Board+Staff

Staff \| Equality Ohio Board \| Equality Ohio Education Fund Board \| Board Members by Region

Equality Ohio Staff

	Lynne Bowman is one of the many founders of Equality Ohio. Since its formal incorporation in 2005, she has served as the organization’s Executive Director. She came to the role with 17 years of organizational leadership experience in the non-profit, for-profit and government sectors as well as 8 years of volunteer involvement with LGBT issues. A graduate of Otterbein College with degrees in both Psychology and Music Theory and Composition, she later returned to study business and went on to receive a Master of Arts in Administration from Central Michigan University in 2001. Lynne is a graduate of the Leadership Columbus class of 2007, a member of the United Way of Central Ohio’s Diversity Committee, an ex-officio board member of Plexus in Northeast Ohio, and currently serves as the Board Chair of the Equality Federation, a national organization dedicated to strengthening statewide LGBT organizing. In her free time, she enjoys yoga, fitness, reading and hanging out at home with her wife of 14 years. lynne@equalityohio.org

	Peter R. Caborn is Equality Ohio’s Deputy Director having most recently served as the Director of Major Gifts & Membership for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) – the nation’s third largest LGBT civil rights organization – where over the course of 3.5 years he effectively increased major gifts revenue for the organization from $2 million annually to $4 million annually. Professionally, Peter has also served as the National Advancement Director for the National Center for Adoption Law and Policy. During his tenure there, Peter was instrumental in creating the Center’s first broad-based strategic plan and long-term development plan, its first direct marketing membership campaign, and its first series of high-dollar, ticketed fundraising events. Peter has served on the board of the Kaleidoscope Youth Coalition (an LGBT-youth focused service organization in Ohio) and has either chaired or sat on many nonprofit organizing and fundraising committees for other organizations including Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central Ohio, the Human Rights Campaign, The National Kidney Foundation, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Big Apple Performing Arts and Equality Ohio. Peter holds a Master of Arts in Ethics, Politics and Public Policy from the University of Essex, England and is a Columbus, Ohio native and proud graduate of Capital University. peter@equalityohio.org

	Michele Hopkins is the Administrative Manager for Equality Ohio. Michele’s background includes a wide range of administrative positions including several years at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and most recently as the office manager for a Powell, Ohio-based company. Her passion for equal rights for all Ohioans continues with her son Mark’s legacy. michele@equalityohio.org

	Kim Welter is the Program Manager for Education and Outreach at Equality Ohio. She joined the organization in 2008 after serving as the Executive Director of EqualityToledo for over 2 years. A graduate of the University of Michigan, she got her secondary teaching certificate through the University of Findlay and her Master of Arts and Education from the University of Toledo where she taught composition for 3 years. As an elder in the Presbyterian Church, Kim works to educate the faith community about the importance of having an open and affirming faith environment. When not working, Kim enjoys reading, films, and spending time with her children and her partner of 9 years. kim@equalityohio.org

	Erin Upchurch joins the team of Equality Ohio with more than 10 years of experience advocating for and working to empower both individuals and communities. Her most recent work was with Planned Parenthood (PP) of Central Ohio as a Regional Field Organizer and Community Health Educator. Prior to her role with PP, Erin worked as a social work case manager with the Columbus AIDS Task Force, and remains active as an advocate within the community through her service on the Board of Directors of the Ohio AIDS Coalition. She received her undergraduate education in Social Work from Eastern Michigan University and will complete her graduate studies, also in Social Work, in May 2009 from Case Western Reserve University. Erin has an affinity for books and also enjoys writing and making art. She lives in Columbus with her two children and partner, Michelle.

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