The Pride Center wouldn’t be on the map today (literally) without our incredible team. We’re grateful for every one of them.
Frankie has been entrenched in social justice advocacy and programing for 25 years. Working both nationally in the US and provincially in Ontario, Canada, his career fields vary across mental health, harm reduction, HIV/HCV prevention, and LGBTQ+ programming and education.
Some of his career highlights include working as a capacity building assistance specialist, partnering with Native communities across the United States. In this role, he helped build their skills in implementing their own HIV prevention campaigns and educational events. Later in Canada, he coordinated and managed a 7- day a week, Ontario-wide, LGBTQ+ youth mental health phone/chat support line.
Most recently, Frankie co-directed an HIV/HCV prevention and harm reduction capacity building program which served the province of Ontario, Canada. Throughout his 9 years there, he provided education and training to healthcare and social service providers and chaired 3 provincial networks. He also played a pivotal role in assisting with the Naloxone distribution process for the province.
Frankie is committed to working with a lens of intersectionality, anti-oppression, and amplifying the voices of people with lived experience (PWLE). He is also deeply connected to his Filipino roots and has a complicated history with the messiness between gender and sexuality. He’s also an excellent baker and brings his humor and life experiences with him everywhere he goes.
Driven by his passion and dedication to improving the lives and well-being of LGBTQIA+ individuals, Alex earned his BS degree in Psychology and English minor from Santa Clara University in 2016. Alex has been a core member of the Pride Center team since its inception in 2017; serving first as the Center’s sole case manager and then as Health Equity Coordinator & Clinical Program Analyst before transitioning into his role as Center Manager. Alex holds 8+ years of case management experience serving local community-based nonprofits and has specialized in work with unhoused and disproportionately under-resourced populations. He is passionate about empowering and uplifting the transgender, gender diverse, and non-binary community, and dedicates his work to advocating to advance equity and reduce health disparities for those most at risk.
Notably, Alex created the Pride Center’s monthly Legal Name and Gender Change Workshop series (which has served over 450 individuals to date) and helped launch the Resource Roadmap brochure collection and provider training series on best practices to support TGNB+ clients. Alex has also served on several advisory boards and committees to continue to advocate for his community’s needs, including: Leadership Council of San Mateo County Emerging Leaders Program, City of San Mateo DEI Taskforce, and SMC’s Community Health Improvement Plan: Social Determinants of Health Workgroup.
Outside of work, Alex loves all things food, music, coffee and cat-related! During lockdown, he learned how to DJ (which has been so much fun!) and even performed at the San Mateo County Fair Family PRIDE Day and the Pride Center’s grand re-opening party. Alex can almost always be found in the kitchen trying out new recipes and flavor combos. He also enjoys reading fantasy/sci-fi books, playing video games, and spending time outdoors. Fun Fact: he is also a second degree Black Belt!
April Qian
she/her/hers
LGBTQ+ Mental Health Front Desk Specialist
april.qian@sanmateopride.org
650-616-4443 (Text OK)
April (she/her) has a lifelong love for the arts and sciences. She believes that science helps us describe our world, while art helps us understand and appreciate it. Integrating art and science, April is passionate at creating innovative solutions that simplify complex ideas. Her diverse professional background — from surveying plants in remote mountains to a small business owner — also provided valuable insights into the technical, logistical and creative aspects of business operations. April holds a bachelor’s degree in plant biology.
As someone who has endured mental health challenges, April understands the stigma of talking about mental health and the obstacles of accessing care. She also knows the importance of having hope, community and finding practical and creative ways to heal and thrive. For April, playing the piano is particularly healing during difficult emotions.
April finds joy in reclining under the canopy of a peaceful forest, writing and playing classical music, cuddling with fluffy animals, conversing with friends and eating all types of sticky rice.
Drae (Andrea) Roth
she/her/hers
Mental Health Clinician
Registered Associate MFT#117800
Registered Associate PCC#7880
drae@sanmateopride.org
650-207-6499
Supervised by John Thompson, LCSW #77891
Drae (she/her) is a Hapa, born and raised in the Bay Area. Her passion for helping those with complex intersectional backgrounds led her to get her Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco social justice orientated MFT program and to work with ethnic-, sexual-, and neuro-diverse adults, children, parents, teens, and families combined for over 4 years. She is dedicated to making therapy a truly healing space, one in which ones true self can be discovered after clearing away the distorted lens that the world, others, or even that one may see oneself through.
