The work of Lambda Archives would not be possible without the countless hours and dedication of the people who pour their passion into collecting, preserving, and sharing our local LGBTQ+ history.
Contributors
Ryan Ednacot (they/she/he) works as an Archives Assistant for the grant project, “Addressing Harm as an Archival Imperative,” funded by the Society of American Archivists Foundation Board (2021-2022). Ryan is a community activist and artist, and a master’s student in the LGBT studies program at SDSU, where their main area of focus is on the barriers faced by Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) individuals within social and legal institutions. As a diasporic Filipinx, Queer, and Trans person, their non-academic work revolves around the lived experiences of liminal subjectivities and the nuances surrounding embodying multiplicitous identities. In her spare time, Ryan enjoys doing drag, rapping, and wood-working.
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Gabrielle Garcia, Project Assistant (they/he/she) Gabrielle is an artist and designer, aspiring archivist, and a 2019 graduate from Scripps College with a BA in Media Studies and two minors in Art and Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. She is interested in the intersections of art, media, publishing, archives, and the LGBTQ community (especially butch lesbians!). In their free time, they enjoy reading, listening to leftist podcasts, watching films, making art, and going to drag king shows at Gossip Grill (pre-pandemic).
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Ethan Lopez (They/He) works as a Project Assistant for the Preserving California’s LGBTQ History grant project (2020-2022), funded by the California State Library (CSL). He is a queer and transgender community activist, artist, and proud cat dad. Ethan is passionate about creating accessible and representative research.
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Trent Lozano-Osier (he/him) has been providing accounting services for 8 years including serving as a bookkeeper for Lambda Archives and other non-profits in the greater San Diego area. A 20-year Navy Veteran, he retired in 2013 with honorable service and several awards. During his career, he was deployed to Iraq and the Middle East in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Trent completed an Associate’s Degree from the University of Phoenix in 2006 and at Mesa Community College with an Accounting Degree in 2016. His 20 years in the Navy has brought valuable administrative skills and discipline.
When not crunching the numbers, Trent enjoys gardening with his husband, spending time with friends and family, and playing on a softball team called Wicked, which is part of the AFCSL (America’s Finest City Softball League). Trent also loves to play board games. |
MJ Teater (she/they) joins us as an Archives Intern for the Spring 2022 semester. MJ graduated from CSU San Marcos in 2018 with a BA in History. She has always loved history and after taking a couple years’ break, she decided she wanted to study even more, so she is currently working towards a master’s degree in history at CSUSM. For her thesis, she has been studying the AIDS crisis in San Diego and how queer communities were effected. MJ enjoys reading graphic novels, listening to audiobooks while walking their dog, and exploring the diverse worlds that newer video games have to offer. While MJ is uncertain about their future goals, she is excited to be working in the archives and learning more about BIPOC queer communities of San Diego.
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Dana Wiegand (she/they) works as the Project Manager for the Preserving California’s LGBTQ History grant project (2020-2022), funded by the California State Library (CSL). Dana is a queer aspiring archivist with a BA in History, who focused on the history of oppressed peoples during their undergraduate studies. Dana earned a MLIS degree through Syracuse University and is passionate about increasing the availability and accessibility of LGBTQIA+ history and resources. They are dedicated to putting the voices of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ persons at the forefront of historical and social discourse, and considers it an honor to preserve the history of our community. In their spare time Dana enjoys reading, museums, going to the beach, and hanging out with their dogs and partner.
Black Trans Lives Matter. |
Board of Directors
Isabel Cordova (She/Her) was born and raised in Flint, Michigan (Unceded Lands of the Sauk/Chippewah Tribes). She began the study of archaeology and anthropology at the University of Michigan and archaeological collections at the Cranbrook Institute of Science. She continued the archaeological track at California State University Northridge (Unceded Lands of the Tongva) and interned at the Fowler Museum at the University of California Los Angeles, where she turned her passion for archaeology into a career. Upon relocating to the San Diego area (Unceded Lands of the Kumeyaay), Isabel has worked closely with cultural resource management professionals and other archaeologists, the tribal community, and museums to protect the cultural resources of Southern California prior to development throughout the region. Isabel is also passionate about LGBTQ and racial justice and sits on the local Human Rights Campaign board and is the Vice-Chair of the Society for California Archaeology’s Coalition for Diversity in California Archaeology. To attempt a work/life balance, Isabel enjoys hiking in San Diego’s backcountry, reading historical fiction, and lying by any pool available.
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Anna Culbertson, MA, MSLIS, (she/her/hers) is Assistant Head of Special Collections and University Archives at San Diego State University. She co-directed the CalHumanities funded project Out on the Left Coast: The Story of San Diego Pride and curates a collection of zines that document LGBTQ+ voices and experiences, among others. Anna joined the Board of Directors in 2017 and consults on archival best practices including collection development, conservation, and access.
