LGBT Center of Raleigh

Rebecca Chapin, Chair
Stopping by the Center to learn about the newly-formed Transgender Initiative in 2011, Rebecca soon found herself in a leadership role for the initiative. As a graphic artist, Rebecca has created many images for the Center’s site and for Out! Raleigh. She is passionate about making sure that the Center is a welcoming place for everyone in the gender spectrum.

 

John Q. Adams, Vice Chair
Originally from Brooklyn, NY, John first moved to the Triangle in 1992 to attend college. When his UNC Tar Heels won the NCAA National Championship that year, he knew he had found his new home. After graduating from UNC, John moved to Charlotte to work for management consultancy Accenture. He returned to Chapel Hill in 2000 to pursue his MBA and launch his career in marketing, and has since worked in the field of brand strategy and management for companies including Kraft Foods, Hanesbrands, and Lowe’s Home Improvement. John is currently directing all brand strategy efforts for open source software leader Red Hat in Raleigh, where is also founded the company’s first LGBT employee resource group and has led its volunteer efforts for Out! Raleigh for several years running. He is excited to join the board and represent the voices of gay parents and children in our area, as well as build bridges with local corporate leaders. John lives in Holly Springs, NC, with his husband, three children, and crazy German shorthair pointer.

 

Willis Ward, Secretary
Willis Ward, while Californian by birth, grew up primarily in the South due to being an Air Force Brat. After graduating from Texas A&M with a B.B.A. in Business Analysis & Research, he moved to Dallas and started working for IBM. He has called Raleigh home for over 20 years now and just recently celebrated his 25th anniversary with IBM. Between 2007 and 2015, Willis was a member of the Human Rights Campaign North Carolina – Triangle Steering Committee. He served a 4-year term on the National HRC Board of Governors. Additionally he was the Triangle Steering Committee Chair and the Membership Outreach Chair, growing the Pride program membership continuously for 4 years. Willis is looking forward to continuing his LGBT advocacy at a local level with the LGBT Center of Raleigh.

 

Ronald Tucceri, Treasurer
Ron has practiced law for over 17 years, focusing on wireless telecommunications siting and infrastructure, commercial real estate, and general business transactions. He practiced as in-house counsel to an international wireless infrastructure operator prior to returning to private practice in 2011, and is now a sole practitioner. Ron earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Finance from New York University’s Stern School of Business in 1989, cum laude, and a Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University in 1997, with honors. Ron is a member of the Raleigh Business and Professional Network. Ron is also a member of the board of Friends of Club Horizon, and an active volunteer at Club Horizon in Knightdale, NC.

 

Alli Buehler
Alli Buehler moved to North Carolina from Philadelphia in 2011 to pursue a Master’s Degree in Library Science from UNC. She liked the weather so much that she decided to stay. She currently serves in the Knowledge Services unit at Ipas, an international NGO that works on increasing access to safe abortion services in developing countries. Prior to this, she was an educator in Philadelphia and, most recently, managed the education programs at Mazzoni Center, Philly’s largest AIDS service organization and LGBTQ health and wellness center. There she provided technical assistance and capacity building for the city’s many GSAs, as well as training for staff on creating safer, more welcoming schools for LGBTQA young people and families. Alli is honored to serve on the Center’s Board and support the Center’s extraordinary library, its work with young people, and all the work of its dedicated staff and volunteers.

 

Angela Caraway
Angela Caraway, a native North Carolinian and holds a BA in Communication from North Carolina State University and currently owns a full service event planning company. One year after her graduation from NCSU, she moved to Washington, DC and met a gentleman who would become one of her dearest friends. As a year passed, Angela would find out that her dear friend was gay and battling a drug addiction. During their time together, they volunteered with Human Rights Campaign and unfortunately, he became ill and later died of complications from Hepatitis C and the HIV virus. Angela has continued her work with fighting for Equal Rights for EVERYONE and is looking forward to continuing this work with the LGBT Center or Raleigh.

 

Helena Cragg
Helena Cragg is a native of New York City, who also spent many years in Cambridge, MA after graduating from M.I.T. with a BS in Computer Science as well as an MBA from M.I.T.’s Sloan School of Management. After moving to Atlanta she became a Real Estate Broker and a Remodeling contractor. Since coming to Durham in 2003 she has been able to further her love for restoring historic homes and getting involved in active and engaged communities. She and her wife call Old North Durham home where Helena is currently serving as co-President of the neighborhood association.

 

 

John Hammond
Dr. John Hammond, lives in Chapel Hill and is a Professor Emeritus of the School of Medicine at UNC-CH. He is a member of the Human Rights Campaign Federal Club, the Raleigh Business and Professional Network and Treasurer of the Mary Renault Society. He has been active in a number of organizations at the state level and has served on Board of Trustees of the State Health Plan, NC Social Services Commission, the Senior Tar Legislature, and The Triangle J Area Agency on Aging and currently serves on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Aging. He looks forward to working with the Board to strengthen its resources and expand its activities into other communities adjoining the Research Triangle Park.

 

Daire Roebuck
Daire Roebuck is a Raleigh native and is proud to have been part of the inaugural OutRaleigh leadership committee. She has been in private practice in Wake County since earning her law degree from UNC Chapel Hill in 2007. Daire has volunteered with The Diaper Train at Saint Saviour’s Center, a community outreach ministry in the Glenwood South area, and has previously clerked at The Duke Legal Project, serving indigent clients living with HIV/AIDS. In 2015 she served as Moderator at Umstead Park United Church of Christ and earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. Daire lives with her wife and two children in Apex.