Pride = People
At the heart of Charlotte Pride is our people — a team of passionate and dedicated community members who serve in various capacities to fulfill Charlotte Pride’s mission.
General Inquiries: info@charlottepride.org
Sponsorship Inquiries: sponsors@charlottepride.org
Media Inquiries: media@charlottepride.org
To help ensure you receive the quickest response and that we respect our volunteer board members’ work-life balance, please see staff listings and contact info below.
Board of Directors

Riley Murray
President
she/they
riley@charlottepride.org
Riley Murray moved from Santa Barbara, California to Charlotte in 2005 and began working with Charlotte Pride that same year. While Riley’s position in Charlotte Pride has shifted throughout the years, she has consistently worked in the logistics team – ensuring the festival and parade run smoothly. Riley has been planning and attending Pride events for over 18 years and her favorite part is seeing the people who are attending their first Pride, regardless of if they are 13 or 70. The joy and community created at Pride events motivate Riley to continue growing the festival and parade. Outside of Charlotte Pride, Riley is a Global Logistics Manager, a parent to four, and grandparent to 12.

Will Martin
Vice President
he/him
willm@charlottepride.org
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.

Angel Truesdale
Interim Secretary
she/her
angel@charlottepride.org
Angel Truesdale is a native Charlottean and has spent over 12 years working in libraries. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor and the Social Sciences and Business Librarian at UNC Charlotte. Angel assists the Belk College of Business students, faculty, and staff with business research and library instruction. As an educator, she is excited to teach varied groups about information literacy and social awareness. Angel enjoys watching films and has programmed several events focused on the Black American experience. Additionally, she appreciates learning about cinematic storytelling as a narrative tool, the documentary practice, and undervalued voices in cinema. Her other interests include DEIA, entrepreneurship in marginalized communities, facilitation, critical librarianship, international law, transformative justice, and housing equity.

Troy McElrath
Treasurer
he/him
troy@charlottepride.org
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.

Daniel Valdez
Director
he/him
daniel@charlottepride.org
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.

Lee Robertson
Director
he/him
lee@charlottepride.org
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.

Lupe Silva
Director
he/him
lupe@charlottepride.org
After moving to Charlotte at the end of 2018, Lupe began volunteering with Charlotte Pride in 2019. He quickly joined the Reel Out team where he realized a passion for watching and discussing LGBTQ+ short and feature films. When he isn’t volunteering with Charlotte Pride, he might be volunteering at the local independent theatre, playing cornhole or kickball on the weekends. Lupe has been a professional corporate travel agent for the past 15 years. To help relax during a busy work day he is known to flex his green thumb and tend to his many potted plants.

John Walton-Tate
Director
he/him
johnw@charlottepride.org
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.
Staff

Meredith Thompson
Programs & Development Director
she/her
meredith@charlottepride.org
Meredith Thompson joined Charlotte Pride in April 2022. A longtime Charlottean, Meredith owns Canine Café, a pet retail and treat manufacturing business in South End, along with her wife. After graduating from Davidson College with a B.A. in English, Meredith enjoyed a career in public relations and marketing, working for Crown Communications, a small, woman-owned firm in Uptown, prior to embarking on a chapter of entrepreneurship and business ownership. Meredith brings years of business creation and development, relationship-building, volunteer coordinating, and event planning experience. Her history of volunteerism includes work for local organizations that serve marginalized communities, such as Supportive Housing Communities, Roof Above, and Nations Ford Elementary. Having served on the governing body of her church, Meredith brings an interest in interfaith organizing, along with a passion for inclusion, uplift, and equity to her work. In her free time, Meredith enjoys cooking vegan meals with her wife, hiking with her rescue dogs, kayaking, and paddle boarding.

Liz Schob
Communications Manager
she/her
lizs@charlottepride.org
Liz Schob’s passion for education and love for community have always been at the center of everything she does. She started her teaching career in South Korea and, later, with DoDEA (Department of Defense Education Activity) schools on Fort Bragg. She continued her focus in education while earning her Master of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and, then, as a community health educator for the local affiliate of a national nonprofit. It is during this time, that Liz began to focus heavily on promoting sexual and reproductive health for the LGBTQ+ community. During the pandemic, she also became involved with the community food pantry sponsored by Hearts United for Good and Wedgewood Community Church. Becoming even more deeply rooted in the LGBTQ+ community and serving the Charlotte community in whatever way possible, further inspired Liz to found Affirming Connections, an LGBTQ+ health education consulting company, along with her business partner. She is also a former Board Member of the Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce. Liz joined the Charlotte Pride staff in December 2022.