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Gibrán Güido (he/him/his) was born in San Diego and raised in San Ysidro, California. He is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of Literature at the University of California, San Diego. He completed his M.A. program in the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies at San Diego State University. Currently, Gibrán is co-editing with Dr. Adelaida R. Del Castillo the forthcoming anthology titled, Fathers, Fathering and Fatherhood: Queer Chicano Desire and Belonging. Gibrán is also the co-editor of the anthology Queer in Aztlán: Chicano Male Recollections of Consciousness and Coming Out.
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Originally from Washington State, Mark Maddox (he/him/his), Board Vice President of Lambda Archives, moved to America’s Finest City with his partner, Ben Mendoza in late 2013. With over 12 years of skills and experience in customer service and volunteer support, Mark’s background includes employment with Birch Aquarium, parade management for San Diego Pride, and currently the Director of Volunteer Engagement for Mama’s Kitchen. When not supporting great local organizations, Mark can be found brunching, playing with his dog Donut, or re-reading Harry Potter.
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Brianna Mirabile (she/her/hers) is the Board Treasurer of Lambda Archives. She is the Accounting Manager at the Museum of Us (formerly the San Diego Museum of Man) in Balboa Park and also serves on the Board of Directors for Girls Rising, a local mentoring program. Prior to moving to San Diego from Massachusetts in 2017, she held positions at YWCA Cambridge and African Community Education (ACE). She holds a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA), concentrating in Non-Profit Administration, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Women and Gender Studies, both from Clark University in Worcester, MA. Brianna is passionate about racial and social justice as well as making museums and archives more accessible. In her free time she enjoys painting, baking, and spending time with her pit-bull, Bernie.
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India Pierce (she/her) is an educator, organizer, and racial justice and equity advocate. She is fierce and passionate about creating a socially responsible, anti-racist, and equity-driven world. She has spent a decade working with organizations to strengthen their policies and practices related to race, equity, sexual orientation, and gender. India serves as the LGBTQIA+ equity specialist at MiraCosta College; the co-founder of Moxie Consultancy Collective, a queer women of color owned and led global consultancy; as well as the owner of Omi Picnics, a luxury picnic company that takes the classic picnic that we all know and love and kicks it up a notch. A future-oriented, strategic thinker with a powerful voice; India is completing a PhD in Ethnic Studies at UCSD and is excited to serve on the Lambda Archives board.
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Hank Ramírez (he/him/his) was raised in Chino, CA, in a mixed-race home before moving to San Diego to attend the University of San Diego as a seminarian for the priesthood. He left theology school in 1982 and returned to San Diego where he became involved in the local LGBTQA+ community. After many years in customer service, he continued his calling through work in LGBTQA+ non-profit organizations such the San Diego AIDS Project, Being Alive, the AIDS Foundation and the Center. He also served on the boards of Dignity/San Diego, the San Diego Men’s Chorus, Mama’s Kitchen, and the Center. He retired in January 2018 after 20 years working for the County of San Diego overseeing community contracts for the Ryan White CARE Act and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) programs, as well as other community services. He has lived in Normal Heights since 1991 with his husband of 30 years and their 4 cats.
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Jae Red Rose (they/them | She/Hers) moved to San Diego during the summer of 2017. Since that time, they have started their transition and developed a fervent passion for activism. Jae serves on the Board of Directors for The T-Spot and Lambda Archives as well as the planning committees for San Diego Trans Pride, She Fest and the Won’t be Erased March. She is a group facilitator at The LGBT Community Center and The Hillcrest Youth Center, and a youth coordinator at San Diego Pride.
They are passionate about accessibility, intersectional social justice, and being a positive role model for all of our community. |
Nicole Verdes (she/they) is devoted to serving arts and culture organizations as an administrator and advocate. In her time as Board President of Lambda Archives, she has been successful in using her passion for social justice, arts and culture, and cultural preservation to create policies that center equity and access. In addition to her role at Lambda Archives, she has served on the Executive Committee of the San Diego LGBT Community Centers’ Young Professionals Council, Board Treasurer for Volunteer With Cheli, and a member of the Steering Committee for Rising Arts Leaders San Diego. She has presented on topics such as Youth Archival Futures at the ALMS Conference in Berlin and has served on a grant panel for the California Arts Council.
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Board Emeritus
Chuck Kaminski and his husband Jeffrey Shorn arrived in San Diego in 1975 as architects, life partners and an out couple. Chuck joined the Lambda Board in 2013 because of his passion for history and, most importantly, our regions LGBTQ+ history. In 2015 Chuck was a vocal advocate for saving and preserving the Bernie Michels-Thom Carey House on El Cajon Boulevard. In 2016, his activism was on saving the Truax House, San Diego’s first AIDs hospice named after one of the city’s pioneering AIDS activists and community leaders, Dr. Brad Truax. More recently his efforts have been focused on Lambda Archives where Chuck is Board Member Emeritus and at the San Diego History Center where his and Jeffrey’s enthusiasm helped raise funds for San Diego’s important and significant pioneering LGBTQ+ exhibit.
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