Board of Directors
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Sarah Deragon
she/her
Co-Chair
Sarah Deragon (she/her) is a self-taught professional portrait photographer based in Petaluma. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, she moved to California after college and steadily moved her way up the coast until she landed in beautiful Sonoma County. Sarah is a full-time photographer and is the owner of Portraits To The People, a photography brand that focuses on capturing the very best version of people through colorful authentic portraits. She is also the creator of The Identity Project, which is a powerful photo series that explores what words we use when we define our gender/sexuality. Launched in 2014, this year is the 10th anniversary of the project.
Sarah's dedication to activism started when she was in college and she is committed to work that has racial and economic justice as foundational principles. She is excited about engaging in advocacy efforts aimed at dismantling the systemic inequalities and promoting equitable access to resources and opportunities for the LGBTQIA+ community.. She has extensive volunteer and nonprofit experience through her work with Frameline, the LGBTQ Film Festival, and at the San Francisco LGBTQ Center.
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Rt. Rev. Fr. Rusty Smith
he/they
Co-Chair
Rt. Rev. Fr. Rusty Smith (he/him/they) identifies as a culturally diverse unicorn and Queer man. Rusty is a semi-retired Anglican Bishop/Priest and has spent his life as a non-profit Executive Director serving marginal communities in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Washington, Houston, Brownsville, Albuquerque, Oakland, and San Francisco. Rusty is committed to the applied model of servant leadership and has focused his life’s work with people in prison, farm workers/laborers, low-income seniors, people experiencing homelessness, people in hospice, people living/dying with HIV/AIDS, and those in medical transition within the transgender community. Rusty has been and remains an advocate for social justice, human equality, inclusion, and absolute respect for our magnificent creation diversity.
Rusty shares his life with his husband, Scott and their furry “big ass” poodle children, Oreo, and Tater tot.
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Alicia LeCompte
She/They
Secretary
Alicia attended Positive Images Programming in their younger years and now gives back to the organization in the role of Secretary of the Board of Directors. They spend their free time helping lead Queer Kickball and enjoying time in community.
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Bea Cheung
She/They
Member At-Large
Bea Cheung, a queer Chinese-American print design consultant, has guided clients across various industries in developing innovative and sustainable packaging solutions. Immigrating from Hong Kong to Sonoma County at a young age, she longed for a diverse community that fostered intersectionality within the arts and education.
While earning her Bachelor of Science in Design & Industry at San Francisco State University, Bea immersed herself in volunteering and activism within the Asian Student Union. Embracing the vibrant local drag community, she aspired to create similarly authentic and accessible creative spaces in her hometown.
Bea's influence extends well beyond her creative endeavors; she has made substantial contributions to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) councils and Employee Resource Group (ERG) initiatives. She has also orchestrated impactful Pride marketing campaigns and served as a queer AAPI model for various beauty and personal care brands.
Since 2021, Bea has collaborated with Positive Images as a programs volunteer and teaching artist for Queer Art Club/Camp. She now steps into her new role as a Board Member while simultaneously founding Queer Life Drawing Collective—a testament to her unwavering commitment to inclusivity and creative expression.
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Irmina Benson
She/They/Ella/Elle
Member At-Large
Irmina Benson, a local queer afro-latina/e activist, creative entrepreneur, and DEI professional, brings a diverse cultural, educational, and professional background encompassing legal administration, event management, nonprofit program coordination, DEI advocacy, and talent acquisition/Human Resources. Irmina holds a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies and English Literature from Wesleyan University, emphasizing their commitment to marginalized communities. Irmina has facilitated over 50 community events, covering vital topics like anti-racism, queer identity education, anti-prison advocacy, and DEI in various professional domains. These events have honed her skills in creating and conducting engaging presentations and workshops. She is a conversational Spanish speaker and learner, an innovative thinker with a strong interest in community-based research, development, and advocacy.
As a proud FGLI graduate and a vocal advocate for prison abolition and the rights of multi-marginalized groups, Irmina is committed to fostering an environment where diversity is celebrated, equity is pursued relentlessly, and inclusion is the norm. She is eager to bring this commitment and her comprehensive skill set to an organization that shares these values. Her career aspiration is to drive meaningful change in the DEI landscape.
