Eddie Moreno is the Legislative Director for Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). There, he provides legislative strategy to ensure the department can continue to effectively protect public health and the environment. He also leads a team that analyzes and recommends positions to the Governor’s Office on legislation that directly impacts DTSC, the state’s management of hazardous waste, and the protection of environmentally burdened communities across the state.

Prior to that, he served in a similar role at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). There he had the opportunity and privilege to help the state better prepare for the growing threat of wildfires and public health emergencies while working to ensure that the most vulnerable among us are sufficiently protected and represented.

Eddie Moreno has also worked for the California Environmental Justice Alliance and Sierra Club California where he advocated before the state and legislature on important environmental policy decisions directly impacting the environment and disadvantaged communities.

Eddie has a long-established relationship with the Center, first as a volunteer and then as an Executive Assistant to the current Chief Executive Officer. He believes becoming a Board Member for the Center was the next step in committing his support for the organization as it takes great strides to nurture and protect the region’s LGBTQIA+ Community.

Eddie Moreno holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a concentration in Ecology from Dartmouth College.

Maya Wallace has lived in Sacramento for the past 20 years. A longtime public servant, Maya brings experience in education policy, homeless services, and government accountability to the board. She currently works on technology integration and business process improvement at the California Department of Transportation. Prior to joining the Center’s board, Maya was the Vice Chair of the City of Sacramento’s arts commission, where she helped lead the development of the commission’s race and cultural equity statement and oversaw the integration of the statement’s goals into grantmaking, outreach, and selection processes. In addition to serving as Board Secretary for the LGBT Community Center, Maya also serves on the city’s Planning and Design Commission and is a Senior Fellow of the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program.

Karl Crudup is a venue event sales and marketing expert who works with professional sports teams to develop nontraditional revenue opportunities.  Karl has spent 15 years working in hospitality and event management for multimillion-dollar brands and venues creating award-winning event experiences.

Crudup’s passion and excitement for the sports industry has led to accredited success, including leading record sales during his 6 seasons with AT&T Stadium, Home of the Dallas Cowboys as Director of Special Event Sales. Now in his third NBA season with the Sacramento Kings, Karl develops and leads sales strategies for Golden 1 Center private event business, Kings-produced events, and fan experiences.

Karl embraces the opportunity to share his personal and professional experiences though minority youth mentorship and volunteering as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). Karl is also an outspoken voice and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, serves on the Sacramento Kings Diversity & Inclusion Council, and National Sports Forum Steering Committee.

Carla Leek was born in Sacramento and holds a Bachelor’s degree from UC Davis. Carla has decades of experience in IT leadership in the Sacramento area. She currently serves as a Director in the Information Technology area at SMUD. Carla lives in the foothills with her wife, Cindi.

Adèle James brings a wide range of professional experiences and perspectives on organizational capacity and diversity.  Her work includes leadership as a former program officer for three California foundations including The California Endowment, and management of programs and funding for a diverse range of communities.  In 2009 Adèle founded Adele James Consulting Inc. to bring her vision of organizational development and equity consulting to fruition. A native of Trinidad, West Indies, and a certified professional coach, Adèle specializes in capacity building for organizations serving a variety of geographic, ethnic, and cultural communities.  Her work focuses on cultivating collaborative partnerships and centering the building of transformative relationships with clients and communities.

Past and current projects include serving as principal consultant for the $140 million grants disbursement under the California Mental Health Services Act’s Statewide Prevention & Early Intervention  Initiatives; facilitation and development of recommendations, next steps and training for the national Council of Large Public Housing Authority’s Equity Action Planning Process; facilitation and planning of the Sacramento County Community Health & Justice Project intended to transform the way criminal justice, behavioral health and community stakeholders collaborate to improve outcomes for people of African descent.

Adèle holds a B.A. from Barnard College, Columbia University and a M.A. from Stanford University in International Development Education.

Lexi Howard (she/her) is an attorney in the Legal Affairs Office of the California Secretary of State. With extensive real estate and business experience, Lexi was previously an attorney in private practice in Sacramento, and before that (and before, during, and after law school) was a public policy advocate before the California legislature and other agencies, representing real estate interests, the trade association for judges in the California state courts, and other organization, and serving as an association manager and executive director. Before attending law school, Lexi worked for twenty-six years for a national title insurance and financial services firm.

