We Need You!

Chris  Jones has been a resident of St. Petersburg for 18 years. He has been  active in many events over the years as a market vendor, as well as  fundraising event coordinator with King of Peace MCC while serving on  their board of directors from 2005-2008. He attended Sunstate Academy in  Clearwater for massage therapy and became a licensed massage therapist  in 2011. He has owned his own private massage practice now for 3 years  and currently has a studio on Central Avenue. In September 2017 he founded the monthly Second Saturdays on Central  vendor market, which has just celebrated its first year at Old Key West  bar & grill on Central Avenue.  
 

He became involved in Come Out St. Pete in 2017, participating as a  vendor with his wood carvings and was elected onto the board of  directors in 2018, in which he was the coordinator for the vendor  market. He was recently re-elected and currently serves as co-chair for  2019's Come Out St. Pete event and is looking forward to the opportunity  to attempt make a difference and become more involved within our LGBTQ  community! He draws inspiration by his late husband, Fred Burns in that we may  never know what a difference we may have made in someone's life, but we  should at least do our best to help them in any way we can!

Lisa Waters McInnis was born and raised in St. Pete. After a couple of  years in NYC and several more in DC, she moved back to her hometown in  2008 and moved to Historic Kenwood in 2009. She is currently  self-employed in financial services, working closely with Joel Schmitz,  CPA, since 2015.  
 

Lisa served on the Come Out St. Pete organizing committee during their  first year and is thrilled to be newly-appoint to the Board of  Directors. She believes Come Out St. Pete has an important role in  furthering visibility, acceptance, and inclusivity of and within the  LGBTQA+ community. Lisa also volunteers for events sponsored by Grand  Central District Association and Historic Kenwood Neighborhood  Association. She lives in Kenwood with her two cats (one of whom is a  very good kitty).

Jayson was born and raised in West Palm Beach, FL. He graduated from  Palm Beach Lakes High School and went on to study computer and basic  electronics at New England Institute of Technology. Jayson has been a  resident of St. Petersburg for a total of 12 years. He has been an  executive in the retail industry and has been active in creating focus  groups, corporate training programs, employee retention strategies as  well as many other initiatives.   
 

In September,  he decided to leave the retail industry after 27 years  and transitioned into the entertainment industry as a local DJ (He goes by the name DJ Jayson). This has  allowed him to become more involved in the community and local events.  By having the experience he does in retail and other industries, he  brings a lot of creative and innovative ideas to Come Out St. Pete and  its focus. 

Bill was born and raised in West Michigan. He has one daughter that  lives in Ohio. From a very early age, Bill knew he had a love for music.  In 1986 he decided that he wanted to play music for other people.  In  2013 he decided to move to Saint Petersburg to DJ year round.  He loves  the Grand Central District and decided to join the Come Out St Pete  board in 2018.

A  native Floridian, Brian has lived in St Petersburg since 1984. A Realtor  since 1992, Brian has been involved in many neighborhood associations  including Central Oak Park, Historic Kenwood, and the Grand Central  District. In addition, Brian owns GayStPete House, and GayStPete.com.
 

Brian was a co-chair of the inaugural St Pete Pride in 2003 and served  on the board for several years. Brian has supported many LGBT  organizations throughout the years including quality Florida, St Pete  Pride, Metro Inclusive Health, TIGLFF, and most recently participated in  the Smart Ride 2018, the bike ride fundraiser from Miami to Key West.  Brian served on the board of Come OUT St Pete in 2018 and is excited to  see how the organization and events can grow in the future.

Jessie  is a Florida native, born in West Palm Beach and living in Pinellas  County for over 20 years. Driven to learn about and influence business  strategy, she studied at USF - St. Pete, attaining her Bachelor of  Science in Business Management. 


As  a Certified Diversity Professional, Jessie is laser-focused on creating  and sustaining diverse, inclusive, and equitable conditions at work and  within our communities. It is her calling to find meaningful and  innovative ways to foster an environment where all people can feel a  sense of belonging, comfort, and safety being their authentic self.


Jessie  was attracted to Come OUT St. Pete in July 2020 because of its advocacy  for the LGBTQ+ community and its mission promoting equality for all.  She is excited for the future of Come OUT St. Pete and looks forward to  building bridges and forming intersectional solidarity between all  social groups and identities.

Matthieu was born and raised in Kingston Jamaica WI. Growing up in the Caribbean  he learned from an early age that family is important but equally important is chosen family. Surrounding one’s self with genuine friends  who can share and care for each other deeply. 

Matthieu, his husband  Phillip and their rescue pets moved to St Petersburg in 2019. Both are  passionate about actively uplifting the undeserved populous. They are  fierce advocated for human rights, equality, and supporting fellow  locally owned businesses.  

As a minority business owner, Matthieu’s  practice is dedicated to educating and assisting individuals and fellow  business owners to achieving financial security/stability. In their free  time they enjoy traveling, cuisine, cooking, spending time outdoors,  cars, gardening, entertaining.

Sharon Zimmerman, MSW and Executive Director of a youth serving organization, is an expert in the field of nonprofit leadership and organizational development; 

Sharon has 24 years of experience implementing programs and services, managing operations, delivering innovative solutions, fundraising, supporting staff and volunteers, and leading organizations through growth and change. Sharon is also an instructor, field education supervisor, and academic and field advisor for graduate students at the School of Social Work at Boston University. 

The common thread in Sharon’s work has been helping individuals to improve the quality of their lives, helping organizations to build capacity, and helping communities to prosper. She has a deep commitment to social justice and human rights, and to finding economic, social, and political solutions to a just world.