Drae believes that therapy is most successful when it is collaborative and individualized. She aims to tailor therapy to her client specific needs, whether that means exploring ones past history, the impact of the various societal, family, couple, or school systems embedded in, ones present thoughts and feelings, or on making positive changes in the future. She draws from a trauma-informed and integrative approach of techniques that range from attachment-based and systemic to motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral.
During her spare time, she loves testing out new baking and cooking recipes, dancing, and rock climbing. She also enjoys listening to stand-up, picnicking in the park, and trying her hand at DIY projects.
Elana Ron
she/her/hers or they/them/theirs
Lead Events and Outreach Coordinator
elana.ron@sanmateopride.org
650-465-2407
Elana Ron (She/they) grew up in the Bay Area and lives in Half Moon Bay. She is excited to be joining this team because she understands the importance of what the Pride Center and its groups bring to the community- without an LGBTQ+ teen group that she was involved in, she would not be the person she is today. Having been involved in theatre since childhood, Elana was immersed in the LGBTQ+ community long before realizing she was part of it.
While her degree is in Musical Theatre, she has a passion for history and making sure that all voices can be heard. She has previously worked in customer service for a number of theatre companies and Olivia Travel (a lesbian travel charter company), and spent a few years teaching. She also is involved with CoastPride- helping to organize and facilitate their Aging Well and Family group, teaches music, dance, and theatre classes for children and is often part of community theatre shows. Her variety of work and life experience has taught her the importance of listening to communities, showing up when needed, and helping to train and organize volunteers. Non-profits- whether a community center, mentoring program, or theatre company cannot survive without their volunteers, so Elana understands the value of making sure everyone can feel prepared and valued when they decide to step up and help. She has four rescue dogs that you may see behind her in Zoom meetings.
Ishani Dugar
they/them/theirs or xe/xem/xyrs
Lead Trainer & Peer Group Coordinator
ishani.dugar@sanmateopride.org
650-554-1234 (text ok)
Ishani Dugar (they/xe) is the Pride Center’s Lead Trainer and Peer Group Coordinator. In their role, they provide SOGIE (and beyond) trainings and run peer social support for community. A South Bay-born nature gay, xe earned a dual-BA in Social and Cultural Analysis and Psychology at NYU before returning to the Bay Area to pursue non-profit community work. In xyr career they have been a camp counselor, worked with juvenile justice-system affected youth, collaborated with and guided students on health-risk prevention efforts, and most recently provided social support, resource connections, and training and education for LGBTQIA+ youth and adults who support them throughout the peninsula. Xe is thrilled to be able to continue to work with and support the LGBTQIA+ community through affirming peer spaces and educating providers, administrators, and professionals at the Pride Center. While not working, Ishani can be found hanging out with their cats Felix and Max, enjoying nature, at the gym, or listening to xyr endless library of podcasts.
Jazz Slavin
they/them/theirs
MFT Trainee
jazz.slavin@sanmateopride.org
Supervised by Diana Fuerza, LCSW #26887
650-207-9628
Jazz is thrilled to be in the final year of their master’s degree program in Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling with a specialty in Expressive Arts Therapy at Adler Graduate School. Jazz earned their bachelor’s degree in Children, Youth, and Family Studies with minors in psychology and health from Lesley University. Aside from their work in helping professions, they devoted the last 5 years to volunteering with sex-positive organizations in creating welcoming and affirming spaces for individuals to feel encouraged to express their full selves through process-based art groups, community clothing swaps, and social meet ups at various museums and queer owned venues.
Jazz takes pride in their intersectional identities as a multiracial, neurodivergent, non-binary, panromantic, greysexual, queer. Their personal strengths include compassion, flexibility, and openness to the varying walks of life as they have collected and witnessed multiple experiences that challenge societal norms of survival, love, family, success, and healing. Jazz has led quite a non-traditional pathway to get to where they are today which influences their goals of providing affirmative therapy for those who may feel like they “don’t fit in a box.” Jazz understands the importance of meeting people where they are at in life and collaborating together in the service of what is most important and meaningful to them at the present moment. They are a devoted lifelong learner in culturally responsive, trauma-informed, sex-positive, harm reduction, and expressive arts therapeutic practices.
