2026 Confirmed Workshops
Note: Some speakers/panelists may change before the conference. All conference attendees will have access to the official conference app, which will have the most current speaker information and any updated workshop descriptions and changes.
The 2026 Conference will feature workshops in three tracks:
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Caring for Our People
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Inclusive Programming
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Fundraising & Organizational Development
Caring for Our People
A Glimpse into the Inner Workings of Volunteer Management
Candice Stribling (she/her) Come Out With Pride (Orlando, FL)
Jake Schwartz (he/him), Spokane Pride (Spokane, WA)
A robust panel/roundtable discussion with those responsible for managing and overseeing pride volunteers. This Q&A-style session will explore the ins and outs of managing your volunteers to ensure a successful event while balancing the needs of and support for your volunteers.
Before the Parade: Remembering the Forgotten Trailblazers Who Built the Pride Movement
Kenya Hutton (he/him), Center for Black Equity (Washington, DC)
Aubrey Boyd (he/him)
The global Pride movement did not begin with corporate floats or festival stages—it began with resistance, resilience, and radical love. This workshop invites participants to journey through the lesser-told history of Pride, uplifting the trailblazers—many of them Black, Brown, trans, and working-class—whose courage sparked a global movement for liberation. Led by the Center for Black Equity, this interactive session re-centers the voices of early activists and community organizers who fought for representation long before mainstream visibility was possible. Participants will engage with multimedia storytelling, archival materials, and facilitated dialogue to explore how the roots of Pride continue to shape the movement today. Together, we will reflect on how to honor these legacies through our modern Pride work and ensure the next generation knows the shoulders we stand upon.This session is both an act of remembrance and a call to action—because the fight for true equity continues.
Security Planning for Small & Medium Pride Festivals: From Protesters to Emergencies
Amber Thelen (she/her), Jackson Pride (Jackson, MI)
Creating a safe, affirming space is at the heart of every Pride event—but security planning often falls on volunteers with little to no formal training. This session dives into practical, scalable security strategies specifically for small to mid-sized festivals and rural events. From building relationships with local law enforcement to preparing for mass gatherings, protests, weather events, and medical emergencies, we'll walk through the real-world scenarios Pride organizers face and how to be ready. This workshop will include customizable planning templates, case studies, and time for Q&A.
Leading with Pride: Coaching, Motivating, and Growing Your Team to Their Full Potential
Vanessa Rodley (she/her), Mid-South Pride (Memphis, TN)
Every great Pride organization is built on the passion and commitment of its people — but passion alone isn’t enough. Strong leadership means knowing how to coach, inspire, and grow your team through the highs and lows of community work. In this session, we’ll explore practical strategies for developing leadership within your board, volunteers, and committees.Drawing from real-world experience leading large-scale Pride events and nonprofit teams, this session will cover how to identify strengths in others, guide them toward ownership, and keep motivation high even during stressful seasons. Participants will leave with tools for effective coaching conversations, accountability structures that work, and ways to build a culture of trust and celebration that keeps people engaged year after year.Whether you’re a board president, committee lead, or new team manager, this workshop will help you move from simply managing people to empowering leaders — turning your team into a source of energy, not exhaustion.
Powering Pride​: Building Teams with Purpose & Pay
Ryan Manning (he/him), Milwaukee Pride (Milwaukee, WI)
Over the past few years, Milwaukee PrideFest has introduced a stipend model to support our production team, and the results have been incredible. With better attendance, stronger motivation, and happier teams, we’ve learned a lot about what works—and what doesn’t. This workshop is all about sharing that journey and helping other Pride organizations build something similar.
Inclusive Programming
Elevating Lesbian Visibility Week in Your Communities
Suzanne Fortenberry (she/her), John Michael Jones (he/him), Greenwood Pride (Greenwood, IN)
Representation matters — lesbian, nonbinary, and trans voices have historically been underrepresented, even within LGBTQ+ spaces. This workshop explores the origins and evolution of Lesbian Visibility Week (LVW) and why amplifying these voices is essential for creating inclusive and affirming Pride events. Drawing on two years of successful LVW programming in Indiana and highlighting the Curve Foundation’s national leadership, presenters will share practical strategies, resources, and tools to help organizers celebrate lesbian culture, uplift nonbinary and trans identities, and ensure greater visibility within festivals and year-round programming.
