BEYOND BOLD AND BRAVE
Board Members
ALYCE EMORY (she/her/hers) serves on the steering committee for The Harlem SGL-LGBTQ Center - the first official LGBTQ center being developed in Harlem; the National LGBTQ Women’s Survey; Black and Latino LGBTQ Coalition; and was a Founding Advisory Committee member for Harlem Pride and Kitchen Table Giving Circle. During her tenure at NYC Black Pride she created and produced the first ever programming for black LGBTQ elders. She has participated in discussions and presentations on her community work for Schomburg Center LGBTQ Pride Month, Black Youth Project 100, Langston Hughes Black Film Festival and others. Alyce’s received the 2021 Griot Circle Changemaker Award and she & her teams received proclamations in 2018 from the Manhattan Borough President and in 2013 from the New York City Council. Alyce is a member of Women's Leadership Council, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. She has a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in Sociology from Georgia State University with further studies in Multi-Cultural Marketing from the New School of Social Research in New York City.
KIM FORD is a consultant and activist with experience working with grass-roots, community-based, and national nonprofit organizations including FIERCE!; GRIOT Circle Inc.; In Our Own Voices; Justice Committee; Third Wave Foundation; Stonewall Community Foundation’s Racial Equity Initiative; Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues; and the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. She has worked with pioneering organizations and events such as African Ancestral Lesbians United for Societal Change; Zuna Institute, a national advocacy organization for Black Lesbians; NYC’s first Black Pride; Arms Akimbo: NYC's first-ever Lesbian, Bisexual, Two-Spirit and Transgender Women of Color Organizing Institute; NYC’s People of Color Pride Weekends; and served on the board of the Audre Lorde Project and as Interim Executive Director. Kim is co-founder of Beyond Bold & Brave, organizers of Black Lesbian Conference 2016 and 2018; and founder of Kitchen Table Giving Circle: A Black/African Descent Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Women Philanthropic Initiative. She has facilitated workshops; moderated and spoken at events, panels and readings; presented on various topics including organizing in the LGBTST POC communities, racism within LGBTST communities, women’s health and wellness, and sexuality.
SALENA MULLEN - Has over 25 years in the mental and public health field, integrating social justice, restorative models, and health equity frameworks to address racism and improve disparities that plague New Yorkers, but more specifically, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. Salena focuses on organizational management and design. Through her leadership, she implements and offers practical instruction on how to enhance JEDI&B, health centered programs and leadership competencies that help achieve systemic reform to improve health outcomes, especially for marginalized people impacted by social determinants of health and bias in healthcare administration and public service leadership. She's also a longtime community advocate and activist whose goal is to disrupt and put the voice of the people at the forefront of any change. In the words of Audre Lorde, “The Master’s tools will never dismantle the Master’s house. Salena works to create new “tools”, empower new “Master’s”, and build new “houses”. As a gay, black, woman, and a daughter of Pan-Africanists - advocacy and activism comes naturally and is embedded in all aspects of her work she's done since she was thirteen. Salena approaches her work from community organizing, and people-first, peer approach, providing holistic, data driven, and strategic solutions and oversight. It is important for her to continue to build up and give space to the next generation of leaders and change makers.
WEN PEGUERO - Wen Peguero is a passionate advocate dedicated to empowering LQBTQIA communities to embrace their unique strengths and build confidence. As part of the Beyond Bold and Brave board, she is committed to creating a supportive community that fosters resilience, leadership, and self-esteem among youth, especially those facing adversity. A proud child of Afro-Latinx Caribbean immigrants, Wen’s life and work are deeply rooted in the traditions of community capacity building and collective living, inspired by the African cultural practice of living in tribes. With over ten years of dedicated public service across agencies such as the Department of Education, Department of Homeless Services and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, Wen's career reflects a steadfast commitment to justice and humanitarian causes.
Through her extensive experience, cultural heritage, and community-driven approach, Wen continues to share her gifts and inspire others, striving to make a lasting impact on the lives of the LGBQTIA++ communities. Her dedication to advocacy and youth development remains at the heart of Beyond Bold and Brave’s mission to foster confident, bold, and brave leaders of tomorrow. (Wen uses all pronouns).