During their free time, Jazz enjoys messy experimentation with different art mediums, taking family dog walks along the coast, and tending to their ever-growing houseplant collection.
Jessica Gugg
she/her, they/them
LGBTQ+ Mental Health Clinican
AMFT/APCC
Jessica.gugg@sanmateopride.org
Supervised by John Thompson, LCSW #77891
Phone: (650) 464-9931 (text OK)
Jessica (or Jess) grew up all over the United States in her childhood, which showed her the value of seeing the world through different lenses from an early age. She applies this empathy-led approach to her therapeutic practice, centering her care in curiosity about how a client experiences the world, and appropriately advocating for them in relation to these experiences.
Jessica obtained their BA in Psychology from San Francisco State University, and their MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from California State University, East Bay. In their time as a student, they worked and volunteered in a variety of settings – including research labs, psych units at correctional facilities, live-in care homes, retail locations, transitional living facilities, international preschools, and day programs and camps for disabled youth and adults – and has learned a great deal from everyone they have worked with.
Jessica completed her clinical traineeship with the Pride Center and is honored to continue serving their community as an associate clinician on the team. Outside of work, she likes to practice ever-important self-care by going to live music shows, traveling, playing bass, reading poetry and nonfiction, and caring for their cat who will sometimes make playful appearances in video meetings.
Lowellyn "Low" Sunga
she/her, they/them
Community Engagement & Volunteer Specialist
lowellyn.sunga@sanmateopride.org
Phone: (650) 695-0006
Low (she/they) is excited about starting her new role as the Community Engagement and Volunteer Specialist. Since 2017, Low has been part of the San Mateo County Pride Center and has learned a lot from the LGBTQ+ community. As a founding member, she has grown and gained insight into the LGBTQ+ community’s needs. Low looks forward to using this experience to connect with the community, promote inclusivity, and organize volunteer efforts that make a positive impact. Her time at the Pride Center has fed her passion for community engagement, and she is eager to contribute to making a difference in San Mateo County and beyond.
As the Community Engagement and Volunteer Specialist, Low will work closely with the Pride Center’s Community Engagement Lead, the Lead Events and Outreach Coordinator, and the Outreach Team. She aims to strengthen our ties with organizations both inside and outside San Mateo County. Her passion lies in creating meaningful connections, promoting inclusivity, and bridging the gap between individuals and the resources that they might need.
Low enjoys spending time with their family and friends as well as trying new foods all over the Bay Area. She especially loves korean bbq, filipino food (especially breakfast), and rocky road ice cream.
Marilyn-Rose Calosing Fernando
she/her/hers
Marketing & Community Engagement Lead
marilyn.fernando@sanmateopride.org
650-465-6789 (text ok)
Marilyn is the Marketing and Community Engagement Lead for the San Mateo County Pride Center. She is a First-Generation Filipina-American who graduated with BA in Women and Gender Studies from San Francisco State University in 2017. She has been an organizer with the San Francisco Dyke March for the past 5 years and has served as the co-chair for the past 2 years. Her experience as an organizer with the Dyke March and identity as a QWOC has emphasized her devotion to creating safe, accessible and inclusive spaces for Queer folks to gather and build community. She is originally from Salinas and moved to San Francisco 10 years ago. If the Golden Girls were zodiac placements, she describe herself as a Rose Sun, Blanche Moon & Rose/Dorothy cusp rising. Outside of work, you can find her karaokeing to George Michael, watching cooking shows, and thrifting or re-watching episodes of Bobs Burgers on her spare time.
Mimir Castro
he/him/his
Director, Outlet Adolescent Counseling Services
mimi@acs-teens.org
650.424.0852 x107
Mimir “Mimi” Castro (he/him/his) joined ACS in Summer 2024 as a member of the Outlet team. He grew up in San Jose and studied Graphic Design at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Mimi began working in the nonprofit sector in Oklahoma, and quickly found a strong passion for prevention education in mental health and substance use. After operating a statewide mental health education program there, he is excited to be back in California and serving the Bay Area LGBTQIA+ community through Outlet’s social and clinical services. In his free time Mimi enjoys fiber arts, listening to live music, and spending time with his spouse and their cat, Popoki 2.
