About

PrideWorks®’ mission is to INFORM our communities about the realities of growing up gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, and to INSPIRE them to respect and support LGBTQ people and to ADVOCATE for positive change

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

Purchase College

Pace University

Westchester Unitarian Universalists

Westchester County

Circle Care Center

Leonard-Litz Foundation

PFLAG Westchester

The LOFT - The Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center

Fourth Fridays

David Diamond

Mathew Thoennes

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 started volunteering with PrideWorks in 2008 and is passionate about fostering welcoming, inclusive, and supportive youth community. She coordinates tabling for the annual PrideWorks conference. You can reach her by email at Tracy@PrideWorks.org. Beyond PrideWorks, Tracy serves as Director of Lifespan Religious Exploration and Faith Development for the Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation at White Plains, NY (cuucwp.org), has a background in conflict resolution and restorative practices, volunteers as an End-of-Life Doula with Hudson Valley Hospice, and will be ordained as an interfaith minister by the Chaplaincy Institute (chaplaincyinstitute.org) in June 2026. She is certified as an End-of-Life Doula, 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 (PhD ABD) in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University.

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

Kerry King has a BA in Economics from Fordham University. She started her career with PepsiCo in 2000 and currently works in category management supporting the eastern half of the United States. She joined EQUAL, PepsiCo’s diversity and engagement group for driving awareness of LGBTA diversity; promoting dignity and respect; and fostering individual development and success, in 2009. Kerry started volunteering at PrideWorks in 2010 and joined the board in 2015.

Mathew Thoennes

Mathew Thoennes holds a BSEE from Purdue University and a MS Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts. He retired in 2025. 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.

Matthew Juda

Matt Juda is an educator with over 20 years of experience working in K-12 public education and he currently serves as a school administrator in the Lower Hudson Valley.  He holds a BA in Biology from SUNY Geneseo, a MSed in Counselor Education from SUNY Brockport, and an EdD in Educational Leadership from the University of Rochester.  Matt is also a member of the Westchester LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. 

Kevin Landino

Kristin Stiles