President

While the Stonewall Riots were just that, riots, they left our LGBTQ+ community with a foundation for the gay liberation movement. Asheville Pride Fest is honoring that historic event here in our local community as a reminder of the depth of our history and the challenge to continue to push for inclusivity. I am proud to lead this new nonprofit organization into the future and build a lasting tribute to the gay liberation movement.

Vice President

I'm so excited to be a part of Asheville Pride Fest! Celebrating our shared identity is essential for fostering collective spirit and strengthening our sense of community and belonging. My husband and I moved here almost 10 years ago and love living in such an open and welcoming city. I always enjoyed June Pride events and wondered why Asheville's only pride festival was three months later!  We celebrate in June so as not to forget the history that tried (and failed) to erase us. I’m thrilled to be a part of this celebration and look forward to building a brighter, more inclusive future.

Secretary/Treasurer

I’m beyond excited and truly honored to be part of Asheville Pride Fest. Being involved in building something so special for this community means more than I can express. My husband Logan and I moved to Asheville 10 years ago and built a beautiful life here — finding our chosen family and an uplifting, empowering community. I searched my whole life for a place to belong, and I found it here. Asheville has long wanted a Pride Fest in June, and I’m proud to help bring that vision to life. Let’s honor the past, celebrate the present, and create magic together.

Festival Director

My queer journey has been tender, complicated, and still unfolding, and being part of Asheville Pride Fest is not only one of the greatest honors of my life - it has also been an act of profound healing. Community has always been a guiding force for me, the place where I find courage and a vivid sense of “coming home.” This festival is a tribute to the history that shaped us and the power we hold when we move together as a community towards collective liberation, reclamation, and a future where coming home means being seen, safe, and joyfully celebrated.

Member

Asheville has been my home for almost 13 years and I'm deeply grateful for how she has helped shape who I've learned to give myself permission to be. As a Black (now middle-aged) queer woman, community, visibility, and connection have been the underpinning to a life I didn't know I could have. To be seen and celebrated. To evolve with grace. To love and embrace the fullness of myself with joy, and to be unapologetic about who I am. I am honored to be a part of Asheville Pride Fest- an opportunity to uplift our city as we collectively commemorate shared history and how it paved the way to help give us all access and permission to be seen and to embrace and celebrate who we are.

Member

she/her

I’m thrilled to see the Asheville PRIDE Festival come to life.  I’m honored to serve as a board member for this inaugural festival.  The Asheville PRIDE Festival will be a beautiful celebration and opportunity for people to fully embrace themselves and celebrate being their authentically beautiful selves. LOVE always wins.

Member

I am thrilled to be part of Asheville Pride Fest. I moved to Asheville 16 years ago from Dallas, TX. I needed a change in my life and I got a great one. It didn’t take long to find my new Gay and Lesbian friends and develop a real bond with the community with love and kindness. Now it is time for me to pay back that kindness. When I heard about Asheville Pride Fest, I jumped to get involved and help celebrate our PRIDE. I can’t wait for the event. As Entertainment Director, I hope we put forth a day you will always remember. Ready to party? Let’s go!

Member

Rob Dirscherl decided to call Asheville home in 1999 and has since grown more captivated each day by the mountains, the music and arts scene, and the wonderfully eclectic people who make Asheville what it is. He works in training and development in the nonprofit space, helping people grow with confidence, and he also makes and performs music while proudly supporting local arts and culture. As an Asheville Pride Fest board member, Rob is honored to help celebrate diversity, uplift LGBTQ+ voices, and advocate for a fairer, more inclusive, and welcoming community where every person feels seen, valued, and empowered to belong.