What Is Prideworks?
Drawing from the lower Hudson Valley, the Tr-State area, and beyond, PrideWorks is a conference serves students from more than 70 middle and high schools and 10 colleges and universities. Approximately 70% of attendees are students and 30% are adults. About 20% of the students identify as LGBTQ. Adults include teachers, psychologists, social workers, Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) Advisors, youth care workers, parents or guardians of LGBTQ youth, advocates, social justice seekers, among others. About 40% of adults identify as part of the LGBTQ community.
PrideWorks, Inc. was organized in 2013 and grew out of a conference which began in 1999 as a collaborative effort on the part of the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) and Westchester County. PrideWorks, Inc. is now solely responsible for this conference, and sponsors or co-sponsors other events (such as celebrations of National Coming Out Day and Ally Week, networking meetings, and Gay Prom) alone and in partnership with other areas agencies.
PrideWorks® Inc. is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization
Our Sponsors
Pace University
Westchester County
Janet Press and Bob Indra
PFLAG Westchester
GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) Lower Hudson Valley
Unitarian Universalist Congregations of Westchester
David Diamond
Mathew Thoennes
The LOFT - The Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center
Robyn Ochs
Circle Care Center
Leonard-Litz Foundation
Camp Lightbulb
Prideworks Board
David Diamond
David Diamond has a BA in English from Columbia University and several Masters degrees from Teachers College. David has almost 40 years of experience working with youth in a variety of settings, and has worked with LGBTQ+ youth for almost 20 years, including advising three different GSAs, working with Center Lane, volunteering at Common Threads and Queer Spirit Camp as a group facilitator, and. of course, PrideWorks. He has served on the boards of GLSEN Hudson Valley, CANDLE Rockland, Scaffolding Advocacy and Inclusive Leadership, and is currently the President of PrideWorks. David uses he/him pronouns, and identifies as old and cranky. He is a frequent theater-goer, and despite what anyone else says, David’s puns and jokes are HILARIOUS.
Tracy Breneman
Tracy Breneman serves as Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration and Faith Development for the Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains, NY (cucwp.org). In addition, Tracy is adjunct faculty at CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Department of Sociology where she has taught theory and practice of dispute resolution and conflict transformation. She holds a BA in Political Science from Northern Illinois University, a MA in Brasilian Legislative Processes from the Universidade de Brasilia, Brasil, and a MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University. Tracy believes in living through her UU values, and is passionate about fostering welcoming and supportive youth community. She started volunteering with PrideWorks in 2008.
Rachel Simon
Rachel Simon is the Executive Director of the Triangle Community Center, an LGBTQA+ nonprofit in Norwalk, CT. She’s also the Chair of the Westchester County LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. She’s an activist, educator, dog person, poet, and never says no to chocolate.
Kerry King
Mathew Thoennes
Mathew Thoennes holds a BSEE from Purdue University and a MS Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts. He joined IBM in 1982 and has work primarily in the Research Division during his career. He has been active in PFLAG since 1997 and the local chapter since 2001 and has been a member of the steering committee for the local chapter. He also has served on the GLSEN Hudson Valley board. Matt joined the PrideWorks Conference in 2003 and has handled finances and registration for the conference. He has been awarded the GLSEN Hudson Valley Leadership Award for his contributions to the PrideWorks conference and for co-leading the creation of a not for profit organization to organize the PrideWorks Conference in the future.