About Pride Northwest

Pride celebrations have been held in Portland since the 1970's. In 1994, the original board of directors of Pride Northwest created a 501c3 organization and held their first meeting. Since that time, the board and the event has grown considerably.

Today, Pride Northwest is made up of a dynamic group of individuals from many different backgrounds who are dedicated to providing a venue for the queer community to gather and celebrate. The mission of Pride Northwest, Inc. is to encourage and celebrate the positive diversity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer communities, and to assist in the education of all people through the development of activities that showcase the history, accomplishments, and talents of these communities.

Meet the Board

Debra Porta - Board President

Debra Porta is a Texas transplant, working on her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology. Debra is a political activist and a self-professed news junkie. A reformed workaholic, she is relatively new to the local queer social scene. Debra enjoys meeting new people and spending what little free time she has with friends.

Hank Renfrow - Board Vice President, Media

Hank Renfrow has been an activist in the Portland Queer community for the past 10 years. Hank is currently the Vice President for the second year in a row for the Pride Board. In addition, Hank works on Media and Entertainment. Hank is an occasional drag king/host formerly of the now defunct stellar group DKPDX and also volunteers for many local Queer organizations. Hank is also an instructor at Portland State University in the Women's Studies, Extended Studies, and University Studies. Hanks most important job though, is being a mama to our youngest board member, Maude.

Pat Olson - Board Treasurer

Pat Olson moved back to Portland in 1991 after his time in the Marines. He has volunteered a lot of time here in the Portland area with the American Red Cross and Our House. Pat currently does online support for a phone company. During his off time Pat likes to travel around the State of Oregon with family and friends.

Mark A. Santillo - Board Secretary, Outreach Coordinator

Mark A. Santillo is the Creative Director of Active Imagineering, a marketing consulting firm for small business. He was formerly Program Director at a national trade association and Program Coordinator and Marketing Manager for an educational non-profit. Mark also sits on the Board of Directors of the Portland Area Business Association, the metro region's LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Mark moved to Portland from Philadelphia in 2005 with his partner of 23 years, Paul LeClercq. They now reside in Kenton, North Portland. Mark's favorite activity is playing games of all types, and he is the External Relations Coordinator for GameStorm, Portland's social and strategic games convention. His other interests include art and architecture, hiking, history, and all things geeky but not techie.

Ejiria Walker - Entertaiment Coordinator

Ejiria Walker was born and raised in Portland, OR. Being raised by her grandparents and having a love of community organization, she has always been involved in various organizations within the community. This is Ejiria's first year as a board member and is looking forward to all the challenges that are to come. She has experience in media, production, promotion, marketing, sales, and conflict resolution, all which will help her as our entertainment coordinator. Ejiria was in the Army for 9 years and served in a Combat Support Hospital as a nurse. She now works at a local rehabilitation facility as a wound care specialist. Ejiria has a beautiful son that is her inspiration for most things in her life. She is also on the steering committee as the liaison for Portland Black Pride.

Cory L. Murphy - Administrative Staff

Cory Murphy is a community advocate & organizer, promoter and technology student from the PGE Park neighborhood. Originally from suburban Chicago, Cory moved to the Northwest is 2000 to escape the Midwest. In 2003, Cory began attending Portland State University to earn a Bachelor of Science in History and Computer Science and is currently pursuing an A.A.S. in Network Systems Administration from Heald College. Since becoming a Portlander, Cory's has gained vast administrative, promotions and technical expertise from working with several varied companies such as Egghead.com, Vancouver School District, Portland State University, ACS and Boxxes/Red Cap Garage as their infamous club promoter. When he isn't volunteering, Cory is either being a geek online or spending time with friends.

Pride Northwest Board Application

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