Charlotte Pride says thank you to longtime staffer, board member, and volunteer Matt Comer
November 22, 2022
After nearly 15 years of service to our organization, Charlotte Pride extends our thanks, congrats, and well wishes to longtime staffer and former board member Matt Comer (he/him) as he departs our organization for future opportunities. Matt will remain with the organization as it hires new staff over the next several weeks.
“There is no other more honorable and more personally enriching opportunity than serving as an organizer for a local Pride movement,” said Matt. “I am so honored to have been a part of this organization’s journey. I am so proud of the work we’ve done together to live up to the spirit of Stonewall and to our greater LGBTQ Liberation Movement. Though I now move on to new professional opportunities, I will always be an avid and passionate supporter of Charlotte Pride and our local LGBTQ community.”
Matt joined Charlotte Pride as a board member in 2008, overseeing the organization’s media and marketing efforts. After several years of volunteer board service, Matt transitioned to a staff role in 2017 as one of the organization’s first permanent, full-time staff. Matt ends his service with Charlotte Pride as our Director of Operations and Communications.
During his time with the organization, Matt helped to bring the Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade from private property to Uptown’s Tryon Street growing its event attendance from 10,000 visitors in 2010 to a record 275,000 visitors in 2022. Matt’s work brought increased public and media recognition to the organization, including his work guiding Charlotte Pride’s media relations during the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Matt helped to lead the organization’s growing and collaborative relationship with Charlotte Black Pride and other regional peer Pride organizations, as well as its alignment with other local Liberation Movement causes. Matt also strove to support and grow each year’s Charlotte Pride Interfaith Service. In 2020, Matt designed and unveiled the organization’s new logo and branding, and he directed and produced the organization’s innovative virtual outreach during the COVID pandemic in 2020 and 2021. In his final year of service, Matt directed the operational and public safety planning for the post-pandemic, in-person return of the Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade in 2022.
During his service with Charlotte Pride, Matt also represented Charlotte and the greater southeastern United States region as a member of the International Association of Pride Organizers (InterPride) Global Advisory Council. He currently serves as a district representative of Prides of the Southeast on the U.S. Association of Prides board of directors.
After a decade of service in 2019, Matt was presented Charlotte Pride’s Stonewall Award, a recognition given to community members with a demonstrated, longtime service to Charlotte Pride and the local LGBTQ Pride Movement.
“Matt’s ability to work with key stakeholders within the community to advance LGBTQ+ rights and visibility in Charlotte and beyond is well known and highly valued and appreciated by Charlotte Pride,” said Clark Simon (he/him), president of the Charlotte Pride Board of Directors. “During Matt’s 15 years with Charlotte Pride, he has held multiple positions working to showcase the diversity and vibrancy of our community, to ensure our voices were heard, and to make evident we are a valued part of this community. There aren’t enough words to state how integral Matt has been to our organization, and many, many others. Charlotte Pride is honored to have been able to work with him in his various capacities and wish him nothing but the best moving forward. This isn’t a ‘goodbye’ but rather a ‘we can’t wait to continue cheering you on.’ Cheers to you, Matt! We look forward to your next chapter and how we will all continue to work together to advance a cause that has made great strides but has more to make.”
“Charlotte Pride has been lucky to have such a dedicated and passionate leader in Matt over the past 15 years,” said Daniel Valdez (he/him), a Charlotte Pride board member and immediate past board president. “During my tenure as board chair, Matt was instrumental in helping develop and execute our first strategic plan. His work has positioned Charlotte Pride as a trusted voice in our region and set a solid foundation to tell the important story of our impact. I wish Matt the very best in his next chapter in his career and thank him for his many years of service to Charlotte Pride.”
Charlotte Pride will host its annual festival and parade in Uptown on Aug. 19-20, 2023.
To learn more about Charlotte Pride, visit https://charlottepride.org.
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