President and Chair

President

Luis A. Robles

Luis A. Robles was born and raised in Santurce, Puerto Rico son of Roberto A. Robles and Enriqueta Roque de Robles. He studied at Albert Einstein High School in Santurce, Puerto Rico and then began studies at the University of Puerto Rico where he graduated with a BA in Business Administration.

Luis came to New York City after his mother passing in 1967 for a better way of life.

Luis started his community work after he met Brent Nicholson Earle, a young activist who wanted to do a run around the United Sates and Canada to raise AIDS Awareness, his involvement in AREA (American Run for the end of AIDS) opened many doors in his community activist world. After finishing helping Brent do the run, in 1986 Luis started volunteering with GMHC Proyecto Papi which he was involved organizing and planning community outreach events and helping plan the first to the eighth anniversaries, Luis was a model volunteer and received 4 awards for his “Companerismo” at GMHC.

Luis have been awarded for his community work from such organizations as The Puerto Rican Initiative to Develop Empowerment (PRIDE), Sociedad Puertorriquena de Queens, Certificate of Honor from Helen Marshall, Queens Borough President, The Guillermo Vazquez Democratic Club of Queens, Latino Gay Men of New York, The Gay & Lesbian Dominican Empowerment, The SOMOS Project of The Latino Commission on AIDS.

Luis has been member of board of directors such as The Latino Gay Men of New York and he is currently the President & Chair of The Puerto Rican Initiative to Develop Empowerment (PRIDE).

Luis have done collaborate work efforts with other Latino LGBT/POC organizations such as Latino Gay Men of New York, Venezuela Gay United, The Gay & Lesbian Dominican Empowerment (GALDE), Audrey Lorde Project, GMHC, AIDS Center of Queens County, and also helped GALDE with their annual picnic, have attended numerous seminars with the only satisfaction of helping his community in which he gives must of his time and efforts. He has contributed in the planification, coordination of fundraiser events for PRIDE. He is currently planning the “2007 PRIDE Awards to be held during the Puerto Rican Heritage Month.

Vice-Chair

Vice-President

Lillian Nieves

Lillian Nieves CASAC, Vice-Chair of PRIDE (Puerto Rican Initiative to Develop Empowerment). Lillian Nieves , Latina lesbian, Lillian is the second child of seven children, all of which are military brats. She was born in Jersey City, NJ. to John and Aida Nieves.

Lillian Nieves, graduated from James J. Ferris High School, and came to New York to attend college, where she studied criminal law, which was her father’s dream. In the mist of coming to a new city and facing new surroundings, the HIV epidemic was unfolding, and it was not until, Lillian lost her best friend in 1988 that she realized how serious this thing that people called, the gay cancer, it was then that she knew what she wanted to do. Lillian became an activist in the field of HIV/AIDS. Currently the Program Coordinator for the P.O.P. Project at New York Harm Reduction Educators Inc. Lillian Nieves began working at NYHRE in March of 2007. She has expressed that the experience has been a very fulfilling one. Lillian gained firsthand knowledge of the effects of stigma and isolation on women diagnosed with HIV/AIDS when she worked as a volunteer orderly in the HIV/AIDS ward at Albion Correctional Facility in 1991.

She was distressed by the ignorance displayed by both the staff and the inmates concerning issues around treatment, prevention, and transmission of HIV.

Compelled to respond to this lack of information, Lillian wrote to AIDS service organizations and collected literature. She amassed a library and succeeded in convincing the superintendent of Albion to allow the creation of an inmate-run HIV education program in 1992.

After leaving Albion in 1995, Lillian entered Taconic Correctional Facility. At Taconic, she utilized the Albion model to establish an HIV education program for inmates.

In 1997, she again repeated the process at Bayview Correctional Facility. Her links to these programs remained strong, and she continues to visit the facilities providing vitally important educational literature and referral information to the inmates and the staff.

Upon becoming the Women and Family Service, Assistant Coordinator at Gay Men Health Crisis in 1999, Lillian embarked on a new phase of HIV activism. Since then, she has worked tirelessly to empower, Women Who Sleep with Women (WSW), through education, counseling and support. It is largely through her efforts that the Latina Initiative in the Women’s Institute at GMHC pursues its mission of providing a linguistically appropriate, culturally sensitive response, to the issues in the Latina lesbian community.