Pearl Chen, MSW
she/her/hers
LGBTQ+ Clinical Administrative Coordinator and Mental Health Clinician
pearl.chen@sanmateopride.org
Pearl is a native of San Francisco and grew up in all different parts of the Bay Area, which widened her lens of diverse experiences from a young age. After high school, she decided to pursue nursing, inspired by the members of her family who were in healthcare. While working as a nursing assistant in college, Pearl realized that she was more in tune and invested in the social, emotional, and mental health factors of her patients that led to rehospitalization and increased health risks. At the age of 21, she was asked to join a board of directors working to heal and empower parents who had lost a child to foster care and/or adoption. These experiences led Pearl to switch majors and she received her bachelor’s degree in social work in 2017. After graduating, she went from board member to Program and Development Coordinator in a tiny but growing nonprofit organization. Pearl stayed in this role for eight years bringing awareness to unethical, systemic issues and power dynamics within the adoption industry as well as empowering clients to heal from grief, achieve goals, and speak their truths.
In 2023, Pearl received her master’s degree in social work from San Jose State University with a focus on families and children and is now working toward becoming licensed. She is inspired by the determination and drive of those who are in marginalized communities and guides individuals by talking through grief and shame, as well as taking a strengths-based approach.
When not working, Pearl enjoys volunteering at LGBTQ+ community events, nerding out and hosting panels at comic conventions (Star Wars, horror, and anime are her favorites), and spending time outdoors with her dachshund Bituin.
Wadie Zakhary, MSW
he/him/his
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Trainee
wadie.zakhary@sanmateopride.org
Supervisor: Neeru Madan, PhD
Wadie is a clinical psychology doctoral trainee at the San Mateo Pride Center. He grew up in Cairo, Egypt, where he worked in marketing. Wadie’s previous work and relocation to the U.S. enforced his passion for supporting people in unleashing their human potential. This led him to pursue a master’s in social work in New York City, where he worked with people of many backgrounds and concerns, including depression and gender challenges. Wadie is very passionate about supporting people in the ways he can.
On a personal note, Wadie is a vegan, a fiction/gay fiction reader, a walker, an occasional hiker, a tea drinker, a cat dad, an ex-dog dad, and a nature lover.
Yossi is Outlets Social Program Lead at the San Mateo County Pride Center. She joined Outlet of Adolescent Counseling Services, one of the Pride Center’s partner organizations, in 2020. She holds a B.A. in Gender & Sexuality Studies and Media & Cultural Studies from the University of California, Riverside. She has a passion for not only advocating for social justice and equity for marginalized groups, but also, uplifting and empowering their voices in safe and accepting spaces. Having been raised in the Bay Area her whole life, she decided to implement her knowledge and passion in a community she considers home.
She dedicated her summers in between college working with Bay Area Legal Aid in the Domestic Violence and Immigration Unit and later, as an intern at Stanford Children’s Health. Since she joined Outlet the fall after graduating from UCR, Yossi is thrilled to connect with youth and represent Outlet and the San Mateo County Pride Center at several community events, including the Youth Space at the annual San Mateo County Pride Celebration.
While not working, Yossi spends her free time reading books and playing video games, discovering new music and going to music festivals, and spending time with her family, friends, and her beloved cat, Charlie.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
The San Mateo County Pride Center is an innovative and ongoing collaboration between four local nonprofit organizations and San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS), each with strong community roots and a demonstrated commitment to improving the lives and wellbeing of the LGBTQ+ community. Together, these four organizations created the Pride Center as a means to provide a safer space in which the LGBTQ+ community can truly thrive with faster, easier access to direct services. Along with providing guidance and support, each of the collaborators meet together as one staff for case consultation, cross training, and the sharing of resources.
Learn more about our partner organizations
Outlet of Adolescent Counseling Services empowers Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQQ+) youth and builds safe and accepting communities through support, education, and advocacy. Outlet envisions a world that embraces, empowers, and celebrates LGBTQQ+ youth.
StarVista delivers high impact services through counseling, skill development, and crisis prevention to children, youth, adults, and families. Their vision is for all children, youth, and adults to receive quality services to support them in reaching their potential.
Additionally, we are proud to work with other local LGBTQ+ organizations such as the PRIDE Initiative and the LGBTQ Commission of San Mateo County, PFLAG, Genders and Sexualities Alliance Network, and the UCSF Child and Adolescent Gender Center Clinic.