is often a speaker at colleges and universities around the state on LGBT issues. She is a sought after speaker on the subject of marriage equality, and has appeared in numerous radio and newspaper articles. She has performed innumerable hours of pro bono work seeking equality for the LGBT community, including same-sex marriage and transgender rights. Beth and her partner Christine are the proud mothers of two young boys.
Ryan Wayman
Ryan Wayman is a native Oregonian and attended Oregon State University where he studied Psychology & Business Administration. He and his partner Patrick live in NE Portland with their two dogs, Jake and Sammy. Ryan has more than a decade of experience in Human Resources, Risk Management and Business Development. He is Managing Partner of Pride Financial Partners, an independent, open brokerage firm specializing in financial planning, wealth management and risk management for the small business owner, non-profits and individuals. Ryan and Pride Financial Partners pride themselves on giving back to local non-profit organizations, respecting and supporting diversity in our community and having the highest degree of ethical standards. His philosophy is to live for today but plan for tomorrow, love what you do and always serve your community.
Q Center Staff
Barbara McCullough-Jones, Executive Director
Q Center is pleased to announce the selection of Barbara McCullough-Jones as the organization’s next Executive Director. Barbara was chosen through a national search and she brings more than 20 years of executive nonprofit experience to Q Center. Barbara was the executive director of the LGBTQ Community Center in San Jose, California, was a founding member of the LGBTQ Center in Phoenix, Arizona and also founded the Lesbian Resource Project in Tempe, Arizona. Barbara served as President of the Association of United Way Agencies and represented more than 1,400 businesses during her time there. Recently, Barbara served on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Centers (Center Link). Barbara and her spouse, Sandra, are from the Northwest and look forward to being back in the region again to continue their work and to enjoy everything the Portland area has to offer. To reach Barbara by email, please click HERE. To connect on Twitter, please click HERE. Barbara is on Facebook as well so look her up!
Paul Fukui, Operations & Community Engagement Manager
Paul Fukui is Q Center’s Operations & Community Engagement Manager and is responsible for all the day-to-day operational activities of the Q Center. He oversees our events calendar and has been involved with Q Center since arriving in Portland in 2005. Paul works to plan & develop systems & procedures which improve the operating quality & efficiency of the agency. Paul also helps to plan programs & interactions that enhance community relations, foster innovative partnerships & effectively communicate with stakeholders within the Q Center’s service area. He has enjoyed watching Q Center grow (and working hard to make that happen!) from an idea to a home. Prior work in LGBTQ activism includes a stint at the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center working to provide HIV/AIDS care. Paul’s background is in the visual arts. He lives in Portland with Todd Karakashian, his spouse of two decades. To reach Paul by email, please click HERE.
Logan Lynn, Public Relations & Innovations Manager
Logan works to build & strengthen the center’s online presence with his web skills and social media savvy, and brings his experience in Public Relations and Innovations to his work at Q. Logan works to identify stories & trends, produces content & executes campaigns that enhance partnerships, attract financial support and maintain visibility of LGBTQI issues throughout a variety of communities. At the end of 2010 Logan created the Q Center Concert Series which has showcased national queer talent on-stage in-house ever since. Logan’s professional background is in design and project management. Logan currently writes for The Huffington Post and he made a name for himself in recent years as an openly gay musician signed to an otherwise straight major record label and for being an outspoken voice from the LGBTQI community in the world of mainstream & indie pop music via MTV, VH1, Logo, and Spike TV as well as local, national & international press & radio. To reach Logan by email, please click HERE. To connect on Twitter, please click HERE. To be friends on Facebook, please click HERE.
Librarian: Ismoon Maria Hunter-Morton
Volunteer Coordinator: Lissy Richards
Volunteer Coordinator: DeDe Desperate
We Are Here Youth Program Intern: Mary Emily O’Hara