Lillian, has assisted in coordinating major events, including, although not limited to:

Lillian, has been recognized by her community numerous times:

The following is a partial list of awards:

Treasurer

Treasurer

Saida E. Medina

Saida was born and raised in the Bronx. Along with a sister and a brother, our parents Carmen Medina and Angel Medina raised us to be proud of our Puerto Rican heritage.

Saida first got involved in Not-For-Profit when she began working for IAVI (International Aids Vaccine Initiative) as the Administrative Manager from 2001-2004. Currently employed at a downtown Law Firm as the Payroll Manager. During my friendship of over twenty years with Luis A Robles now President and Chair of PRIDE, Saida has participated in raising money for Aids awareness by being part of several Aids Dance A-Thon as well as being a team member in the Aids walk. She has volunteered in the Meals on Wheels program delivering food and beverages to disabled seniors and individuals afflicted with HIV/AIDS.

She is happily married to Russell A Richardson and resides in Belleville, New Jersey.

Saida is currently the "Treasurer" of the Puerto Rican Initiative to Develop Empowerment and will continue her efforts of bringing the message of HIV/AIDS awareness to all individuals.

Secretary

Secretary

Ramonita Pagan

My name is Ramonita Pagan. I am a 41 year old Latina woman, and the mother of two young men ages 20 and 22. My new life began in 1999 when I arrived at The Fortune Society as a client seeking various services. After a few months my counselor, Alexander Armstrong made me aware of a job opening as a group facilitator for women’s group called “The Wise Group”.

Today aside from my job, I do a lot of volunteer work in the community. I have made a commitment to the Lesbian AIDS Project at GMHC to attend their Safer Sex kit making parties that take place from October thru May. What this consist of is making safer sex kits which are distributed through AIDS walk, all of PRIDES and three outreaches, over 20 thousand safer sex kits are made through out these months with the great coordination of the women of the Lesbian AIDS Projects. Ramonita is currently the "secretary" of PRIDE (Puerto-Rican Initiative to Develop Empowerment).

Web Coordinator

Web Coordinator

Jairo Vanegas

Jairo Vanegas is originally from Colombia, but has spent all his adult life in New York City where he completed his education by earning a M.S. Degree in Computer Science from Polytechnic University ,Brooklyn. He is a full-time Database Administrator, DBA (Information Technology) for a local college.

Throughout the years, Mr. Vanegas has volunteered with various organizations such as Latinos y Latinas de Ambiente (LLANY), GMHC, GMHC Proyecto PAPI, and PRIDE to do HIV/AIDS community outreach and education. Currently, he is the Web Master/Coordinator for The Puerto Rican Initiative to Develop Empowerment (PRIDE) where provides his technical expertise to the organization.

Board of Advisors:

Advisor

Pedro Julio Serrano

President, Puerto Rico Para Todos/as

Pedro Julio Serrano is a well-known and respected Latino/a LGBT movement leader. He currently works as Communications Coordinator for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. With studies in communications from the University of Puerto Rico, he worked for the Puerto Rican Health Department and as communications manager for LLEGO. In 1998, he became the first openly gay political candidate in the history of Puerto Rico to run for office. In 1999, he became the political and media director for the Human Rights Foundation of Puerto Rico. Most recently, he worked as Voices of Equality coordinator for Freedom to Marry.

Serrano also founded Puerto Rico Para Tod@s (Puerto Rico for All), an organization that advocates for LGBT equality and social justice in Puerto Rico. He is the Male chair of the Board of Directors of Unid@s, the National Latina/o Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Human Rights Organization. Serrano is also a member of the Board of Advisors of the Puerto Rican Initiative to Develop Empowerment (PRIDE). He lives by Gandhi's words: "Be the change that you want to see in the world."



