Fairness Campaign Board and Staff Fairness Campaign Staff  Chris Hartman - Director: Chris is the first director of Louisville's two-decade-old Fairness Campaign and is a steering committee member of Kentucky's statewide Fairness Coalition. He served as Congressman John Yarmuth's 2008 campaign press secretary, as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer In Service To America) in St. Louis, and as Philadelphia director of the Democratic National Committee's open air grassroots fundraising effort in the 2004 presidential election. Chris founded and produced Project Improv--two long-form improvisational theatre troupes in St. Louis and Louisville. He holds a Master's in Drama from Washington University in St. Louis. You can email Chris at Chris@Fairness.org.
 Laura Reece - Administrative Coordinator: Laura, a transplant by way of England and California, joined the Fairness Campaign staff in 2010. Prior to becoming Fairness’ Administrative Coordinator, Laura volunteered at Women in Transition (WIT) providing accounting and IT services and was named WIT’s “Member of the Month." Laura also enjoys fine arts, video editing and graphic design - all of which she tries to incorporate into her position at Fairness Campaign when possible. You can email Laura at Laura@Fairness.org.
Fairness Campaign Coordinating Committee
 Keith Brooks - Co-Coordinator: Keith is a native of Louisville. He became heavily involved with LGBT and social justice issues at his alma mater the University of Kentucky, working a founding member and officer of the reformed UK Gay-Straight Alliance. After graduating from the university and returning to Louisville in 2007, Keith later became active with the Fairness Campaign and has been a co-coordinator since 2010. In his spare time, Keith enjoys traveling, live music and learning different languages, such as Norwegian and Turkish. You can email Keith at Keith@Fairness.org.
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 Dr. Kaila Story - Co-Coordinator: Dr. Story is an Assistant Professor and the Audre Lorde Endowed Chair in Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality Studies in the Departments of Women’s & Gender Studies & Pan-African Studies at the University of Louisville. Dr. Story’s research examines on the intersections of race and sexuality, with special attention to black feminism and black lesbians. Dr. Story current work explores the work-life strain that many black and female assistant professors experience through their negotiations of self and the pursuit of obtaining tenure and promotion, the piece is called Embodying Diversity: The Consequences of Othermothering for Black and Female Academics. Her other works include: Performing Venus: From Hottentot to Video Vixen: The Historical Legacy of Black Female Body Commodification and There’s No Place like “Home”: Mining the Theoretical Terrain of Black Women’s Studies, Black Queer Studies and Black Studies. |
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 Bonifacio "Flaco" Aleman has been the Executive Director at Kentucky Jobs with Justice since March 1, 2012. He has a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Spalding University and served on the board at Women in Transition (WIT) as Board President, Chair of the Finance Committee, and on the Executive Committee. During the Spring 2011, he co-taught a Community Organizing Institute at Spalding University in partnership with WIT. Currently, Bonifacio is on the Board of Directors at the Hispanic/Latino Coalition of Louisville, and the Sowers of Justice Network and is also a member of American Mensa, Social Welfare Action Alliance (SWAA), Network Center for Community Change (NC3), and Women In Transition. Recently, he was the keynote speakers at the Annual Kentucky Sierra Club’s Activist Retreat. In his spare time, Bonifacio tries to volunteer in the community, with the West End School, with organized labor, and as a voice for the incarcerated and impoverished.
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 Bojangles Blanchard is originally from Promised Land, South Carolina. He is a University of Louisville graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Justice Administration. Bojangles currently serves as co-chair of the Faith Leaders for Fairness and is the creator and leader of True Colors Ministry at Highland Baptist Church. It is one of the first affirming LGBT ministries at a Baptist Church in the South. He currently works for Humana Inc. and is completing his Masters of Divinity at Louisville Seminary. He's been happily married for six years to the love of his life, Dominique James, and they have one daughter, a three year old Chihuahua named Bijou. |
 Alan Bornstein’s involvement with the local LGBT community began in the early 1980’s, when he served on (and later chaired) the AIDS Task Force committee of the Jefferson County Medical Society. That organization’s role was to help assure the availability of medical care for HIV positive individuals, which was a problem in the early years of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Alan later served on an AIDS Prevention Task Force formed by the county health department and had some involvement with the Community Health Trust in Louisville shortly before its demise. He has been volunteering in the Fairness Campaign office since June 2009 doing “whatever he can” to help out and was a 2011 nominee for the “Jeff Rodgers ‘Unsung Hero’ Award." |
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 Kurtis M. Frizzell is a former Student Body President and Trustee of the University of Louisville. As President, Kurtis focused a great deal on diversity helping with UofL Pride Week, PINK (UofL’s annual student run drag show), and helped start the plans for a future cultural center. While at UofL, he participated as a McConnell Scholar and stayed actively involved in Greek Life. In 2012, he received the “Bridging the Gap” award given by the Association of Black Students to a person that goes above and beyond to foster a collective progressiveness among minority groups. He devotes most of his spare time in the non-profit sector, formerly working with the Metro United Way and the KY-ACLU. Currently you can find Kurtis doing anything from studying at the Brandeis School of Law to planning promotional events for Louisville’s LGBT night life.
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 Jaison A. Gardner has been a social justice activist and community organizer for more than fifteen years, with work primarily surrounding issues of youth empowerment, LGBT rights, people of color and women’s rights issues. He has served on the board of directors for several progressive organizations, including the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL) in Washington, DC, Women in Transition (WIT—a poor people’s organization in Louisville), and formerly on the Fairness Campaign Coordinating Committee. Jaison is the proud founder of BlkOut, an organization dedicated to empowering black LGBT students on the University of Louisville campus. In his free time, Jaison enjoys politics, Pop Culture and creating memories with his friends and family. |
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Katie Garrison: Photo and bio coming soon!
