Board of Directors

Alli Nisley

President

Alli (she/her) has been a resident of Champaign County since 2008. Her professional life has spanned across industries and positions in retail, service, and food and beverage, and now Alli works for the City of Champaign. Walking through so many different parts of this community over the course of so many years gives Alli a unique perspective she can bring to her work with Uniting Pride. She's also been an active volunteer with UP since nearly the beginning of UP's history. This means she's gotten to watch the organization grow and change, and is honored to step into this new leadership role as Uniting Pride embarks on the most ambitious period to date. In particular, you may recognize Alli from her deep involvement with Pride Fest, serving as the operations and logistics manager for the program (and being given the honorary title of "Head Lesbian In Charge").

Shaciarra Hamilton

Vice President

Dr. Shaciarra Hamilton (she/her) is a psychologist at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana Counseling Center. Dr. Hamilton received her Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Xavier University of New Orleans in 2022. She completed her Predoctoral Internship at the UIUC Counseling Center in 2022 and has been working as a Clinical Counselor at the Counseling Center since. As a psychologist, Dr. Hamilton serves in a clinical role through therapeutic services, engages in outreach planning and executions, and serves on several administrative and outreach committees. Dr. Hamilton is a generalist and enjoys working with a variety of clinical presentations, and her professional emphases include multiculturalism concerns, queer issues, relational and cultural issues, identity development, trauma, disordered eating, and body image. Dr. Hamilton believes in the power of connection, community, and collaboration. Dr. Hamilton is originally from Mississippi, loves sweet tea and Laffy taffy jokes, and can be found riding horses, doing archery, or spending time with family and friends when not working or volunteering. 

Adelaide Aime

Treasurer

Adelaide Aime (she/her) is honored and thrilled to be serving on the Board of Uniting Pride as a
proud ally of LGBTQ+ people and causes. Before retiring in 2020 after a 35-year career in social services, Adelaide served as Executive Director of two local social service agencies. Through that work she became familiar with all aspects of non-profit fiscal management for small organizations. As Treasurer of Uniting Pride, she sees herself as a technician. Along with ensuring that the staff are paid and the bills up-to-date, it is her job to communicate the financial consequences of each proposed idea, activity or option to the Board of Directors. She’s also eager to work with agency leaders, clients and supporters to maintain and nurture a fiscally-sustainable agency, insuring a solid financial foundation for future programs. When not pouring over spreadsheets, Adelaide enjoys retirement by spending more time with friends and family, attending book discussion group, renovating a 150-year-old farmhouse, baking, and visiting her kids who both live in California.

Aurora Cruz-Torres

Member At Large

Aurora (she/her) moved to Champaign County in 2006 from Puerto Rico to attend graduate school. Since then, she has laid her roots in the Urbana-Champaign area, holding different positions to improve the experience of underrepresented communities in higher education. She is the Senior Assistant Director for Inclusive Excellence in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she assists in creating initiatives and programs to increase the sense of belonging, inclusion, and accessibility for students, faculty, and staff. Aurora is passionate about volunteering with local organizations that advocate for historically marginalized populations, including the Education Justice Project and The Immigration Project. She is honored to serve on the Board of Uniting Pride as a member and ally of the LGBTQ+ community. Aurora has been married for over 10 years and is the proud mom of an adventurous toddler and a playful Corgi. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, gardening, building complex LEGOs, attending music concerts, and playing video/board games in her spare time. Her goal is to actively participate in making Champaign County an inclusive place where everyone feels welcomed, heard, and respected.

Avery Shaffer

Member At Large

Avery (they/them) has been a central Illinois resident their whole life. Coming from a small rural town they were first pushed to fight for queer spaces in high school when a counter petition struck down an attempt to establish the school's first Gay-Straight Alliance. Knowing the importance of community, they relocated to Champaign-Urbana in 2010 to be closer to the established Goth/Industrial scene, which they are still an active member of. When not at home with their partner and three cats they can be found with local performance troupes showing off their skills with fire and physical comedy, using their platform to make others laugh or to promote social issues such as the struggles trans youth are facing today.

Staff

Joshua Gavel

Interim Executive Director

Joshua Gavel (He/They/Any) grew up in Champaign County before graduating from Southern Illinois University with a Bachelors in Fashion Design & Merchandising in 2018. After some time in Chicago, he returned to the 217 eager to get involved. Josh has long been passionate about volunteering, advocacy, and program development, being actively involved in leadership in multiple student and community organizations and volunteering with Planned Parenthood in high school to leading Styling for a Cause, the Fashion Design and Merchandising Association, and Alpha Rho Chi as President during his time at SIU. After college Josh worked with Macy’s midwest flagship as a member of their leadership team, managing their children’s division, SantaLand, their seasonal onboarding, and serving as the Manager in Charge of Community Outreach and Giving. In this role Josh was fortunate enough to expand his passion for community outreach and development while raising funds for local and national philanthropies such as Bernie’s Books, the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Center on Halsted, the Human Rights Campaign, and the Trevor Project. He continued his path into nonprofit work by serving as a Regional Director with Alpha Rho Chi’s national leadership team, helping to develop young leaders in the art, architecture, and design fields. When not working or volunteering Josh loves to spend his time watching movies with his partner and their dog, Ralph, as well as continue exploring his passions for fashion and graphic design, music, and literature. Josh previously served as UP's Operations Manager and Associate Director and is excited to continue to advocate and support the LGBTQIA+ community as Interim Executive Director. ​

Madison 

Finance and Community Programs Manager

​Madison (she/her) grew up in Central Illinois and graduated with a Masters of Science and a Masters of Art from Eastern Illinois University. Madison got started in advocacy during her undergraduate degree at Western Illinois University, and has brought her passion and care for people into her career in the nonprofit sector. After working in Los Angeles for two years in digital equity, advocacy, anti-racism, and program management working with formerly incarcerated individuals, she is excited to bring her experiences and skills to the community she calls home and grow with the Uniting Pride team. Outside of work Madison enjoys traveling, scary movies, and trying new restaurants.

Vivianne Velazquez

Youth and Family Manager

Vivianne (they/them) is a trauma-informed wellness practitioner and community builder with over a decade of experience creating inclusive, healing-centered spaces for diverse populations. As a passionate multidimensional soul that cares about connection and deep listening, they specialize in developing programs that integrate mindfulness, movement, and creative expression to support individuals navigating life transitions. Bringing an intersectional perspective as a non-binary, queer individual with Mexican roots, Velazquez combines certified yoga instruction (RYT-200) with specialized training in trauma-informed practices and community facilitation. Currently serving on the Board of Directors for Girls Rock! CU, and now as UP's Youth & Family Program Manager, they hold the vision to build partnerships that center equity and inclusion, with a passion for empowering LGBTQIA+ youth and families to connect with their inner wisdom while building supportive community connections.

Committees

Uniting Pride committees address many important issues of interest to the Champaign County LGBTQ+ community. Our committees have helped to implement and organize pride festivals, develop and create fundraisers, and foster a warm and welcoming environment for all. We’re in the process of expanding our committees in a large way. If you are interested in learning more about what it means to serve on a committee, click HERE and expand the Committees Section.

Existing Uniting Pride Committees:

• Advocacy Committee
  
• Executive Committee
  
• ​Finance Committee
• Fundraising and Outreach Committee
• ​Youth and Family Committee