Advisor

Rev. Raquel Algarin, Interfaith Minister

Program Director - Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center

A former recipient of a PRIDE Award. Raquel is a founding member and currently the Program Director of the Lower East Side Harm Reduction Center (LESHRC), now in its fifteenth year. Raquel is also an member of the advisory board of the Puerto Rican Initiative to Develop Empowerment (PRIDE)

Born in Cayey, Puerto Rico and raised on the Lower East Side, Raquel is a nurse by profession, but a community activist by choice. Her professional experiences have included community health care, child sexual abuse prevention and counseling, HIV/AIDS education and health promotion. Her approach to Harm Reduction is steeped in 'blended medicine', a combination of western and alternative philosophies and practices. Raquel is also a Reiki Master, Acupuncture Detox Specialist, Thai Massage and Raindrop Technique practitioner. Reiki is an ancient technique for stress reduction and relaxation that enhances the healing of mind, body and spirit. Raquel's greatest joy is being able to provide individualized healing support to people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as training of staff, volunteers and participants in HIV/AIDS organizations. Her vision for the future is to have LESHRC expand its current holistic services by creating a wellness center. She is also President and founder of Community OASIS, Inc., a non-profit community based organization who's mission is to provide complementary and alternative therapies which can be accessed by anyone in the Lower East Side community, at no cost.



Advisor

James Paul (Jimmy) Lopez-Acosta

 

James Paul (Jimmy) Lopez-Acosta is on the Board of Advisors of the Puerto Rican Initiative to Development Empowerment (PRIDE). His expertise on the Advisory Board has been in program development and grant-writing. He was also a founding Board Member of PRIDE in 1995.

Jimmy Lopez-Acosta has worked in the health education, community organizing and leadership development field for the last 25 years. He has worked for PRIDE as a consultant coordinating the Salud Boricua program in the winter/spring of 2007. He was the Health Education Program Coordinator of the Crystal Meth Awareness Campaign at the Latino Commission on AIDS (LCOA) in 2006. The Crystal Meth Awareness Campaign addressed the growing use of crystal meth among Latino gay, bisexual and questioning men. Through community presentations, focus groups, trainings of peer educators, support groups and a public awareness campaign (of newspaper ads, phone booth posters, palm cards and brochures), the Latino community was made aware of the connection between crystal meth use and the rise of new HIV infections. c He was previously employed by Latino Gay Men of NY, Inc. as their Program Manager. While he was employed there, he coordinated the VOCES (Varones Organizing Community through Education and Service) program. It was a young adult leadership development and community organizing program. Jimmy has also worked at the Audre Lorde Project (a People of Color LGBTST Community Organizing Center), Hispanic AIDS Forum, GMHC, Body Positive and the NYC Lesbian & Gay Anti-Violence Project. He has been active and a founding member in several Latino/a LGBT organizations such as Mano a Mano, the Hispanic Outreach Committee of Metropolitan Community Church, Hispanic Catholics of Dignity/New York, Boricua Gay & Lesbian Forum and Hispanic United Gays & Lesbians.

Jimmy Lopez-Acosta is a Puerto Rican gay man born in Brooklyn and raised in Brooklyn, New Jersey and Puerto Rico. He currently lives in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.

Advisor

Carmen Robello

PFLAG FCA NYC – Board Member

I am a Nuyorican born and raised in Brooklyn. I have spent the last two decades working in various positions on Wall Street. Being a single parent, I have always been a strong influence in my son's life. I raised him on my own financially. Since my son shares his birthday with the late, great Martin Luther King, I always felt he was destined to be a leader. Because of that, I invested in putting him into private schools from first grade to tenth grade. He now attends public school and is doing quite well. I have been on the PTA Board and many other groups at both school and church. My son came out to me when he was 11. I was upset that he told others before me partly because I wanted to be first but mostly because he had to endure the harassment from his peers by himself. I believe the harassment taught my son compassion and he has become an activist both in school and the community. I always knew he would have a political future. Since he came out, I have been very active in various LGBT functions to continue my support for my son and fight homophobia to make a safe world not only for my son but also for other LGBT youth.

PFLAG FCA NYC – Board Member
Interbank Roundtable (LGBT Executive Networking)

Volunteer:
Empire State Pride Agenda
PRIDE
LIVE OUT LOUD
YES Program