Joseph G. Hagelmann, III – President

Joe grew up the suburbs, but is a native New Yorker, and a lifelong Democrat. Once he was old enough to vote, he served as a State Committee Member, and carried petitions to gather signatures for Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, and Bill Clinton.

Joe became an active member of SDCNYC in 2002, and was then elected to the Executive Board the following year.

In 2005 at the suggestion of the Executive Board, then New York City Councilmember Margarita Lopez endorsed Joe as a candidate to fill vacancies on Manhattan Community Board Five. Borough President C. Virginia Fields appointed him to fill one of those vacancies, and he was subsequently endorsed by Councilmember Rosie Mendez, and appointed by Manhattan’s current Borough President Scott Stringer. Joe serves on Manhattan Community Board Five’s Landmarks and Parks Committees, and has served as the Parks Committee Chairman since 2009.

SDCNYC recently had the opportunity to suggest individuals among its membership to take part in New York City Council’s Speaker Christine Quinn’s effort to revive an LGBT Advisory Committee to the NYPD. Joe is among those proposed by Speaker Quinn and has been invited by NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly to participate in this dialogue.

After serving as the club’s Treasurer for half a decade, on February 22, 2010 the Executive Board of Stonewall Democratic Club of New York unanimously elected Joseph G. Hagelmann, III our President. Two days later, as moderator and host of the club’s general meeting, he took on the role of “tamer” as Harold Ford “entered the lion’s den and got mauled.” For Joe, it is a great honor, and he is enjoying the experience and the opportunity to lead our legendary organization as we carry on the efforts to advocate for New York’s LGBT community.

Joe and his partner, Robert Harvey live in Midtown Manhattan, with their eleven-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, Sammy.

Fredy H. Kaplan, Esq.- Vice President

Is the LGBT Liaison and Outreach Director for the New York State Democratic Committee. He is also an accomplished litigation attorney who has handled many high profile media cases in New York City, as well as a political strategist and lobbyist formerly with the government relations firm Patricia Lynch Associates, Inc., Fredy went from being an Executive Board member with SDNYC in 2008 to becoming one of the club’s Vice President, both in 2010 and 2011.

Highly regarded for his committed leadership and activism in the LGBT community in New York City, Fredy has successfully put together some of the club’s most memorable forums including the City’s first Manhattan District Attorney Candidates Debate in 2009; the Harold Ford Jr., forum, and a NYS Attorney General Candidates forum, and LGBT GOTV rally featuring NYS Lieutenant Governor, Robert Duffy, all in 2010.

Fredy’s background experience includes an appointment in 2004 by then New York City Council’s Speaker, Gifford A. Miller to serve as Legislative and Policy Counsel to the Council’s Committees on Economic Development, Parks and Recreation and Technology in Government. He was also selected that same year by the New York County Independent Judicial Screening Committee as a judicial candidate for the Civil Court of the City of New York. Beyond his experience with the City Council and as a principal in a law firm, Fredy has worked as an attorney with the NYS Office of the Attorney General and the Legal Aid Society of Kings County.

As a result of his legal expertise and background, Fredy was chosen by the American Bar Association to serve as one of ten attorneys nationwide to review and give commentary on the proposed Criminal Procedure Law for the governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2001. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Lesbian and Gay Law Association of Greater New York (“LeGal”) from 2002 to 2006.

A native New Yorker, Fredy lives in the East Village with his partner of five years, Anthony Cipriano, and their dogs, Buddy and Zack, and bird, Sam Bernstein.

Melissa Sklarz – Vice President

A long time activist and icon in the LGBT community, Melissa became the first transgender person elected to office in New York when she was elected Judicial Delegate from the 66th Assembly District in 1999. She likewise, became the first transgender person from New York to be part of the state delegation at the Democratic National Convention, by being appointed to the Credentials Committee in 2004 and again on the Rules Committee in 2008.

Melissa helped bring civil rights to transgender people in New York City when INT 24 became law in 2002 and has been a lobbying leader for GENDA (Gender Expression Non Discrimination Act)

In 2010, Melissa was at the side of Governor Paterson when he announced an executive order protecting the rights of transgender people employed by New York State.

Melissa also had a featured role in the film Transamerica.

Kevin Burke – Vice President

A longtime resident of New York City’s Greenwich Village, Kevin has been an active Executive Board member since 2004 where he has been responsible for SDCNYC’s annual Street Fair, one of the Club’s important fundraising events.

In addition to his duties as an Administrative Staff Analyst with the City of New York, Kevin helps his partner, Matthew Chirichella, run a successful business from their home.

Prior to employment with the city, Kevin was a Disco DJ for 20 years spinning records at Tea Dance at the Blue Whale / Botel on Fire Island Pines from 1977 to 1995, as well as many of the popular Clubs and Bars around town such as 12 West, Flamingo, Studio 54 and the Red Parrot.

