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Board of Directors
Warren - Chair
Warren resides in Cary, North Carolina where he lives with his partner and collared boy, Martin and their "child" Sully a beautiful Husky/Beagle mix. Warren was born in Savannah, GA and raised in the Washington Metropolitan Area where he began his community service career. He served as Community Relations Director with DC's Black Lesbian and Gay Pride in 1992-1994. After relocation to Atlanta, GA in 1995, he acted as a consultant to develop Atlanta's first black gay pride festival, ITLA/In The Life Atlanta. During that time, he also held seats on the local boards of GLAAD/Atlanta and the Atlanta Lambda Center, a GLBTQ Community Center and was elected co-chair of the center in 1997. As the co-chair of the Lambda Center, Warren touched all facets of Atlanta's GLBTQ community including the leather/kink communities.After his introduction to leather, he moved to the Bay Area in 1998 where he found his leather family in the Golden Gate Guards, a Leather/Levi social organization and non-profit 501(c)3. He has also served 3 years as president. He's also worked extensively with Leather Levi Weekend as an Executive Committee member since 2004 and served as the event co-chair in 2006. Warren holds the title of San Francisco Leather Daddy XXIV, which he won in July, 2006.
Lee - Vice
Lee Aspland has been involved in the leather community for more than fifteen years, first in the Southeast, then San Francisco where she was active in the South and East Bay leather communities. She served as a volunteer for Folsom Street Events for 2 years before serving as the Board Secretary for 2 years. Following her departure from San Francisco, she served as the Volunteer Coordinator for Southeast Leatherfest, while living in Los Angeles with her Owner and their family. Just over a year and a half ago, Lee relocated to the northwest suburbs of Chicago with her family - where they now enjoy watching the bunny rabbits in the backyard torment their cats and dog.Lee is a bootblack, a mentor, an activist, and an educator on a variety of topics, including lifestyle issues, non-profit management and growth issues, and fetishes. Her passion includes working with organizations to help them realize their potential and future successes, and teaching people in any venue to see the light in their eyes when they get it, and move beyond what she was able to share, to then teach her.
This is Lee's third year as a member of the Board of Directors for the Leather Leadership Conference - and her second year serving as the Vice-Chair. Her focus with the board has been foundation building and documenting the policies and procedures to ensure longevity and continuity from year to year. She is very excited to be working closely with the amazing team from Los Angeles for LLC XV - and hopes everyone will join the party in Los Angeles to celebrate the seven deadly sins of the Lost Angels.
Sassy - Secretary
Stephanie "Sassy" Lynn found herself in a kinky relationship beginning in 1996 and has been active in BDSM organizations in Minnesota since 1998.Currently she serves as a Stockholder with Minnesota Stocks Debentures and Bonds, a member of the leadership team at Minnesota Power Exchange and is an Associate Member of the Knights of Leather. She served as the Promotion Co-Chair for LLC XI and participates with all Minnesota groups annually during LeatherPride, a week-long tradition leading into the Twin Cities Pride festival. She also has a history of organizing traditional events for kinky people, and often facilitates community conversations.
Ms. Lynn holds an MPA degree and applies over 15 years of nonprofit work experience in communications, marketing, fundraising, and social justice advocacy to her passions. She is particularly interested in authentic public process and respecting the richness of our cultural differences.
Scott
His knot tying education started at the age of 4 by many ole salts who had been boating for more than 40 years. When he came out at 21, he started applying the knots to bondage, and it has been fun ever since. He considers his leather journey a life long pursuit.In 2003 Scott co-founded the Bay State Marauders, and served as lead director / facilitator during the formation of the club in an unofficial / unelected capacity. He was elected and served as the Inaugural President from 2004 to 2005, and Vice President from 2006 to 2007.
Scott held the title of Mr. Boston Leather 2004. During his year, Facilitated / Founded community roundtable meetings in the New England area (Leather Activists of New England) that lasted for about a year. He also volunteered for many events and projects like the independent film "Just For Leather". Scott is still continually active in the Mr. Boston Leather Family, striving to help the current Mr. Boston Leather in whatever capacity he needs.
In 2007 he won the Pantheon of Leather New England Regional Award.
Scott was active as a volunteer with the New England Leather Alliance for a few years before deciding to join the NELA board in 2007, and served as Co-Chair from 2007 to 2008. He now serves as the Director of Community Relations. He and the board of NELA consider what they do with NELA to be work, helping the New England leather community be all it can be. Scott lovingly refers to the NELA board as the Activist Masochists, cuz they do it until it hurts so good. The NELA board sees Leather Leadership Conference as something that they need to attend every year for NELA to grow as an organization and assist in reaching its goals.
It was at the Leather Leadership Conference in Minneapolis where he got involved with the Consent Counts Project, and joined the National Steering Committee. The goal of this project is to form a 10 to 15 year plan to decriminalize BDSM.
Scott also owns an 18 foot one design racing sailboat named Electra. Since 1996 he has studied Native American Shamanism, and is also a certified Usui Reiki Master / Teacher. When he is not out fighting for sexual freedom now, he likes spending time with his leather family, The Bay State Marauders.
