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
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

Clark Simon
President
he/him
clark@charlottepride.org
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.

Riley Murray
Vice President
she/they
riley@charlottepride.org
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.

Megan Jones
Secretary
she/her
megan@charlottepride.org
Megan is the Community Engagement & Program Coordinator at Community Building Initiative, where she is excited to work every day with people interested in contributing to a more equitable and just community. She joined the Charlotte Pride Board of Directors in 2020, having previously served as Interfaith Co-Chair. She grew up in Rochester, NY and holds BAs in Theatre and Government & International Politics from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. In her spare time she loves to sing, and to go hiking with her dog, Shadow.

Heather Broadbeck
Treasurer
she/her
heather@charlottepride.org
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.

Ilora Bhattacharya
Director
she/her
ilora@charlottepride.org
Ilora is a Northern transplant making her way through the Southeast! Raised in Canada, India, and Pennsylvania throughout her childhood, Ilora moved to the Carolinas after graduating from Drexel University in Philadelphia. Ilora works in Software Development as a Technology Delivery Manager. Her background includes process engineering and refinement, operations, data analysis, the list goes on. Ilora has been a member of and has founded a handful of Diversity & Inclusion and LGBTQIA-centric educational forums and groups. As an immigrant with majority of her family still residing in a third world country, Ilora has experienced firsthand depravities that different generations and minorities face to this day and has made it her life mission to leave the world a little bit brighter than it was. During her down time, Ilora enjoys hanging out with her rescue pit bull and cat, as well as hiking, mechanical keyboards, and being artistic.

Will Martin
Director
he/him
will@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.

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.

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.
Festival, Parade, and Programs Teams
Charlotte Pride is a community-driven, volunteer-led team. Volunteers of our programs, festival, and parade teams lead throughout the year. Members of our 2022 teams will be announced soon.
Want to get involved? Learn more about the Charlotte Pride Programs Team and join us for one of our monthly meetings.
Staff

Matt Comer
Communications Director
he/him
matt@charlottepride.org
Communications DirectorMatt Comer joined Charlotte Pride in 2008 and has served in several volunteer and board roles, primarily overseeing the organization’s media and marketing efforts. In November 2017, Matt transitioned from his role as a board member to become the organization’s Communications Director. Originally from Winston-Salem, N.C., Matt has nearly two decades of experience in local LGBTQ community advocacy, community organizing, journalism and media/marketing work. Matt attended the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. He has worked or volunteered with several LGBTQ organizations regionally and nationally. From 2007 to 2015, Matt worked as editor of QNotes, the Charlotte-based LGBTQ community newspaper of North Carolina. His writing has appeared in a variety of local and national news outlets. Matt’s advocacy work and reporting has been widely cited by community and mainstream news-media, as well as several academic writers.

Meredith Thompson
Programs & Development Manager
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.