Advocacy & Public Policy Committee
Neil Fishman
Committee Chair | he/him
Neil Fishman has been involved in a variety of volunteer activities for over 40 years. He was both Treasurer and President of the board of the Boulder County AIDS Project between 1985 and 1990, where he helped to broaden support and programs for the growing needs of HIV services. He also served, from 1998-2000, on the organizing committee to develop and implement the City of Boulder’s Program Valuing Diversity: Education on Homophobia and Heterosexism, which was designed to provide anti-bias trainings to persons and groups in Boulder. Fishman served on the University of Colorado’s Blue-Ribbon Commission on Diversity in 2006 that was charged to evaluate and develop a plan to enhance diversity on all four campuses. He was asked to serve on Out Boulder County’s Development Committee in 2021 and subsequently invited to be a member of OBC’s Capital Campaign Committee, where he has served from 2021 to the present. Neil has served as co-lead of the Boulder County Democratic Party’s Outreach and Inclusion Team from 2019-present. In addition, he is an award-winning research geologist and has held numerous positions as a volunteer. Fishman has served as Chair of the Advisory Committee for the CU Department of Geological Sciences from 2005-2010. He also served in various leadership positions for the Geological Society of America from 2008-2022.
Jean Dubofsky
Committee Member | she/her
Jean Dubofsky practiced law beginning in 1967 as a legislative assistant for U.S. Senator Walter F. Mondale; as a legal services attorney; as a partner in Kelly, Dubofsky, Haglund & Garnsey; and as deputy attorney general when J.D. MacFarlane was elected as state attorney general. Jean was the first woman to serve as a justice on the Colorado Supreme Court (1979-1987). After leaving the court, Jean represented litigants in state and federal courts -- primarily appellate courts -- in tort, commercial, criminal, civil rights and family law cases. She was lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the successful constitutional challenge to Amendment 2 that added a mandate for the government to discriminate against homosexuals as part of the Colorado Constitution; the case, Romer v. Evans, is the first time - 1996 - that the United States Supreme Court recognized gay rights. Jean retired from practicing law ten years ago. Since then, she has served on and chaired several boards.
David Ensign
Committee Member | he/him
David grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, and has a bachelor degree from the University of Wisconsin and masters degree from New York University. He retired over ten years ago from a telecommunication engineering and program management career, and has been enjoying volunteer work since that transition. David has nineteen years of nonprofit experience in various board roles at OUT Boulder County, Boulder County AIDS Project, Motus Theater, and Community Foundation of Boulder County. He served a five year term on the City of Boulder Planning Board, and continues to do volunteer work in the community. David has a passion of working toward social justice, and his leisure time pursuits include traveling and cross-country ski racing.
Anne Guilfoile
Committee Member | she/her
In her life, Anne Guilfoile has held an extensive variety of work positions, including high school math teacher, computer programmer, community organizer, registered nurse, public health program manager, translator, and interpretation services coordinator.
Anne has also had run-ins with the criminal justice system, including being arrested for a sit-in on The Strip in Las Vegas, NV during National Welfare Rights campaign to protest reducing or eliminating benefits for women “who can always find work,” spending 20 days in jail for an anti-war protest at the Denver Federal Center based on fabricated documents, and spending 45 days in jail for defying a bar letter at the Air Force Academy.
Anne has been involved with Out Boulder County for over 3 decades, including receiving the Clela Rorex Allies in Action Award in 2014, working with Only One and an MSM* peer education group, advocating for anonymous HIV testing, being a member of The Works, and working with the LGBTQ support program in 1992 and the Boulder County Syringe Needle Exchange program in 1990.
*Men who have sex with men
Larry Hoyt
Committee Member | he/him
H. Lawrence Hoyt is a semi-retired attorney. He previously served as Boulder County Attorney from 1986 - 2011. As County Attorney, Mr. Hoyt advised and represented Boulder County elected officials and various county departments, and administered a law office of 18 attorneys and additional support staff. He has served as the Chair of the ABA State and Local Government Diversity Law Committee and as a member of the Section Council. Mr. Hoyt is a past President of the Colorado County Attorneys Association, past Chair of the International Municipal Lawyers Association Counties and Special Municipal Districts Department, and former Chair of the Board of the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association (now the National LGBT Bar Association). He has lectured extensively on local government law issues, with a particular emphasis on government finance, elections, environmental law, civil rights, and intergovernmental relations. Mr. Hoyt graduated with honors from the University of Colorado, where he was a recipient of the Noyes Foundation Secondary School Teaching Fellowship. He received a law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
Dr. Cheryl D. Lovell
Committee Member | she/her
Dr. Cheryl D. Lovell is CEO and President of For Success in Leadership and Life providing executive coaching and independent consulting on leadership, strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, and public policy. Dr. Lovell is a Certified Strengths Coach with Gallup working with individuals, small teams, and large organizations to maximize their talents to achieve their mission. She is also a trained facilitator in the Speed of Trust through FranklinCovey. She was President of Adams State University and Rocky Vista University. She has held leadership roles at public and private universities, state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and brings 30+ years of executive leadership. Dr. Lovell was the Chief Academic Officer for the State of Colorado and a former professor of higher education and academic administrator. She is a CEO, author, and turnaround leader who has proven successes in creating, inspiring, and leading innovative strategies allowing individuals and organizations to successfully adapt, grow, and thrive.
