The Board of the Gay Coaches Alliance
Board members serve for a 4 year term.
Our current board members are:
President
Aaron Listhaus
Experienced leadership coach, educator, and nonprofit administrator, Aaron's passion is to help people and organizations overcome obstacles to achieve peak performance. He believes that leaders inspire and create change and supporting them benefits everyone. His expertise spans leadership development, executive coaching, DEIB practices, mental fitness, and transcending resistance to change. Aaron works in all phases of career development, nonprofit boards, teams and organizations, project management, team development, school planning, launching, and reorganization.
Treasurer
Joe Carapella
Joe is an internal coach for a global corporation where he coaches emerging leaders, leaders in transition as a result of a merger & acquisition deal and facilitates coaching principals training within leadership development programs. He extends his coaching practice externally where he helps build community conversations and mental health awareness initiatives. Joe serves on the Board of the Connecticut Shoreline chapter of the US National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI.) He is an active member of the Membership and Welcoming Committee here at the GCA. Joe looks to bring his business acumen, experience leading large scale, global initiatives and a bias toward action to contribute to GCA's goals moving forward.
Executive Director
Bryan Epps
With nearly two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, advocacy, and community organizing, I focus on building programs, partnerships, and systems that strengthen impact and belonging. Family, the outdoors, and food are my love languages.
Secretary
David
Ridley-Parris
I specialize in helping individuals and organizations navigate the complex intersections of career growth and life transitions. Having spent years climbing the corporate ladder myself, I understand the unique challenges of building a fulfilling career while managing life's inevitable changes.
My approach combines traditional coaching techniques with deep resilience work, whether you're an individual seeking your next chapter or a company looking to support your people through change and growth.
President Elect
Justin
Meli
Justin combines his experience as a business leader and entrepreneur, background in behavioral psychology, and expertise in health and wellness to help his coaching clients dream big, live authentically, work with purpose, and share more of their unique gifts with the world.
Member at Large
Curtis
Ainslie
My coaching focuses on emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness through mindfulness, self-care, resilience, and authentic living. I work closely with LGBTQIA+ individuals harmed by organized religion, family rejection, or shame-based beliefs about their identity. I walk alongside clients on their healing journey, helping them reclaim self-worth, rediscover purpose, and live fully as their authentic selves.
Member at Large
John
Weldon
I have spent 30 years coaching people because I believe that the purpose of Life is not simply to Survive, but to Thrive, to Flourish, to find our Joy and to be the Best We Can Be.
Member at Large
Dwight
E. Rhodes
The Rhodes2Equity Group supports high-impact leaders and aspiring leaders in elevating their leadership and leading authentically as their whole selves. Through coaching, mentoring, and leadership development, we help individuals build on their strengths and expand their impact in underserved and historically marginalized communities.
Member at Large
Mark
Schall
My dynamic seminars focus on interpersonal communication, personal effectiveness, goal setting, organizational change, diversity, workplace harassment and more.