Ken Ahonen-Jover - Miami Beach, FL - Ken is the co-founder and political editor of eQualityGiving.org and a donor to LGBTQ causes. He is a board certified emergency medicine physician with clinical, administrative and teaching roles in South Florida.

Jarrett Tomás Barrios - Boston, MA - Jarrett served nine years in the Massachusetts legislature --the first openly gay man and Latino to serve in the state's Senate--passing laws to improve the life opportunities of GLBT residents, people of color, women, immigrants and people with disabilities.  After successfully helping to lead a 4-year legislative effort to prevent marriage equality from being put on the ballot, he left to run a health access foundation and spend more time with his spouse, Doug, and two children, Javier and Nathaniel.

Dana Beyer, MD - Montgomery County, MD - Dana, a physician, surgeon, scientist and political activist, raised in a culture of religious activism and public service, became an advocate for LGBT rights upon her gender transition earlier this decade. Active in the fight for full civil rights on the local, county, state and national levels, with the grassroots as well as the donor and political communities, she is striving to bring the dreams of her childhood heroes - Dr. King and the Kennedys - to fruition for all Americans.

Jeffrey H. Campagna - New York, NY - Jeffrey is an independent film producer, attorney, fundraiser, and LGBT organizer who has leveraged online social networks to mobilize grass roots direct action by individuals in all fifty states and twenty-six countries.   In 2008 he led efforts to stop gay marriage opponents from seizing control of the New York State and formed ThePowerOnline.org, which the New York Blade cited as perhaps the most promising online organizing effort to emerge in the Empire State post-Propostion 8. 

Mandy Carter - Durham, NC - Mandy is an African-American lesbian activist with a 40-year movement history in social, racial and lebigaytrans justice organizing since 1968. She is a co-founder/former Executive Director of Southerners On New Ground and a founding Board Member Emeritus of the National Black Justice Coalition. She was a 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nominee for "1000 Women for Peace". She is owner of Mandy Carter Consulting.

Michael Coe - Washington, DC - Michael oversees operation at the Hawthorn Group and heads the firms’ State and Local Government Relations Practices. In addition he works with Hawthorn clients and state affiliates on strategic and public affairs programs to address legislative issues across the country. He was recently named on Washington Life Magazine’s 2009 list of 250 of the most influential Washingtonians under the age of 40.

Jimmy Creech - Raliegh, NC - Jimmy was a United Methodist minister for 29 years.  Since 1987, he has worked to end religion-based bigotry used to justify discrimination and spiritual violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.  Because he conducted covenant ceremonies for same-gender couples, he was convicted of disobedience to The United Methodist Church in a church trial and his credentials of ordination were revoked in 1999.

Allison Duncan - San Francisco, CA - Allison is the founder and CEO of Amplifier Strategies, a firm that works closely with donors and investors to plan and implement strategies that achieve measurable social impact with their philanthropic and investable dollars. Allison has held several executive positions managing programs and operations at private foundations.

Michael Guest - Washington, DC -  Michael was our country's first Senate-confirmed, openly gay Ambassador (Romania, 2001-04).  He ended his diplomatic career in protest of State Department policies that discriminate against same-sex partners of employees, and now serves as a Senior Adviser to the Council for Global Equality (www.GlobalEquality.org).

Joanne Herman - Boston, MA -Joanne has been active in the LGBT community as spokeswoman for transgender awareness and understanding since her 2002 transition to female. Joanne is the first transgender member of the Boards of Point Foundation and Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders and is active with Fenway Health. Joanne’s numerous Advocate.com columns to educate readers about transgender people and the discrimination they face can be viewed at www.joanneherman.com.

Donald Hitchcock - Washington, DC -   Donald recently settled a significant employment discrimination case against the Democratic National Committee.  He has held several leadership and activist roles in LGBT grassroots and organizations including: IBM Employee Alliance for LGBT Equality, the Human Rights Campaign,  DC Youth Pride, National Coalition for LGBT Health, and DC for Marriage.  He is currently working on addressing  sexual health issues for youth, and developing a strong  and comprehensive federal LGBT youth policy agenda.