Glenda Russell
Committee Member | she/her
Pelaconos
Committee Member | they/them
Glenda Russell is a psychologist who has conducted research on the social and psychological impact of anti-LGBTQ+ campaigns, the relationship between queer and trans people and their heterosexual allies, LGBTQ+ youth scripts, LGBTQ+ people and conservative religions, and Boulder's LGBTQ+ history. Her research has been the basis for books and journal articles, an oratorio for queer choruses, a PBS documentary, and consultations to numerous movement organizations and political campaigns. She has served as a member and chair of the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity of the American Psychological Association, and she co-chaired the Public Policy Committee of APA's Society on the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity.
Pelecanos is trans, non-binary, neurodivergent, Greek American, and the parent of an awesome kid named Konnor. Currently, they are the Daniel H. Renberg Fellow at Lambda Legal, the nation’s oldest and largest legal organization working for full recognition of LGBTQ+ people’s civil rights. Their work encompasses litigation, education, and policy advocacy. They also serve on the Colorado LGBTQ+ Bar Association Policy Committee, the board of the National Trans Bar Association, and the organizing committee of the National LGBTQ Task Force.
Pelecanos moved from the Midwest to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado Boulder (2008-2011), where they studied Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Integrative Physiology, and Neuroscience. After undergrad, they went galivanting around the world for several years to learn about humanity. Upon their return, Pelecanos led the board of Trans Youth Education and Support, a statewide nonprofit supporting the parents and caretakers of trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming youth. During that time, they also contributed to the Boulder Police Oversight Task Force, working to instate independent oversight and educate police on the diverse needs of the Boulder community. Naturally, their advocacy led to law school. They attended the University of Denver Law School (2020-2023) specializing in constitutional rights and remedies, where they graduated with honors. Pelecanos continues to build strong community relationships in all three branches of government and with grassroots organizations, both in Colorado and nationally, to further the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
Mardi Moore
Executive Director | she/her
Mardi Moore has dedicated her life’s work to elevating the rights, visibility, safety, and socio-economic status of the LGBTQ+ community, building grassroots organizations from the ground up, living through the AIDS pandemic, and continuing to see the gradual, albeit slower-than-wished, acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community into mainstream public discourse.
Moore has been on the frontlines of the good fight for 30 years at the local and national level, recognizing that her role in demanding inclusion and diversity needed to go beyond armchair activism. She currently serves as Executive Director for Out Boulder County, a Colorado-based not-for-profit organization with the mission of working independently and in collaboration, we facilitate connection, advocacy, education, research and programs to ensure LGBTQ+ people and communities thrive in Boulder County and beyond. Under her leadership, the organization has grown five-fold in seven years by modeling equality, respect, intersectional empathy, and deep understanding of the fundamental human right to fall asleep at night dreaming of an optimistic, realistic tomorrow.
Prior to leading Out Boulder County, Moore held senior-level positions in New York City with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the NYC LGBT Center, and ran a fundraising business in Seattle raising over $2M annually for progressive causes.
Bruce Parker, Ph.D.
Deputy Director | he/him
Bruce Parker, Ph.D., proudly serves as Deputy Director of Out Boulder County. A committed advocate and community organizer, he has been fighting for full equality and justice for LGBTQ+ people for more than 20 years. He has held various volunteer and professional roles in diverse settings including higher education, local and statewide community organizations, a gubernatorial campaign, and state government. Most recently, he served as Director of Community Programs in the Office of Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.
Parker holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum Theory from Louisiana State University. He received his bachelor’s degree in Cultural and Interdisciplinary Studies from Antioch College, where he committed to live by the school motto of “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” His educational background informs his intersectional and reflective approach to advocacy and community organizing.
In his free time, Parker is a dedicated reader, letter writer, and gaymer – both tabletop and video games. He aspires to spend more time exercising and outdoors. He is also the proud uncle of a 4-year-old who already shows signs of being a gifted community organizer.