Frances Dadin-Alli, Chair, Immigrant Committee Lead -  Frances (she/her), a Nigerian who immigrated to Halifax in 2010 to study, earned her B.A in Gender & Women Studies with a Cert. in Disability Management. Frances first became involved with Halifax Pride as a volunteer in 2013, and moved her way from Weekend Volunteer to Team Lead. Frances was also involved with Pride Toronto for 3 years as Team Lead before she decided to join the board. Frances is a hairstylist and caterer, and is passionate about fine dining, hairstyling, events and mental health awareness. She joined the board to promote a fun, safe environment and create more opportunity for everyone, especially for youth, who are more vulnerable and fearful to express themselves freely. 

Chris Cochrane, Vice-Chair, Trans & Non-binary Committee Lead - Originally from Cape Breton, Chris moved to Halifax in 2005 and has preformed drag for over 16 years as the show-stopping performer, Elle Noir. Chris is also an esthetician/MUA  and actress, and one of the first transgender women to star in a Canadian drama series (Sex & Violence). Chris is also works within the 2SLGTIQIA++ Community (consetration on trans and non-binary youth ) known and respected trans activist/educator , frequently speaking at schools, businesses, and community organizations on Trans rights, human rights, and her experiences as a Trans woman of colour. 

Trina James, Secretary, Events Committee Lead - Trina (they/she) is one of Halifax’s Ontario transplants. They studied Women and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto and is currently a part-time student at Saint Mary’s University. They have experience in provincial and federal advocacy on behalf of marginalized communities. Trina strives to develop spaces and programming that is created through an anti- oppressive lens to ensure that all aspects of the work can benefit and is reflective of the needs of all people, especially those who are from marginalized communities. Working in management at local non-profit during the day, but comedic stage presence at night, Trina is excited to use their skill to make this year’s festival accessible for all. When not at work, Trina can be found cuddling with their cat (Mr.Smoke) or letting their inner child live freely walking barefoot on Citadel. 

Jeff Bandy, Treasurer - Jeff (he/him) hails from Moncton, NB, and moved to Halifax in 2019 to be with his husband and continue his career as a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA). After experiencing his first Pride in 2016 and experiencing true comfort with his sexuality for the first time, he knew he wanted to become more involved in ensuring others could experience the freeing feeling of being totally yourself. When he’s not at work, Jeff enjoys baking, walking his GoldenDoodle, and binging old seasons of Survivor.

Crista Henry, QTBIPOC Committee Lead - Crista (she/her) is originally from St. Lucia. She moved to Ontario in 2005 and has been residing in Halifax since 2020. She studied Multicultural and Indigenous studies at York university in Toronto and is currently a full-time student at Dalhousie majoring in Psychology. Crista is passionate about mental health and wellness and her goal is to create fun, safe and inclusive spaces so that everyone can actively participate and feel like they belong.

Liane Khoury, Health & Wellness Committee Lead - (pronounced Layan) (she/her) is a queer bisexual from Amman, Jordan, of Palestinian descent and has been residing in Kjipuktuk since 2002. A Health Promoter at Mental Health and Addictions and she believes that there is no health without mental health. Liane founded Queer Arabs of Halifax in 2015 through which she has found her chosen family. An impulsive Aries with ADHD, she enjoys sharing her love for Doctor Who with her partner and is a proud dog-godmother to several puppos in her neighbourhood. Liane also loves cooking elaborate meals, dancing, swimming and Palestinian Cross-Stitching.

Patrick Maubert, Elder Committee Lead, Health & Wellness Co-Lead - Patrick (he/him) is a musical theatre practitioner, harm reduction advocate and social work student and who is passionate about creating accessible community arts and wellness programming. Patrick has worked internationally with such companies as Tokyo Disney, The International 12 Tenors, Toronto Centre for the Arts, St. George’s YouthNet, Northwood, Neptune Theatre, Mainline, Direction 180, and Halifix.

Salman Sadib, Advocacy Committee Lead - Salman (he/him) recently graduated from Saint Mary’s University with an Accounting major. During his time in university, Salman took many initiatives as a student leader to make a difference on campus. He has been working closely with the sexual violence prevention initiative team on campus and still volunteers his time with Halifax Association of Community Living to advocate on behalf of individuals with disabilities. He feels lucky to be part of the Halifax Pride team & beyond excited to work with the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Additionally, he enjoys reading “Robert’s Rules of Order” in his leisure time as he’s super passionate about governance framework. Two fun facts about Salman: He travelled to seven different cities in seven distinct timelines in 2019 & he can speak in German.

Wade Betts, Accessibility Committee Lead - Wade (he/him), is an Events, Hospitality, and Tourism Specialist originally from Halifax, who has spent the last decade living in the United Kingdom. During his time in Manchester, Wade obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Events Management, a Master's Degree in International Business Management, and worked for one of the UK's leading LGBTQ+ charities: Manchester Pride. Wade is excited to join the Board of Directors of Halifax Pride and is looking forward to working with the 2SLGBTQ+ communities of Nova Scotia. In his spare time, Wade can be found at the gym, somewhere in the wilderness, playing Skyrim, at the movies, or studying Arabic. 