Lexi is a member in good standing of the State Bar of California and received her JD and Capital Certificate in Public Law & Policy from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law evening program in Sacramento, and a BS in Business Management from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

Lexi is a mentor to high school, undergrad, and law students, and serves on the Diversity Board of McGeorge School of Law, the Racial Justice Committee of the California Lawyers Association, the Sacramento Police Department LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, and is a 2022 graduate of Leadership California’s year-long California Issues and Trends program. Lexi is an occasional author and speaker on a variety of topics including housing advocacy, cultural competency, and being an upstander. Lexi enjoys hiking, camping, kayaking, and gardening; she and her wife live in Sacramento and share three “adult kids” and four too many pets.

Jacob Fraker (he/him/his), MSW, was born and raised in the small rural town of Sonora, CA.  Jacob received his Bachelor’s in Social Work at San Jose State University, then went on to UC Berkeley where he got his Master’s in Social Welfare in their Strengthening Organizations and Communities track. Following his graduation, Jacob went to work at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services as a Health and Housing Recovery Specialist before joining Senator Eggman’s team as the Senate Consultant to the LGBTQ Caucus. In this role, Jacob is now the chief advisor to 12 state legislators on broad issues relating to the LGBTQ+ Community. Jacob also servers as the executive director to the California LGBTQ Foundation a statewide LGBTQ+ non-profit dedicated to the advancement of the LGBTQ+ rights. Jacob is a nerd at heart and is a lifelong advocate for many causes including rare diseases and rural communities

Michael Placencia is a West Sacramento native and accomplished business professional whose career has spanned public service, graduate leadership in LGBTQ+ student advocacy, and corporate‑level policy advancement. A UC Berkeley graduate, Michael came out early in college and found grounding within an established LGBTQ+ community—support that helped him navigate early family challenges. After completing the prestigious Executive Fellowship Program in Sacramento, he earned his MBA at The Wharton School, where he helped foster the early growth of the Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA) conferences and strengthened campus LGBTQ+ networks through the O4B group. His post‑graduate career included several years on Wall Street, where he led his firm’s LGBTQ+ affinity group, advancing major workplace policies including domestic partnership benefits, paternity and adoption leave, and expanded partner‑support vacation. Michael also represented his firms in national LGBTQ+ recruiting efforts across ROMBA, Out for Undergraduate Business, and university affinity programs. Since returning to California in 2009, he has remained engaged in employee resource groups but is now expanding his commitment to community leadership; joining the Sacramento LGBT Community Center Board marks a meaningful step in reconnecting with local advocacy. Michael brings deep respect for the Center’s growth and a strong desire to support its continued expansion and outreach.

Tessa Hernandez is a longtime Sacramento educator and advocate with more than 16 years of experience teaching Spanish, U.S. History, AP U.S. History, and equity‑focused coursework at River City High School, where she has also mentored and advised student groups including MEChA, GSA, Foster Youth, and the Future Teacher Club. Raised between Southern California and Sacramento, Tessa overcame early adversity and later earned dual degrees in Social Sciences and Spanish from California State University, Sacramento after completing two years of immersive study in Querétaro and Guadalajara, followed by a master’s degree involving global fieldwork in Guatemala, Peru, and Spain. Her commitment to youth empowerment, bilingual education, and culturally affirming learning environments is deeply personal—shaped in part by the loss of her youngest sister, Katie, and a lifelong dedication to ensuring LGBTQ+ young people have the support and safety she wishes every family could provide. Tessa’s advocacy is further strengthened through partnership with her husband, a fellow educator and advisor for a Gender Health Club, and through her active connection to the Sacramento LGBT Community Center, where she describes Pride and Center events as some of her most meaningful experiences. She is honored to serve on the Board of Directors and brings expertise in education, equity, and community wellness to help advance the Center’s mission of creating a region where all LGBTQ+ people thrive.

Andrew Gibout 

Hyrum Gray