The Philadelphia Gay Tourism Caucus announced the election of several new board members last week. PGTC welcomed Tracy Fauntleroy of TEF Marketing Inc., Ryan Dennis of Skai Blue Media, Caitlin Smith of National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Greater Delaware Valley Chapter and Rich Rubin of Quince Productions. According to recently elected PGTC board president Lauren Tosti, the current board was eager to bring new blood to the agency with the elections. “The board wanted to bring in new people that have a wide range of skills and can bring their skill set to the table to help move the goals of PGTC forward,” she said. Tosti said some of those goals included marketing efforts, developing the PGTC brand, education and sponsorships. Individuals who were interested in a position on the board were either nominated by current board members or themselves. Board members serve two years and are required to become a member of one of the several committees PGTC operates. Fauntleroy said he was impressed by the caucus’ work and had attended PGTC functions in the past. “I always thought they did such a great job,” he said. Tosti said several board members recommended Fauntleroy. “He has great marketing skills and is a great networker,” she added. Fauntleroy hopes to extend the brand message and create more awareness about what the caucus does, as well as further expand its membership. Delaware County native Smith said she first learned about the group’s efforts through board vice president Tami Sortman and their involvement in City of Brotherly Love Softball League. Smith hopes to incorporate new ideas from youth perspectives into the organization. “I think there is a lot of untapped potential in the city of Philadelphia in regards to reaching out to youth,” she said. Smith recently became involved in PGTC’s education committee, and said she is eager for the caucus to work with organizations in the city that may not yet be fully LGBT-inclusive or friendly to open their eyes to the community. She also plans to work with the committee to educate the police force on transgender issues. Smith said PGTC efforts like the rainbow street signs in the Gayborhood have a tangible effect on city residents and visitors. “I think the best aspect of the Gayborhood is the diversity. I love that the Gayborhood is essentially right in the heart of the city. It is great when you are walking through Center City and you see these rainbow signs. You walk into an area of acceptance.” Gayborhood resident Rubin has been a frequent contributor to PGTC’s general-assembly meetings. “Rich has been coming to the meetings for a while,” Tosti said. “He is really great and has great ideas. He is very dedicated and motivated. I think he will contribute amazing things.” Rubin said he was equally energized by the caucus’ mission and accomplishments. “I think the work that PGTC does is very important and I think we all want to support the goal of making Philly a more gay-friendly place for tourists as well as residents,” he said. Rubin brings to the board his work as artistic director for Quince Productions, as well as his background in journalism. “My goals are to see what I can do to get more press for the work PGTC is doing on a national scale, but also for the ideas that they are promoting,” he said. Tosti said she expects Dennis’ role as interactive content producer at Skai Blue Media will also be a boon for PGTC’s marketing efforts. “He is very creative and he will be great with marketing, so I thought he would be a great asset,” she said. To learn more about PGTC or to get involved, visit www.philadelphiagaytourism.com.
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