Adam Reid, Executive Director - Adam (he/him) is a proud queer east coaster and the Halifax Pride Society's first Executive Director. He has a Bachelor in Theatre Studies from Acadia University and a Diploma in Cultural Administration from HEC Montreal. As Festival Director of the Queer Acts Theatre Festival, he presented local and national queer identified performing artists. With fifteen years experience as an arts administrator, he worked with such organizations as the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, the 2011 Canada Games, and Eastern Front Theatre. With forty years of experience as a homosexual, he has learned the value of community and working to protect it. He is passionate about employing cultural and event celebration as a means of creating community and building cohesion. As Executive Director, Adam oversees all members of the staff team, and ensures their work is in line with our Aim, Purpose, and Values. He is also responsible for all community outreach, sponsorships and partnerships, grant funding, and most of the day-to-day work happening in the Pride office.  adam@halifaxpride.com

Fiona Kerr, Communications Manager, Operations Manager - Fiona (she/her) began working with Halifax Pride in 2017 as a summer student. She took up leadership of the Youth Committee in 2018, and now coordinates communications and social media, as well the operations and logistics of the festival. Outside of Pride, Fiona is a student at Saint Mary’s University studying Sociology and International Development. Her interests include astrology, maintaining her 5 star Animal Crossing island, and making bad commentary about movies for everyone in the theatre to hear. As Communications Manager, Fiona is responsible for all external communications, including media requests, media releases, website management, and Pride’s social media management. As Operations Manager, she oversees the logistics staff team, and is responsible for all Festival Site and event infrastructure, management, and external suppliers. fiona@halifaxpride.com

Daniel MacKay, Elders Coordinator - Dan (he/him) was born at the very southernmost tip of Nova Scotia and moved to Halifax, to go to King's College in the early ‘80s. About a year later, as a result of several happy and salacious accidents, he got dunked into local gay culture including helping build the interior of Rumours on Granville Street in 1983. In the late 1980s he took over publishing what had formerly been the house organ of the Gay Alliance for Equality, the GAEZETTE, which was then renamed to WayvesMagazine. He's now partly retired and has made the LGBT+ history and archives work his main pastime, which fits in well with publishing Wayves. Starting in 2000, he started working on the Halifax Rainbow Encyclopedia, and since the mid-80s has been on the board of Solar Nova Scotia, the low-carbon advocacy and education organization and also on the board of the ElderBerries. Somewhere In between he was on the board of Halifax Pride for a decade and was chair for a couple years. As Elders Coordinator, Dan is responsible for reviewing festival and society operations to identify ways to make our activities more welcoming and inclusive of senior participants and volunteers. He is also responsible for offering training to staff, board, and community groups on best practices for elder support initiatives. elders@halifaxpride.com

Holly Green, Two-Spirit Coordinator, Accessibility Committee Lead, ASL Coordinator - Holly (she/they) is a proud deaf, queer, two-spirit, east coaster. Holly also works as an intervenor for the deafblind, teaches literacy to adult deaf learners and sign language acquisition skills to young deaf children. She is part of the Accessibility Committee of Halifax Pride. She is passionate about accessibility and empowering the people who need to be heard. In her spare time, she enjoys strange and weird shows on Netflix, reading books, spending time with her partner, children, and the company of her cats. As Two-Spirit Coordinator, Holly is responsible for all of our Two-Spirit programming and events, as well as coordinating with our Two-Spirit and Indigenous community partners. As ASL Coordinator, Holly is responsible for the booking and management of all ASL interpreters during events. holly@halifaxpride.com

Sara Graham, Accessibility Coordinator - Sara (she/her) is a deaf comedian, activist, improviser, and workshop educator. Sara uses her work to advocate for wholeness in accessibility. Sara’s goal is to create art and spaces that acknowledge and address the need for inclusivity and accessibility for all. Sara graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and minor in Gender and Women’s studies. Through her work Sara hopes to create theatre, art, and creative spaces that are radically accessible. As Accessibility Coordinator, Sara ensures that the feedback and suggestions from the Accessibility Committee are implemented, and that all current Operations of the society and festival are accessible to all. sara@halifaxpride.com

Wren Tian-Morris, Website Consultant - Wren (they/them) is a non-binary artist of Chinese descent. They have lived in Kjipuktuk/Halifax most of their life — seeking out and rooting in the little pockets of queer and trans community (especially QTBIPOC). They are apart of the most recent iteration of the NSCAD Queer Collective and when they are not making art they are working at Venus Envy. Themes of queerness, belonging, sexuality, and diaspora are important to them both in their arts and community practice. Wren enjoys dreaming with friends, eating delicious food, and working with their hands. As Website Consultant, Wren assists with the management and maintenance of the Halifax Pride website. website@halifaxpride.com