When Irmina is not working in the community, she can be found painting at the beach, vending at local community markets, or hiking/traveling!
![Alexis stands in front of an inclusive Pride flag with bubbles.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0bdbeb_6abc7c43be2e4dafa0bf446724638986~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_375,h_375,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/DeliveryBox-476-Recovered.jpg)
![Alexis stands in front of a blue and and lavender abstract projection.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0bdbeb_79bfbda2096c4bb79448d8842910653c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_375,h_375,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/DeliveryBox-620%20(2).jpg)
Alexis Puerto-Holmes
she/her
Member At-Large
Alexis (she/her/hers) identifies as a Latina, Indigenous, Queer, woman, and community advocate from Oakland, California/Ohlone land. She studied Recreation Administration at Humboldt State University while working as a backpacking and water sport guide. Following college she worked for an LGBTQ youth center, Boy’s and Girls Club within Santa Rosa city schools, and has been loving her career working for Sonoma County Regional Parks for the past 4+ years. In addition to working for parks Alexis loves to stay busy and creates, and sells art through her business: ArtsyQueerLatina along with training dogs for Canine Constitutional.
Alexis loves supporting her LGBTQ+ community through participating in LGBTQ+ clubs, participating in LGBTQ Connection’s youth leadership cohort, and is a leader for GayDar, which creates events for LGBTQ+ individuals within Sonoma County. Furthermore, she began her own side project in 2020 collecting data and presenting nationally regarding information pertaining to how environmental educators can connect with their own LGBTQ+ community along with creating and leading annual programs such as: Hike with Pride and QT’s (Queer and Trans) in the Park.
She is excited to be a part of PI’s board as they are an agency, which supports her goal to be the person her younger self would have needed!
![Chelsea stands in front of an inclusive Pride flag with bubbles.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0bdbeb_ffcafc3bdb1b4247989aa34b73264ecc~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_375,h_375,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/DeliveryBox-476-Recovered.jpg)
![Chelsea stands in front of a crystal rainbow prism with red, yellow, blue and pink.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0bdbeb_7ffb861c72054b0e9ae070c6c810e8b3~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_375,h_375,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/DeliveryBox-620%20(2).jpg)
Chelsea Rose Kurnick
she/her
Member At-Large
Chelsea Rose Kurnick (she/her) is a queer bisexual originally from southern California. She has lived in Sonoma County since October 2017. She knew the area well before moving, as she worked in the wine industry for nearly 12 years. Chelsea spent four years doing public relations and digital marketing for a variety of Sonoma County tourism businesses and organizations, before turning to nonprofit development work. With Jessica Carroll, she co-founded the weekly Friday evening adult LGBTQIA+ peer support group. Chelsea joined the board of Positive Images in 2018.
![Jake stands in front of an inclusive Pride flag with bubbles.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0bdbeb_79d978ad9b734b8ca9534c42995f2471~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_375,h_375,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/DeliveryBox-476-Recovered.jpg)
![Jake stands in front of pink, blue and lavender abstract projection.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/0bdbeb_ff2dd35a3dcc48f3a62baa0ba5601f95~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_375,h_375,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/DeliveryBox-620%20(2).jpg)
Jake Harpin
he/him
Member At-Large
Jake Harpin (he/him) is a white, pansexual, transgender man. Originally from Massachusetts, Jake has lived in Sonoma County since 2009. Jake works for the Sonoma County Human Services Department’s Upstream Investments Initiative as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Community Resilience Programs Contract Manager supporting an equitable pandemic recovery. He has worked extensively with non-profit agencies and has years of experience advocating for Sonoma County children and families, and adults with developmental disabilities. Outside of his professional life, Jake can be found in his kayak on the Russian River, toes in the sand at the coast, and/or hanging with his kids, partner, dogs and cat.
Jake is brand new to the board in 2022 and is excited to both be a part of PI’s growth and the inevitable growing pains.
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Javier Morales
He/Him/Él
Member At-Large
Javier Morales identifies as a pansexual, Latino/Purépecha man and is originally from Southern California. He has a Bachelor’s in English Literature and a Master’s in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. He has worked in libraries for 10+ years, with a background focused on Adult & Youth Services, Business & Career Preparation, and has been a strong advocate for increasing queer focused resources and programs in libraries.