Valerie Anias

(she/her)

Governance Committee Chair & Board Secretary

Val joins Annapolis Pride as a board member and member of the Governance Committee and Advocacy & Communications Committee. She is the founder and owner of A Team Family Law, LLC, a local family focused law firm in Annapolis, Maryland. In her practice, Val is passionate about assisting underrepresented individuals and advocates for her clients irrespective of their gender, race, sexual orientation, and family status. Val is a resident of Anne Arundel County and lives with her wife, kids, and dogs!

Katie Connolly

(they/them)

Board Vice Chair

Katie Connolly has over 12 years of accounting experience in the private and public sectors. Currently, they manage the budget for the City of Annapolis. Katie looks forward to bringing their experience to Annapolis Pride to help advance its mission and expand its reach. Katie lives on the Eastern Shore with their wife and two sons. They try to live every day by following the adage, “Be who you needed when you were younger”. With that in mind, they are passionate about creating safe and affirming spaces while increasing visibility and awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community.

John Crestwell

(he/him)

Rev. John T. Crestwell, Jr. is the called Minister and Executive at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis. He began his ministry in Anne Arundel County in 2009. Before joining UUCA, he was minister of Davies Memorial UU in Camp Springs, MD, where, in 2006, he helped them become a “Breakthrough Congregation” as one of the most racially diverse churches in the UUA.

Rev. John is the Vice-chair of the AA County Executive’s Interfaith Advisory Council, a member of the Anne Arundel Connecting Together (ACT) Strategy Team, a mentor with the UUA’s Commissioned Lay Ministry, Lead Chaplain for the Wellness House cancer community, and member of the UUA President’s Council.

Rev. John is a mentor, singer, spiritual teacher, and social justice advocate. He is married to Joni R. Crestwell and together, they have a blended family of 5 adult children.

Christine Feldmann

(she/her)

Advocacy & Communications Committee Chair

Christine (she/her) currently serves as the director of marketing and communications where she provides strategic communications advice for the Anne Arundel County Public Library CEO and Board of Trustees. She is responsible for all communications efforts on behalf of the library’s 16 branches and more than 300 full-time staff. 

Formerly, she served as deputy director of communications for Comptroller Peter Franchot and in positions of increasing responsibility for former Governor William Donald Schaefer during his tenure as Comptroller. Before officially joining state government, Ms. Feldmann was the communications manager for the Maryland Commission for Celebration 2000, an organization designed to commemorate the millennium. She began her career in special events at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and in media relations at the U. S. Naval Academy. 

Feldmann has a Master of Public Policy and Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Maryland. She has guest lectured at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy and Anne Arundel Community College. In addition to her public relations work, she also serves as the grants administrator for St. Margaret’s Church where she is responsible for the program that has given out more than $2 million since its inception. She and her husband Ray, live in Annapolis with their twins, Connor and Grace (16)

Mastin Fowler

(he/him)

Mastin joins Annapolis Pride as a board member and co-chair of the Governance Committee. He manages a department of legal professionals from the D.C. office of an international law firm based in New York City, where he has spent most of his days (and some nights) since 2014. Prior to transitioning into management, Mastin was a senior paralegal supporting a global team representing key firm clients with governmental and internal investigations relating to anti-corruption and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Recognizing the need to build and nurture welcoming, safe, inclusive, and supportive professional spaces, he is an active member in his firm’s U.S. Spectrum LGBT+ Affinity Network’s Communication Committee and in the International Practice Management Association’s D.C. Chapter and Emerging Trends Committee.

Mastin is a graduate of George Mason University where he majored in Geography and double-minored in Urban Studies and Sub-Saharan African Studies. He has called Virginia, Hawaii, NYC, and D.C. (the longest at 23+ years) home, but is now an Annapolitan (since 2020), where he lives just off of West Street with his husband (Chris) and dog (Frankie).

When he’s not in front of his laptop, Mastin is usually spending time with his family, traveling, riding his bike, walking around town (usual spots are City Dock, Poplar Trail, Eastport, Murray Hill, or Quiet Waters), reading, listening to music, napping, or in search of, or already drinking, a coffee or seltzer. Mastin is thrilled for this opportunity to serve on the Annapolis Pride Board of Directors to continue to help build the organization and to bring his experience, skills, and
constructive activism to Annapolis and beyond.

Eric Lund

(he/him)

Eric returns to the Board of Annapolis Pride after serving as a founding Board member and then as an Advisory Committee member. His long service and institutional memory are critical for the Pride board.

Eric first moved to the Annapolis area in 1986, fresh out of high school, and knew he had found his permanent home. He has been active in local Annapolis theater since then, working in many facets, including directing, acting, lighting design, and stage managing for the Annapolis Symphony.

It was at a local theater where he met his husband. The two of them became part of the California eighteen thousand that were married during the brief five months between June and November of 2008 when California began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples before Proposition 8 stopped the state and left all the couples in legal limbo. This helped spur Eric’s desire to get involved in advocacy for diversity and equality. He worked with the Unitarian-Universalist advocacy group in support of marriage equality and helped as a past cultural diversity trainer for new hires at the University of Maryland Medical System. He was one of the founding board members of Annapolis Pride and is honored to help the dedicated people of Annapolis Pride continue to build and strengthen the presence of the LGBTQ+ community in Annapolis and Maryland.

