Our Team

Riley Murray has been with Charlotte Pride in many incarnations for 14 years. She has been married to her wife, Dee, for 11 years. Together, they have four grown children and 11 grandchildren. Riley grew up in Santa Barbara, Calif., as the youngest of 11. She moved to Charlotte in 2005 where she quickly got involved with Charlotte Pride. Her day job is a supply chain manager, and she is passionate about traveling, her dog, and spending time with her family. Riley is one of the most enthusiastic advocates for Charlotte Pride you will ever meet and welcomes the whole community to the table because Pride could not be successful without everyone.

Will Martin is a freelance audio visual technician based in the Charlotte, N.C. region. He has been in the corporate A/V field for the past 25 years and during that time has also worked as a Grip on countless commercials, in-house video productions, short and feature films. Before that he worked nine years on the exhibition side at a local movie theatre chain. Working his way from an usher into the projection booth and then into management. He is an Eagle Scout and a Board Member of the Charlotte Film Society. Will joined the Charlotte Pride Board of Directors in September 2020, after serving several years as a volunteer for Reel Out Charlotte and as Co-Director of the Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade operations team.

Heather is an SVP at TD Bank where she leads the delivery of data management and analytics initiatives. She has held various leadership positions within the banking industry ranging from risk management, regulatory compliance, data governance, and advanced analytics enablement. She holds an undergrad and masters degrees in Finance. Heather is passionate about dedicating her time and energy to supporting underserved communities so that individuals and families can grow and thrive. She grew up in Colorado and currently resides in Waxhaw, North Carolina with her two children.

Troy joined Charlotte Pride mid-pandemic as a Team Coordinator after moving to Charlotte two years ago. He gained an immediate passion for the Charlotte LGBTQ+ community after attending his first meeting. Troy is a lifetime Carolinian coming from Lexington NC where he was born. Currently Troy works In Global Trade Exposure Management, and has several years of International trade experience. In his off-time Troy enjoys hiking and is an aspiring horticulturalist.

Lee joined Charlotte Pride in 2017 after serving on its Board of Advisors. Lee is an attorney at Robertson & Associates, where he practices construction and commercial litigation, representing business and contractor clients in all types of disputes. Lee is a lifelong Charlottean who has extensive experience advising nonprofit LGBTQ organizations on matters of policy and governance. Lee is also heavily engaged with the Mecklenburg County Bar, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, and the Charlotte School of Law Alumni Association. Lee earned his B.A. in History from NC State and his JD from the Charlotte School of Law.

Clark Simon is a co-founder of Impact Philanthropy Group, a nonprofit fiscal-sponsor specialized in helping individuals fulfill their charitable visions. Clark is experienced in nonprofit development and management, public relations, CRM systems, event planning, social media, and strategic planning. He has worked in and with nonprofits since 2010 in various capacities as well as serving on various boards such as the Development Board for Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Get Lit Words Ignite in Los Angeles, California.

Daniel is the Senior Director of External Affairs at Welcoming America. He has more than 10 years in nonprofit management working with organizations like the Hispanic Federation, Crisis Assistance Ministry, the Latin American Coalition and Carolinas CARE Partnership. He is passionate about using his talents and experience to advance the mission of organizations working on systemic changes in an effort to make the world a better place for all. Daniel was born in Acapulco, Mexico and grew up in North Carolina. He holds a B.A. in History and Latin American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Daniel has served on the boards of The Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Fund, The Bruce Iron Camp Fund, and Reel Out Charlotte. Daniel served as president of the Charlotte Pride Board of Directors from 2017 to 2021.

John is originally from Charleston, S.C., but has been in the Charlotte area for the last 14 years. He met and fell in love with his husband Anthony during the pandemic before marrying him in April 2022. Before Leaving Charleston, John was in the Aeronautical and Watercraft construction industries. In his time since then in Connecticut and here in Charlotte he has developed a background in the Logistics and HR Fields. His current occupation is at a local small business.

John started volunteering with Charlotte Pride selling beverage tickets at the 2017 festival. He signed up for only one 4-hour shift, but fell in love with the people and atmosphere that Pride creates and ended up staying 12 hours. He developed a dedication and passion for Pride; volunteering at almost every event Charlotte Pride held pre-pandemic in 2018 and 2019. John has served in many roles as a core volunteer over the years within the organization which included developing a particular fondness for Operations during the festival, coordinating for Bear-B-Que and other nightlife events, and the Reel-Out Film Festival.