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Mayor Walsh announces members of new LGBTQ+ Advisory Board

Corey Henry | Senior Staff Photographer

The 19 members of the board will work with city departments such as the mayor's office and the Syracuse Police Department.

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Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced the 19 new members of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Board for the city, according to a press release Wednesday. 

Walsh announced the formation of the board with a press release in June. He put out an open call for interested community members, which the 19 appointees responded to. 

The goal of the board is to act as a liaison between the LGBTQ community in Syracuse and city departments such as the mayor’s office, Walsh said on Wednesday. He hopes this board will ensure that the city “embraces diversity and creates opportunities for all,” he said.

The 19 members of the board include the following community members: 



  • Mattie Cerio, a social worker who focuses on health and education 
  • Alex Cimino
  • Kim Dill, the executive director of Sage Upstate, an organization that creates health programs and social groups for older LGBTQ people in central New York 
  • Gloria Gaye 
  • Barrie Gewanter, former county director of human rights 
  • Susan Horn, an attorney
  • Coran Klaver, a professor at Syracuse University whose specialties include Victorian literature and culture and feminist and gender theory
  • Chris Kukenberger, a professor of art at Onondaga Community College 
  • Mallory Livingston, director of the LGBT* Rights Program at Volunteer Lawyers Project CNY
  • Jimmy Monto
  • Anne Montreal
  • Stacy Myers, a realtor in Syracuse  
  • M. Catherine Richardson, a retired lawyer who studied at SU’s College of Law 
  • John Rushing, a member of the Onondaga County Human Rights Commission 
  • Leonardo Sanchez, a member of the Onondaga County Human Rights Commission
  • Rahzie Seals, the founder of BlackCuse Pride and an organizer with Black Lives Matter Syracuse 
  • Michael Sgro, a leadership coach 
  • Nick Stamoulacatos, a supervisor of social studies for Syracuse City School District 
  • Raymond Stazzone, a supervisor of testing for Syracuse City School District 

The co-chairs of the board will be Michael Sgro and Leonardo Sanchez. Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens, Emma Spector, who is the LGBTQ+ liaison for the mayor’s office, and Officer Marlena Jackson, who is the LGBTQ+ liaison for the Syracuse Police Department will assist the group. 

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