When not helping to bring pride to Annapolis, Eric works as a software engineer for the Baltimore Shock Trauma Center research department, designing and maintaining the hospital’s customs research software.

Nicole McCoy

(she/her)

Nicole (she/her) is currently a freshman at the University of Maryland in College Park studying psychology. She is from Annapolis and has been immersed in the Annapolis community throughout her life. She is passionate about advocating for people and groups that are treated differently and underrepresented within society. She strives in any situation to make those around her feel welcome and included, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or background. When not working or at school she enjoys reading, spending time outdoors (unless it is cold), and spending time with friends and family.

Dennis McGowan

(he/him) 

Board Treasurer and Internal Affairs Committee Chair

Dennis is committed to bringing more visibility to the LGBTQ+ community. As a proud uncle, it is important for him to be an example of living authentically and being inclusive. Originally from Pennsylvania, McGowan started his career at PwC specializing in auditing public and private companies in the financial services industry. As Vice President of Professional Practice at the Center for Audit Quality, McGowan currently leads a team of audit executives to advance technical and policy-oriented projects to identify, develop, and seek consensus on issues affecting the public company auditing profession.

McGowan is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Pennsylvania, and holds a BS in Business Administration from La Salle University. Dennis looks forward to bringing his professional expertise and experience to further support the mission of Annapolis Pride. When not working or traveling, McGowan can be found exploring Annapolis with his boyfriend Kevin and their perfect dogs Guinness (a rescue) and Maggie (a golden doodle).

Jessica Parsell

(she/her)

Jessica graduated from Towson University with her bachelor’s in theater arts and obtained her master’s degree in special education in 2021. She is in her eighth year of teaching performing arts at The Harbour School in Annapolis. She revels in helping her students gain confidence and empowerment through theater. Jessica is very passionate about utilizing the arts as a way to uplift, educate, and empower communities. She was a founding member of The Oven Theater Company in Baltimore, MD, a theater company for social change. Jessica lives in Annapolis with her wife, Megan, and their three dogs. When she isn’t busy working on a show, she enjoys nature and spending time with friends and family. She looks forward to working with Annapolis Pride to help advance its mission and find ways to merge her love of community, the arts, and outreach.

Joe Toolan

(he/him)

Board Chair

Joe (he/him/el) serves as Justicia Y Equidad Fund Manager at GreenLatinos, his team will award almost $14 million dollars in funding in 2024 to projects enhancing urban tree work in Latine communities, and supports urban sustainability initiatives nationally. He has a background in philanthropy, community stewardship, behavior change, and building capacity of individual organizations and networks of nonprofits. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Geographical Sciences with a concentration in Environment Systems and Natural Resource Management from the University of Maryland, College Park and an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University.

Joe, born in Guatemala, was adopted in the 90s and grew up in Maryland. He identifies as a queer, latine, indigenous, transracial international adoptee (and adoption educator) and environmentalist. Joe is the Chair of Annapolis Pride, a Commissioner on the State of Maryland Commission for LGBTQIA+ Affairs where he served as the first Chair from 2021-2023, a Senior Fellow with the Environmental Leadership Program, a Planning Committee Member for the Naturally Latinos Conference and the Chesapeake Watershed Forum, and serves as a mentor in the Young Professionals of Color program with the Choose Clean Water Coalition. Joe also serves on the board of Adoptees with Guatemalan Roots, and Out for Sustainability. Joe was also named Best Advocate in Anne Arundel County in 2023. When Joe is not working, you can find him reading a good book, diamond painting, or hanging out with his chosen family.

Jayne Walters

(she/her)

Jayne Walters is a former board member and the director of education for Indy Pride and was the first openly transgender manager in the history of Indianapolis Public Library. Having worked in libraries for over 14 years, she now works for the Anne Arundel County Public Library, and her writing has been featured in Library Journal and Children & Libraries. She has spoken on LGBTQ+ issues for libraries, companies, and on the news, and is a contributing author in the book Trans and Gender Diverse Voices in Libraries (2023). Her passions include LGBTQIA+ representation in juvenile literature; making sure libraries are accessible and equitable for the community and making them a safe and welcoming environment for all.

Tim Williams

(he/him)  

Tim spent more than 35 years on the staff of a large nonprofit organization, and before that worked on Capitol Hill and for the Maryland General Assembly. He received a bachelor’s degree in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland. His professional experience includes federal and state advocacy, communications, volunteer engagement, program management, grant development and administration, and executive management. He also staffed a board strategic planning committee. As a volunteer, he served on the board of Equality Maryland and as Chair of the Equality Maryland Political Action Committee. 

Tim has two adult daughters, both AACPS teachers working in Annapolis, and three grandchildren. He and Jessie, his partner of 20 years, are also devoted dog dads to a six-year-old rescue pointer named Remmie. 

Tim has been amazed by the rapid growth of Annapolis Pride and wants to use his skills and experience to strengthen the organization and broaden its already-significant impact.

Anne Arundel County High School Senior

Each fall, the Annapolis Pride Board adds a local high school senior to serve as a full board member for one year. The student board member is an essential part of the board to lend voice and experience to the youth of our community. The 2024-2025 student is the third student to serve as a board member. The Pride Board solicits applications and interviews students for this position.