Thursday November 7, 2024
6:30p – 9p
Welcome Reception
Meet, mix & mingle with your fellow conference attendees.
No cover, cash bar.
Tallman Cocktail Club
219 West Fayette Street
Friday November 8, 2024
Conference Sessions
All conference sessions are located at SKY Armory (351 South Clinton Street, Syracuse)
7:30a – 8:30a
Registration
Check in & get ready to roll!
8a – 9a
Continental Breakfast
Enjoy a light breakfast of fruit, pastries + coffee
8:30a – 8:50a
The History of the Pride Flag
A brief video presentation from The Gilbert Foundation about the history of the Rainbow Pride Flag and its creator, Gilbert Baker.
Jay Blotcher
Board Member, The Gilbert Baker Foundation
9a – 9:15a
Welcome Remarks
Ben Walsh
Mayor, The City of Syracuse
Jimmy Monto
President of CNY Pride
Syracuse Common Councilor
Tracy DiGenova
CNY Regional Representative, Office of Governor Kathy Hochul
Morning Sessions
9:15am – 9:30a
LGBTQ+ Pride Celebrations Driving Local + Regional Tourism
Ross D. Levi
Executive Director / Vice President NYS Division of Tourism – I LOVE NY, Empire State Development
David Contreras Turley
Director of Tourism, Industry Relations at the New York State Division of Tourism – I LOVE NY
Chanel J. Lopez
Deputy Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs for Governor Kathy Hochul
9:30a – 10a
Maximizing Your Local Tourism Resources
Melaine Rottkamp
President & CEO, Dutchess Tourism, Inc.
10a – 10:45a
Pride 101: Leveraging Your Local Resources To Showcase Your Pride
Kevin Bailey
Co-Founder, Come Out Central NY
Stephan Hengst
Co-Founder, Big Gay Hudson Valley
Yolanda Bostic Williams
Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
10:45a – 12 noon
Managing Your Pride Organization
Managing your data to plan for the growth of your organization.
Carmen Neely
Co-Founder & President, Harlem Pride
Pride partnerships / LGBTQ+ community center support.
Nathaniel Gray
Executive Director, Pride Center of the Capital Region
The state of fundraising for Pride events & advocacy through employee resource groups.
Sandra Pèrez
Executive Director, New York City Pride
12p – 12:45p
Lunch + Networking
Afternoon Sessions
12:45p – 1:15p
Making Pride Accessible for All
Ron Zacchi
Sr Director, Hate & Bias Prevention Unit
New York State Division of Human Rights
Nathaniel Gray
Executive Director, Pride Center of the Capital Region
1:15p – 2:15p
Embracing Diversity: Celebrating Marginalized LGBTQ+ Communities
The history of Black Pride.
Tandra LaGrone
Executive Director, In Our Own Voices
Lee Soulja-Simmons
Executive Director of NYC Black Pride
Panel discussion on Equity + Inclusion at Pride, moderated by Tandra LaGrone
Jaleel Campbell
Coordinator, Project Out Loud Syracuse
Sandra Perez
Executive Director, NYC Pride
Carmen Neely
Co-Founder & President of Harlem Pride
Nathaniel Gray
Executive Director, Pride Center of the Capital Region
Lee Soulja-Simmons
Executive Director of NYC Black Pride
2:15p – 3:15p
Sharing Your Pride: Marketing Your Event to Your Community
Stephan Hengst
Co-Founder, Big Gay Hudson Valley
Scott Brooks
Vice President of Sales, iHeart Media
Patrick Decker
Co-Founder, Big Gay Hudson Valley
David Contreras Turley
Director of Tourism, Industry Relations at the New York State Division of Tourism – I LOVE NY
3:30p – 4:30p
Working With Local Governments, Municipalities & Law Enforcement
Moderated by
Jimmy Monto
President of CNY Pride
Syracuse Common Councilor
Mickey Harmon
Community Organizer, Buffalo
Intersect: A Queer Arts Festival
Stephan Hengst
Co-Founder, Big Gay Hudson Valley
Tandra LaGrone
CEO, In Our Own Voices
Karen Marder
Executive Director
Dutchess Pride Center, Poughkeepsie
4:30p – 5:15p
Pride Success Stories
Panel Discussion: Sharing unique + successful Pride events from communities across New York State.
Moderated by
Jeff Cole
Anchor & Managing Editor, WWNY-TV, Watertown, NY
Board Member, Watertown Pride
Travis Barr / Anita Buffem
President – Cazenovia Pride
NY Board of Education Member
Lori Robertson
Executive Director, Friends Of the Walkway Over The Hudson
Mickey Harmon
Community Organizer, Buffalo Intersect: A Queer Arts Festival
5:15p – 5:30p
The Future of Pride
Reviewing what we’ve learned today + goals for the future.
Chanel Lopez
Governor Kathy Hochul’s Deputy Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs
Kevin Bailey
Co-Founder, Come Out Central NY
Stephan Hengst
Co-Founder, Big Gay Hudson Valley
Friday November 8, 2024
Post-Conference Activities
6p – 7:30p
Happy Hour
Grab a drink + relax with the home city hosts: Come Out Central NY.
Included with conference registration, cash bar available.
Salt City Market
484 South Salina Street
9p
Werkaholic feat. Vanessa Vanjie Mateo + Special Guests
The RuPaul’s Drag Race All Star performs in Syracuse.
No fee General Admission tickets available for conference attendees when registering.
The Song + Dance
115 East Jefferson St, Syracuse, NY 13202
Saturday November 9, 2024
12p – 2p
Guerilla Gay Cafe Presented by Come Out Central NY
Syracuse Guerrilla Gay Cafe happens on a weekend afternoon in a local coffee shop or venue where consumption of alcohol is not the central focus.
Café Kubal
401 South Salina St, Syracuse, NY 13202