Lane Hudson - Washington, DC -  For his political blogging in 2006, Lane was profiled as a Time Magazine Person of the Year representing the power of average citizens in the Information Age. Lane was also recognized as a person of the year by Advocate magazine and as a member of Out Magazine’s ‘Out 100’ list of the most influential gay people in America. 

Charles Merrill - Palm Springs, CA - Charles Merrill (of the Merrill Lynch family) is a philanthropist, artist and activist. He came out in 1990 after the death of his wife. Charles, the activist, stopped paying taxes to the US government to protest President Bush's support of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

Dixon Osburn, Washington, DC - Dixon is CEO of the Osburn Network, Co-Founder / former Executive Director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, and author of a forthcoming book on Social Justice.

Lisa Polyak, Baltimore, MD - Lisa is a former plaintiff in Deane and Polyak v. Conaway – litigation to obtain marriage equality for same-sex couples in Maryland.  She serves on the Board of Directors at Equality Maryland, and is the Moderator of the Baltimore-based Families With Pride, a support group for LGBT parents and children. Her passion for equality is informed by one goal -- for children to grow up in a world that respects all families both in word and deed. 

Barbra Casbar Siperstein, Edison, NJ - Barbra “Babs”  is President of NJ Stonewall Democrats and a member of the NJ Civil Unions Review Commission. She has served as Vice-Chair of Garden State Equality and Political Director of the Gender Rights Advocacy Association of NJ and the Executive Board of National Stonewall Democrats as Chair of the DNC Relations Committee. In 2004 she was a recipient NJ Personal Liberty Fund’s Honors Award, and was a voting delegate to the 2004 and 2008 Democratic National Convention and New Jersey’s first transgender delegate.

Pam Spaulding - Durham, NC - Pam is the editor and publisher of the award-winning blog PamsHouseBlend.com. She received the Monette-Horwitz Trust's Distinguished Achievement Award for making significant contributions toward the eradication of homophobia. Pam's House Blend was one of two LGBT blogs selected to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention as a member of the press pool.

Andy Szekeres - Denver, CO - Andy has been involved in numerous LGBT and Political campaigns, working in a vast number of states across the country.  Recently Andy served as a key staff member on Congressman Jared Polis’ Congressional campaign, helping to elect the first gay man openly elected to Congress.  Currently Andy serves as a campaign manager for a Congressional race, and serves on numerous local and national boards.

Lisa Turner, Virginia Beach, VA - Lisa is the president and owner of The Turner Group, Ltd.   She is a political and campaign consultant with 18 years of experience advising candidates, donors and organizations across the United States.  Lisa is an accomplished lecturer and instructor, with audiences ranging from boards of political organizations to political strategists to elected officials.  In addition to being named a “Rising Star” by Campaign & Elections Magazine, Lisa was the recipient of the Young Women of Achievement Award and the Victory Fund Appreciation Award.

Jon Winkleman, New York, NY - Jon is a founding member of ThePowerOnline.org and is working towards building a movement for an inclusive LGBT Civil Rights Act. Recently he served on the board of National Stonewall Democrats and Hillary Clinton's National LGBT Steering Committee along with Gay and Lesbian Independent Democrats, Stonewall Democrats NYC, UNITE HERE Local 100 NYC Executive Board, ACT UP NY, Women's Health Action and Mobilization.  He has been arrested 6 times for civil disobedience.  Professionally Jon has worked as a blacksmith, florist, Off Broadway Assistant Director and currently works in hospitality.

Paul Yandura - Washington, DC -Paul is the unofficial spokesperson for the “cranky-wing” of the Democratic Party.  During the Clinton Administration, he helped launch the Clinton White House LGBT outreach operation, served as LGBT outreach director for the Clinton/Gore’96 campaign and as founding director of the DNC’s Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council (GLLC).  Currently, Paul is a founding partner of Scott+Yandura Consulting a progressive political consulting firm.