Board of Directors

Shannon Johns (she/her)

Board President | Co-Founder

  • Shannon is the married mother of four children, three of which she birthed and one that she was blessed with through my marriage. Shannon married her husband almost 20 years ago and has been living in Dutchess County since 1994. She is a graduate of Beacon High School and Dutchess BOCES and got her associates degree in nursing from Dutchess Community College in 2018 and received her BSN in 2020. She has been a nurse for the past 26 years and has the strong desire to help others find comfort in this life.  She plans to continue her journey towards helping others by furthering her education to earn a degree as a Nurse Practitioner

    Shannon helped to co-found Dutchess County Pride Center to solve a problem for her son, who is transgender and pansexual, as well as herself, as they went through his transition journey together.  Dutchess Pride also gave her daughter the confidence to come out as bisexual last year.  It is her strongest wish that members of the local LGBTQ+ community have this safe space to come together as a family, to feel safe and welcome regardless of gender identity or expression and sexuality, and for allies to show love and support to their LGBTQ+ loved ones.  

Jason Baker (he/him)

Board Treasurer

  • Jason is a lifelong City of Poughkeepsie resident dedicated to advancing queer equity through his work with Dutchess Pride and his day job working for Hudson Valley Credit Union. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from SUNY New Paltz in 2021, which aides him in his role as Treasurer. 

    Jason has worked on such previous events as March For Our Lives Hudson Valley, Dutchess Pride’s Poughkeepsie Pride Parade Parade before joining the board, and coordinating several community events when attending Dutchess Community College in his role as President of the campus’ Pride Alliance Club.

Melissa Marino (she/her)

Board Secretary

  • Melissa is a Licensed Mental Health counselor in New York, and has worked in the field for over seventeen years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology and Mental Health Counseling from Iona College and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Manhattanville College. She began her career in mental health counseling working with adult survivors of abuse and neglect. This trauma-sensitive model of services eventually led to her working adults diagnosed with serious mental health conditions, and then with the LGBTQ+ community providing gender-affirming care, connection to resources, and family support and advocacy for youth and adults. She is a published author, having previously published articles on trauma-informed care and LGBTQ+ awareness as well as several novels, combining both her knowledge of mental health and creative writing.

Joshua Davis (he/him)

Director

  • Joshua is very passionate about the problems within his LGBTQ+ community. He struggled with the pains of not being accepted and knows first hand how it can mentally, emotionally, and physically harm one’s self worth.  Part of his struggle was battling unhealthy behaviors, substance abuse, and body dysmorphia previously while in the entertainment industry. Through these experiences, living in his “Truth” was tarnished.  Now, he is fighting to love himself again. With his established LGBTQ+ networks, he strives to be a healthy advocate for change and resilience.



    Currently, Joshua is an HIV prevention specialist at Hudson Valley Community Services in Poughkeepsie, New York. As an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community, he provides educational services and free HIV/STI tests.  Also, Joshua offers a confidential environment to talk about safer sex, “hook-up” culture and community, as well as using “dating” to conduct men’s health awareness. Joshua understands that safer sex will remain a challenge through this economic downturn and is  increasing his efforts, including working to enroll more people for PrEP.

Judith Lopez (she/ella)

Director

  • Judith was born and raised in The Bronx, New York. She has been a resident of Dutchess County for almost 13 years. Over the years, she has consistently worked to improve the lives of others, particularly victims of violence and their families. Judith’s passion is simply to help anyone who crosses her path reach their goals and follow their dreams.


    Judith holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in Human Services and is currently earning a Master’s degree in Social and Public Policy, with an advanced certificate in Community Advocacy. She also serves on the board of The Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

Alexander T. Johns (he/him)

Director

  • Alexander is a proud pansexual and transgender man born and raised right here in Dutchess County. Before moving to the Board of Directors, Alexander served as President of the Youth Board, and is continuing to help guide the Youth Board through his work with them.  He also served in the role of Treasurer of the Board of Directors from 2019-2021.  Alexander received his Cosmetology Degree from H.O.H.A.    


    Alexander loves animals, in particular dogs and cows.  He is an artist, and can often be found doodling in his sketchbook or doing graphic design on a laptop.  In fact, Alexander is the designer of Dutchess County Pride Center’s logo- how cool is that? 


    Alexander is excited by the growth he has seen in Dutchess County Pride Center and is looking forward to seeing this organization’s continued growth.

Tatiana Joyner (she/her)

Director

  • Hello, my name is Tatiana Joyner, and I am absolutely delighted to be a member of the Board of Directors for the Dutchess County Pride Center. 

    I am a Technology Manager with an MBA in Finance and a BBA in Accounting. I am Certified in International Business Law and Project Management, but I am truly dedicated and focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, (DEI) and have been since I was in high school. I am thrilled that I can continue to listen, learn, and hopefully add value to my own community. This is a privilege and I intend to use it as such. It’s amazing that DEI is finally getting the attention it needs.

    I was born in Danbury, CT and moved to Wappingers Falls, NY in 2009. I now live with my family in Hyde Park and play and coach our local Women’s Rugby in my spare time. I perform community service as much as my schedule allows and enjoy cooking and watching football when I can.

Zee Prisciandaro (they/them)

Director

  • Zee (any pronouns) is a nonbinary lesbian, and an artist. They're interested in fun earrings, the color pink, fancy rats, and trying to make the world a better place.

Adam Rubinstein, MD (he/him)

Director | Co-Founder

  • Adam is the Immediate Past President and a co-founder of the Dutchess County Pride Center.  Born in the Bronx, he received his Bachelors from University of Albany, and graduated from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1996.  He went on to complete his Residency Program in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics at Tulane University in 2000.  He moved to Dutchess County in 2000 with his wife Karen, and joined the team at Hudson Valley Primary Care, where he continues to care for patients of all ages.


    Adam has always been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.  When his son came out as transgender, he was seeking resources locally to help his son and the rest of the family learn how to support him through this transition.  Adam quickly found that services for the LGBTQ+ community, and in particular for LGBTQ+ youth, were missing in Dutchess County.  Seeing a need in the community, Adam and the other co-founders did what needed to be done to fill that need.


    In addition to Dutchess County Pride Center, he is also the President of the Dutchess County Medical Society, is on the Medical Advisory Board of the Vassar Haiti Project, and is Assistant Chair of the Department of Medicine at Vassar Hospital.  He enjoys music, concerts, and spending time with his wife, son, daughter, and puppy.