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 Nicole M. Kersting is a 2011 graduate of the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. She is an associate attorney with De Renzo Durrett, PLLC, where she practices in the areas of family law, criminal law, and personal injury. Specifically, Nicole is focusing on same-sex family law and LGBTQ issues. She has a strong history of LGBTQ activism, including having served as a student representative for the Statewide Fairness Coalition Steering Committee, co-chair of the Lambda Law Caucus, and having coordinated with UofL’s CommonGround and the Louisville Youth Group. One of her favorite moment as an activist so far has been appearing on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews. |
 Jessica Kessinger is Business Manager at the Magnolia Photo Booth Company and a graduate of Bellarmine University with a B.A. in History ('02) and an Advanced Accounting Certificate ('06). A life-long Louisvillian, Jessica has also held positions with the Louisville Young Democrats and Louisville Jefferson County Democratic Party. She previously served on the planning committees for “Fairness X,” celebrating 10 years of Louisville’s Fairness ordinance, and the Fairness Campaign’s 20th anniversary celebrations in 2011. |
 Tiffany LaVoie first came to Louisville in 2001 from her home state of Michigan to perform with the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Old Louisville’s Central Park. She holds a B.A. in Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University and an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Louisville where she was the 2010 recipient of The Warren Oates Student Merit award for “outstanding contributions to the theatre program and for the promise of making significant contributions to the artistic community.” While teaching drama at Western Middle Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School in Portland, she is currently pursuing another Master’s degree—in teaching—from Thomas More College. She is a member of Actors Theatre of Louisville's Teacher Advisory Committee and is the sponsor for her school's Kentucky Youth Assembly delegation. |
 Sam Marcosson has been on the FCCC since 2008. He teaches at the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. He graduated from Bradley University in 1983, and Yale Law School in 1986. Before coming to Louisville, he worked from 1988-1996 in the Appellate Division of the Office of General Counsel at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Washington, D.C. His teaching and writing focuses on civil rights, constitutional law, and sexuality law. In 2009, Sam received the University of Louisville’s Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching. Since 2007, he has supervised the law school’s Marshall-Brennan program, an integral part of its partnership with Central High School, designed to increase diversity in the legal profession by providing mentors for disadvantaged students with an interest in the legal profession. He has served on the Board of Directors of the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association, and was the programming coordinator for its annual conference in 1998. Sam is the author of numerous articles and a book, ORIGINAL SIN: CLARENCE THOMAS AND THE FAILURE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATIVES, published by the New York University Press in 2002. |
 Derek Penwell is the senior minister of Douglass Boulevard Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Louisville and a lecturer at the University of Louisville in Religious Studies and Humanities. He has a Ph.D. in Humanities from the University of Louisville, a D.Min. and an M.Div. from Lexington Theological Seminary and is the author of articles ranging from church history to aesthetic theory and the tragic emotions. Rev. Penwell and the majority straight-allied congregation of Douglass Boulevard recently led their church to its historic decision to halt the signing of marriage licenses until all people may be equally married under the law. |
 Gil Reyes is a business-minded artist and a public servant, contributes a unique blend of leadership, legislative knowledge, and creativity to Fairness. Gil has served in the office of Kentucky's 3rd District Congressman for almost 5 years where his responsibilities have included; Congressional Aide on Veterans Affairs, Health Care, Arts, and LGBTQ issues, Grants Specialist, and Scheduler. He also served as the Director of Policy and Communications on the Congressman's 2010 campaign. In addition, Gil is a Co-Artistic Director of Theatre [502], an exciting production company focusing on recent and relevant plays that speak to Louisville audiences. Gil is a graduate of Kenyon College, a Board Member of Walden Theatre, a 2011 Business First 40 Under 40 honoree, a kidney transplant recipient, and a fast driver. |
 Amanda Stahl is a native of Kentucky. She has been involved in social justice work for many years around the country focusing on disability justice work and LGBTQ rights. In 2012, she obtained her Master's degree in Social Work at the University of Louisville Kent School. She has enjoyed living in Louisville the past two years and looks forward to working with the Fairness Campaign on the Dismantling Racism Committee. |
 Meg Stern is a 30 year old activist who is proud to be from Louisville. Meg has been active in the reproductive health and abortion access movement since her teenage years when she began work as a volunteer clinic escort, accompanying clients of Kentucky’s only full time abortion clinic past aggressive protesters. In 2005 Meg co-founded Louisville’s Wench Selfcare Health Education Collective. With this group, Meg has organized health fairs and presented class series and workshops with local groups including Women in Transition and The LINE Freeschool. In 2009 Meg joined the board of Louisville’s Fairness Campaign and helped create (and currently co-chairs) the Campaign’s Dismantling Racism Committee which focuses on addressing issues of racism specific to Louisville’s LGBTQ communities. When Meg is not busy with her volunteer duties she spends time cooking professionally, with the children, nannies and tutors, gardening, swimming, bicycling, and “enjoying time with friends, my dog Luci, or any of the other critters at my home including a cat, a parrot and numerous chickens.” |
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The Fairness Campaign's Coordinating Committee is looking for individuals who would be interested in taking an active, working role in the leadership of the Campaign. Whether working as a member or a leader of a committee or serving on the board, there are many opportunities for you to be even more active in the work for justice and equality. If you'd like to take a more active leadership role in the work for Fairness, please contact us at 893-0788 or Fairness@fairness.org.
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