Jack
For more than ten years Jack Rinella has been writing about his favorite topic: kinky sex. The acclaimed author of the best-selling book, The Master's Manual, as well as The Compleat Slave and his newest book, Partners In Power, is a freelance writer, computer professional, and college instructor. A sought-after lecturer, Jack has presented seminars on BDSM history, techniques, and relationships across the country, including the Leather Leadership Conference, Black Rose, Bash at the Beach, Beat Me in St. Louis, TES, Headspace in Bloomington, IN, PEER in Cincinnati, and the Arizona Power Exchange.Born in Albany, New York of Italian-American parents, he's been a high school and college teacher, a drug rehabilitation counselor, a cook, a computer salesman, a Catholic seminarian, a Pentecostal minister, an advertising copy writer, a graphic designer, and has done stints at printing, publishing, telemarketing, headhunting, and computer consulting. He has a Bachelor degree in Philosophy and a Master Degree in Business Administration.
He has been active in the Leather scene since 1983, is a founding member of MAsT-Chicago, an associate member of the Chicago Hellfire Club, and has written extensively about our lifestyle as a weekly columnist for Gay Chicago Magazine.
He lives on the North side of Chicago with his slave Patrick, where he passes the time writing, cruising, and falling in love whenever he can.
Wendell
I got my first leather jacket when I was 17, joined the Marines when I was 19, got my first motorcycle when I was 20. I was Seattle Leather Daddy 2003, Washington LeatherSir 2006 and Northwest LeatherSir 2006.I've been Seattle Men in Leather's Pride Parade Road Captain for the past 4 years - riding herd on Seattle's Leather and Fetish contingent for the Pride parade.
I've been on the Board of Directors of Seattle Men in Leather and Generic Leather Productions of Washington.
I'm the proud Daddy of Hobbit, International Ms. Leather 2008. When we're not doing leather events and activities, we can be found bicycling, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, SCUBA diving and other outdoor activities.
Steve Ward
Steve Ward has been a part of the San Francisco Bay Area Leather / kink community for over a dozen years. He began his community career as a member of the San Francisco boys of Leather from 2003-2005. He has since served as a committee member of the Leathermen’s Discussion Group, as representative to the San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance (formerly the San Francisco Leather Forum). He has held this position since 2006. He has also served as Vice-President of the Forum, until its merger with the InterClub Fund, to form the Alliance. Within the Alliance, Steve works on the Vision Committee, and orchestrates each year’s Holiday Party, a Bay Area tradition which brings all facets of the community together. Steve works toward finding new and innovative ways to invite communication among the various Leather / kink groups of the Bay Area.Steve has been a member of the San Francisco chapter of the Defenders, a chartered organization of Dignity USA. The Defenders are a spiritual organization, with a fundraising group within. Steve has been a member since 2004, and President from 2006-2010.
In the early years of Leather-Levi Week-end, a Northern California week-end with a focus on kink newcomers, Steve served as outreach and spirituality committee leads. In recent years, Steve has orchestrated the annual Cocktail Party, an event at LLW which introduces newcomers to the various Bay Area Leather / kink groups.
Steve has also served as membership chair (2005-2007), vice-president (2007), and president (2008) of the 15 Association, San Francisco’s premier Men’s play group.
Among many local event responsibilities, in 2008, Steve was a member of the local organizing committee for Leather Leadership Conference, San Francisco. Steve served the LOC as volunteer coordinator.
Steve has been awarded as the Bay Area Leather Alliance Man of the Year for 2008, and will be this year’s Leather Marshall for San Francisco Pride.
In his spare time, Steve enjoys working on community-building efforts with his collared boy, Jonathan. He also has a second boy under consideration at this time. Steve’s mission this year is to become a great Leather Daddy.
Steve holds no Bay Area or California Leather titles….at this time.
Jerith
Jerith has a passion for volunteering and learning that she has honed since her introduction to the community 10 years ago. That passion has led her to serve as the education director for Galleria Domain 2 in Chicago, where she has organized over 90 educational and fund-raising events. She has taught classes at Leather Leadership Conference on the importance and methods of running education programs and serves as a mentor for others who hope to channel their energy into volunteering and community service. Along with her owner Jim, Jerith teaches classes on breath play and emotional edge play, and was nominated for the Great Lakes Region Award at Pantheon of Leather in 2009.Thomas Smith
Thomas's leather journey has taken him down many paths, highways, and dark alleys. His journey has given him experience as a player, club member, titleholder, contest producer, bar owner, and community supporter.Thomas currently lives in Kentucky and is a past President of the Lexington Lyons Leather Club. He is an associate member of the Atons of Minneapolis and an alumni member of the Black Guard of Minnesota. He is a member of Mama's Leather family and known as "Mama's Kentucky Colonel". He was Mr. Kentucky Leather 1997 and Mr. International Rubber 1999. He received the Pantheon of Leather President's Award in 2000. He believes that your actions, words, honor and generosity to others will define you far more than a title or awards ever can.
Thomas enjoys travel and has visited all fifty states, and many locations in Europe, Asia, Australia, and Latin American islands and Canadian and Mexican cities. He is retired from an executive position in the U. S. Government and holds graduate degrees in administration and banking. Thomas is particularly proud to be a member of the national Board of Directors for the Leather Leadership Conference and believes that leadership is practiced in attitude and actions and results in inspiring achievement.
EMERITII OF THE BOARD
John Weis
Glenda Rider
Libby Warren
Lolita Wolf
Cynthia Wright
Larry Manion
Graylin K. Thornton
Sheryl Dee
Pat Baillie
IN MEMORY
April 8-10, 2011 |
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