Equality Florida

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Nadine Smith, Executive Director

Nadine Smith has been executive director of Equality Florida since its inception in 1997, and was executive director of its predecessor, the Human Rights Task Force of Florida prior to that. She joined the organization in 1993 after serving as one of four national co-chairs on the 1993 March on Washington and taking part in the historic, first-ever meeting between LGBT leaders and a sitting U.S. president (Clinton) in the White House.

During her tenure as head of Equality Florida, she has also served four terms as co-chair of the Equality Federation and served as a member of the Democratic National Committee. She has led advocacy efforts in Florida at the state level at a time of unprecedented attacks on the LGBT community, serving as Equality Florida’s lead lobbyist in Tallahassee and heading efforts to stop discriminatory legislation and ballot measures and to overturn Florida’s ban on adoption by gay and lesbian parents.

Her deep experience in community organizing, social change and politics includes her service as campaign manager for Citizens for a Fair Tampa, a successful effort to prevent repeal of that city’s human rights ordinance in 1995, and her own campaign in 1991 for Tampa City Council. In the latter, her first bid for public office, she emerged from a field of seven as the leading vote getter in the primary, losing narrowly in the runoff.

Nadine has been recognized for her national and state leadership by organizations around the nation, including the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the National Black Lesbian and Gay leadership Forum and others. A former award-winning journalist, Nadine has written syndicated columns for various LGBT and general audience publications.

Stratton Pollitzer, Deputy Director

Stratton co-founded EQFL in 1997 and serves as the Deputy Director overseeing all Field and Development programs. A Political Science graduate of Emory University, Stratton has spearheaded numerous community based campaigns both responding to far right political attacks and building support for anti-discrimination ordinances, safe schools policies, and domestic partnership laws at the local level and at our state capital. As a key spokesperson on LGBT issues, Stratton is a regular contributor to major television, print, and radio outlets throughout the state and has had opinion columns published in the Miami Herald, Broward Sun-Sentinel, Saint Petersburg Times, Tampa Tribune, Daytona Beach News Journal and Orlando Sentinel. Stratton served on the board of directors and as Vice-Chair of the Equality Federation, the national network of statewide LGBT advocacy groups, from 2004-2006. He has raised over five million dollars for LGBT Organizations and political campaigns. Stratton lives in Miami with his husband of 14 years, Christopher Boykin and is the father of 11 year old twins, Ben and Sarah.

Brian Winfield, Director of Communications

Brian graduated from Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ in 1986 with a BS in Accounting. He achieved his CPA certification in 1988, having worked with Deloitte & Touche. In 1991, Brian graduated from New York University’s Stern Graduate School of Business with an MBA in Finance & International Business. He was a Mergers and Acquisitions specialist for several years.

Brian's political activism dates back to 1992 when he volunteered for the first Presidential campaign of Bill Clinton in New York City. In 1994, he managed a campaign for Howie Katz, the first openly gay candidate for the New York State Senate. Brian's early LGBT activism included being named the New Jersey Chair of HRC's Federal Advocacy Network and as a development volunteer for Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC).

In late 1994, Brian relocated to Florida, the home state of his life partner, Kim Byrd. Here, Brian has served on the boards of several health and community organizations, including Bay AIDS Services Coalition (BASIC) and Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Brian began his career with Equality Florida as a volunteer in June of 2000.

Joe Saunders, Statewide Field Director

Joe Saunders comes to Equality Florida with a background in grassroots activism and state-level organizing. As EQFL’s Field Director, Joe is responsible for leading the organizations grassroots and electoral organizing programs.

In 2008 Joe served as State Field Director for the VoteNoOn2, a campaign working to defeat FL’s so-called “Marriage Protection Amendment”. Most recently, Joe served as the Campaign Manager for Equality is Gainesville’s Business, a political committee that led the defeat of an anti-gay Charter Amendment in Gainesville with 58.3% opposed. The successful campaign prevented the repeal of the City’s LGBT protections, and made history by breaking student-turnout and fundraising records for Gainesville municipal elections. In his short career, Joe has led fundraising programs that have raised over half a million dollars for LGBT rights.

Joe has received numerous awards and acknowledgements for his activism in the LGBT community including a Young People For Fellowship, a Spectrum Award for Service and Leadership to the Orlando GLBT Community and in 2006 was selected as one of Watermark Magazine’s “Top 25 Leaders Under 25”.

Joe received his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Central Florida. He currently resides in Orlando with his partner Donald.

Mallory Wells - Public Policy Director

Mallory is a graduate from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Political Science and African American Studies. While in college she was heavily involved in the LGBT movement as the President of the Florida Collegiate Pride Coalition, as a board member of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Student Union at UCF and as Director for Students Advocating For Equality (SAFE).
In 2004, as a HRC Youth College member, Mallory worked in our Miami office on the TurnOut Florida campaign.

Joining the Equality Florida team in 2005, Mallory responsibilities include developing and tracking legislation, monitoring elections, coordinating our statewide coalitions and planning our annual Lobby Week at the state capitol. During legislative session Mallory serves as our full time lobbyist in Tallahassee.

Tobias Packer, New Media Manager

Since 2005 Tobias Packer has served as a vital member of Equality Florida’s staff. In his current role as the New Media Manager, Tobias utilizes his unique mixture of traditional organizing principles and deep knowledge of new technologies to increase the organization’s reach.

During his tenure with Equality Florida, Tobias has spearheaded numerous community based campaigns both responding to far right political attacks and building support for anti-discrimination ordinances, safe schools policies, and domestic partnership laws at the local level. Most recently Tobias played a leadership role in the Fairness for All Families Campaign, the campaign launched to combat Florida’s so-called “marriage protection” amendment. During the course of the campaign he spearheaded an aggressive online program that brought in hundreds of volunteers.

Tobias specializes in groundbreaking new media strategies that bridge the gap between the grassroots and the netroots.

Michael Farmer, Florida GSA Network Coordinator

Michael joined the Equality Florida team in March, 2009 as our Florida GSA Network Coordinator. Michael's responsibilities include strengthening existing Gay-Straight Alliances throughout the state, increasing communication and cooperation between GSA's, and cultivating new GSA's wherever possible. Under Michael's guidance, the GSA Network empowers youth to get involved in activism and create powerful change in their communities.

Michael is a student at the University of Central Florida in Orlando and is perusing a degree in political science with a minor in women's studies. In 2004, Michael helped to co-found the first ever Gay-Straight Alliance at Apopka High School, in a conservative part of north Orange County. Last year, Michael served as an intern on the Vote No On 2 Campaign first as a campus organizer at Valencia Community College and then as a field organizer for the Orlando Vote No On 2 office. Michael also currently serves at the LGBT outreach liaison for the Young Democrats of Orange County and is a committee member of the Orange County Democratic Executive Committee.

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