Finding and Cultivating Local and Regional LGBTQ+ Entertainment for Your Pride
Luke Olson (he/him), Milwaukee Pride (Milwaukee, WI)
Pride Organizations and the Importance of Recognizing HIV Awareness Days
Jordan Braxton (she/her), Pride St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
Sevyn Lockett (she/her), Vivent Health
HIV awareness days often highlight specific populations within the LGBTQIA+ community that face compounded challenges including Black, Latino, and Transgender communities, which continue to be disproportionately affected. The continued prevalence of HIV means that HIV education and advocacy still play an important role in Pride Month. Pride is a time to remember the fight for equality, to celebrate living authentically, and to deepen bonds within the community. It can also be a time for promoting testing, educating the public, and keeping the fight to end HIV alive. This workshop will focus on two HIV awareness days: National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (February 7th) and National Transgender HIV/AIDS Testing Day (April 18th, which due to a Presidential Executive Order is no longer recognized by the CDC but remains deeply important to our communities)
The Power Here Is You: Lessons from Milwaukee’s Grassroots Response to AIDS
Vince Tripi (he/him or co/co), Milwaukee Pride (Milwaukee, WI)
Every community has stories of resistance that can inspire and inform today’s Pride programming. The Power Here Is You explores Milwaukee’s unique grassroots response to the HIV/AIDS crisis, highlighting how local organizers, health workers, and activists built powerful networks of care and advocacy. Participants will learn how to uncover and leverage local histories to strengthen their own festivals, engage communities, and inspire action. This workshop offers practical strategies for turning historical narratives into compelling educational programming that deepens audience connection and celebrates resilience.
Take Pride in Your Advocacy: Dos and Don’ts for Pride Organizations
Derrick Jones (he/him), Pride Lafayette (Lafayette, IN)
Jordan Braxton (she/her), Pride St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
There is a predominant belief that pride organizations, operating under IRS code 501(c)(3), can't have a voice in speaking out about legislative and public policy initiatives. In practice, this means that far too many queer voices -- especially those operating at the local level and in smaller communities, are often absent when major LGBTQ+-related bills and policies are being considered. This workshop will look at specific do's and don'ts for 501(c)(3) pride organizations and provide practical ideas for civic engagement that can be implemented during a festival and year-round. After this workshop participants should be able to: 1) Understand the limitations on 501(c)(3) organizations and what is allowable; 2) Organize a grassroots advocacy event in their community; 3;) Engage with a policymaker to discuss a specific need in their community.
Fundraising & Organizational Development
How to Use GenAI to Get More Done in Less Time
Dr. Gina Debogovich (she/her), Annabel Kornblum (she/her), Bloomington Pride (Bloomington, MN)
Back by popular demand! Building on the success of our 2025 session, this 2026 workshop dives deeper into how your Pride organization can harness generative AI and other tools to streamline operations, improve communication, and elevate your impact — without burning out your team.Bloomington Pride MN has used GenAI to produce vendor handbooks, volunteer orientation videos, governance documents, educational content, survey insights, and videos. This year, we’ll take it further with live demonstrations and customizable templates so attendees walk away with ready-to-use materials tailored to their own organizations.Whether you're returning for more advanced strategies or just getting started, this hands-on session will help your team get more done in less time — and have more time to focus on what truly matters: building community, celebrating identity, and creating lasting impact.
From Pride Parade to Trans Liberation and Power
Ashley Figueroa (she/her), Shea Cutliff (she/her), Come Out With Pride (Orlando, FL)
Exploring the community power, solidarity and liberation practices that can change the dynamics of an organization through intentional and untraditional collaboration and thinking. Using the board power of Pride organizations to drive the culture of a community.
Vendor Best Practices (A Panel Discussion)
Jonathan Balash (he/him), Spencer Pride (Spencer, IN)
Derrick Jones (he/him), Pride Lafayette (Lafayette, IN)
Edwin Ivey (he/him), Connecticut Pride
Tatiana Quiroga (she/ella) - Come Out With Pride (Orlando, FL)​
When was the last time you evaluated your pricing model and strategy for your vendors? Have you considered out-of-the-box ideas to increase vendor participation and your festival revenue? Join Pride organizers from around the nation for a panel discussion on this insightful topic, including vendor management.
Funding Pride: Building a Sustainable Model Together
Tim Frye (he/him), Steve Long (he/him), Dan Nisbet (he/him), PRIDE Chicago (Chicago, IL)​
For decades, PRIDEChicago has raised funds each year to produce one of the largest Pride parades in the country. But 2025 marked the first year we re-launched those efforts in a more formal, strategic way—under a newly established 501(c)(3) structure and with an expanded goal: to sustain the parade while reinvesting resources back into LGBTQ+ communities in Chicago.In this session, PRIDEChicago volunteer leaders will share reflections from this pivotal first year—what worked, what didn’t, and what we’re learning about building a sustainable future for Pride.Coming from a large, resource-rich, blue city, Chicago’s experience is both unique and instructive. But this conversation is not just about us—it’s about you and the realities of funding Pride in your own community. Together, we’ll discuss:What’s working (and what’s not) in local fundraising models. Balancing inclusion, accessibility, and financial sustainability. Managing sponsorships, donors, and community expectations. What’s keeping us all up at night as we plan for 2026. The goal of this session is shared learning—connecting Pride organizers from cities and towns of all sizes to exchange practical ideas, challenges, and solutions for keeping Pride both thriving and community-centered.
The Evolving Landscape of Sponsorships
Wes Shaver (he/him), Milwaukee Pride (Milwaukee, WI)
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