Pacific Pride Foundation is Excited to Announce Two New Board Members: Eric Bowers and Maria F. Melo
SANTA BARBARA, CA – Pacific Pride Foundation (PPF) today announced its two newest board members who will each support PPF’s work to improve the lives of the LGBTQ+ community here in Santa Barbara County.
“We’re beyond excited to introduce two new board members who will bring a diverse set of insight and experience to our Board of Directors,” said PPF Executive Director Kristin Flickinger. “These members embody a period of growth for the PPF board, bringing in new and different voices from the LGBTQ+ community, as well as specific skill sets in Advocacy, Governance, Law, and more.”
Beginning their three-year terms in 2020, the new board members are:
● Eric Bowers (he/him), Director, Legal at Sonos Inc., former Chair of the Board of Directors for Hospice of Santa Barbara
● Maria F. Melo (she/her), Executive Director at 805UndocuFund, former Deputy Consul for Colombia in Los Angeles
“I am pleased to welcome this strong group of new board members to PPF and look forward to working with them as we take our organization to the next level and continue to serve the community with our important programs and services,” said Lynn Cunningham Brown, Board Chair. “I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the rest of our board members for their hard work and dedication to the mission creating a thriving and visible LGBTQ+ community in Santa Barbara County.”
Pacific Pride Foundation (PPF) is the leading LGBTQ+ center between Los Angeles and San Francisco, serving more than 10,000 people each year throughout all of Santa Barbara
County. Headquartered in Santa Barbara, it partners with 35 educational and nonprofit agencies to provide a dynamic range of health prevention and social service programs, including programs for LGBTQ+ youth and older adults, counseling services, opioid response services, sensitivity and competency trainings, community events and advocacy on LGBTQ+ issues.
PPF directly prevents the transmission of disease through its HIV/AIDS and HEP-C testing and prevention outreach and education, delivering 1300 free and anonymous tests annually. PPF is the leader in in-school and after-school programs for LGBTQ+ youth, serving 200 kids with mental health, suicide prevention, and anti-bullying programs, while providing them with a safe place for social connection and leadership development. PPF is addressing the opioid crisis through the only syringe exchange program in the county, which collects nearly a quarter of a million used syringes every year, and by distributing the overdose reversing drug Narcan, which resulted in 249 known reversals of potentially fatal overdoses in the past year. For more information or to make a donation please visit pacificpridefoundation.org.