Yetta Kurland – Vice President

Yetta G. Kurland has been an advocate of civil rights in the New York City area for over a decade and she has gained recognition and attention for the legal work she does as well as her commitment to social justice. She is the founding partner of Kurland & Associates, P.C., a full service boutique law firm where her victories include a decision to allow LGBT partners to assume the same last name as domestic partners, the right of a lesbian non-biological parent to be awarded custody of her child, and successfully defending a New York City Police officer from discrimination she faced within the New York City Police Department. The firm has also recently won a settlement against a major airlines company for HIV discrimination and a large foodservice corporation for harassment based on gender and sexual orientation.

Current lawsuits she is handling include a suit against the City for gender and race discrimination within the Fire Department, a suit involving an individual who was wrongfully arrested in the Republic National Convention of 2004, as well as her work with Top Chef Contestant Ms. Josie Smith Malave who was the recipient of a hate crime in a gang assault that took place in 2007.

Yetta is currently serving her second term as Vice President SDNYC, and formed and chairs SDNYC’s Annual Women’s Awards. She is also on the board of Marriage Equality New York, and is on the Executive Committee of the New York City Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.

Additionally, Yetta is the creator of Hello World Language Center, an alternative language and culture resource center, and is an adjunct professor at New York University where she teaches in the Steinhardt School of Education.

A resident of the New York City Council’s Third District for almost 15 years, Yetta ran what many consider to be a historic campaign and primary race in 2009 for the district Council seat..

Yetta lives in Chelsea with her partner Elizabeth and their two Italian Greyhounds, Sal and Luca.

Michael Mallon – Corresponding Secretary

Michael is also Co-Chair of the SDCNYC membership committee. A native New Yorker who’s life was transformed when he came out to his family and moved from Brooklyn to Astoria in 2005, Michael is a symbol of community activism and organizing.

Having been involved with the efforts to help LGBT and LGBT-supportive candidates become elected to public office, in January 2010, Michael joined the staff of New York City Council Member Daniel Dromm, who, together with Hon. Jimmy Van Bramer, is the first openly-gay NYC Council Member in the borough of Queens.

Also, having a strong belief the church should be a place of support and comfort to the LGBT community, Michael helped reorganize and currently serves on the steering committee of Integrity NYC (iNYC), an advocacy and fellowship group that strives and promotes for the visibility, equality, and well-being of LGBT persons and their families both within the Episcopal Church and the wider community. He also currently serves on the board of Out Astoria, a group that organizes the LGBT community in Astoria, LIC, and Sunnyside and provides a forum for dialogue.

Michael was also recently honored by the Queens chapter of PFLAG for his commitment and activism.

Michael resides in the Dutch Kills section of Astoria with the amazing Chap James Day, his beloved partner of five years.

Charles Bayor –Recording Secretary

Charles is a native New Yorker, growing up in the Grand Concourse section of the Bronx. He graduated from Wm. Howard Taft H.S; Hunter College (Lehman College); and American University (Washington D.C.) with a degree in Political Science.

After college, Charles returned to N.Y. where he began his Teaching Career, first in Intermediate school then in High School, as a teacher of social studies.

Upon retiring as a teacher, he began mentoring new chapter leaders and rebuilding failing chapters at various schools in NYC. Charles presently serves on the Economic and Social Committee of the UFT, and has been appointed by the President of the UFT (Randi Weingarten) to a special task force on Civil Rights.

In addition to his longtime political and social activist as Chapter Leader, Delegate and the political action liaison for the UFT in Manhattan, Charles served as Vice President of Gouverneur Hospital, is currently an active member of Community Board 3, is Chair of the local School Board, and is a Democratic District leader.

He joined the Stonewall Board of Directors in 2008, and became Recording Secretary in 2010

Charles has been honored for his commitment by Gouverneur Hospital, and the Manhattan Democratic Club.

Thomas Shevlin – Treasurer

Tom is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certified in Financial Risk Management (FRM) and has a Master’s Degree in Economics from Pennsylvania State University.  He worked as an Economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2 years, then served in the duel role of Economist and Diplomat for the U.S. Treasury Department for 7 years. Tom is now Head of Financial Markets Research for McKinsey and Company’s internal wealth management group; MIO Partners, where he has worked for 6 years.

Tom has been a member of SDNYC’s Executive Board since January 2007. He volunteered in the finance and reporting department for John Kerry’s 2004 Presidential campaign and has volunteered for a number of other Democratic campaigns and LGBT causes.

He is a native of upstate New York and currently lives in Chelsea with his partner of 18 months, Glen Baker.

Executive Board of Directors

Marty Algaze

Richard Allman

Steve Ashkinazy

Matthew W. Carlin

Michael F. Colosi

Jen Handler

Aubrey Lees

Marc Levine

Brice Peyre

John Phillips

Thomas Shevlin

Tom Smith

At Large Board Members

Lewis Goldstein

Lenny Rosenblatt

Tenured Board Members

Paul J. Del Duca

Saul Fishman

Dirk McCall

Connie Ress

Lew Todd

Frank Wilkinson

Bob Zuckerman

Board of Governors

Mark P. Thompson  – Co-Chair

Barbara Russo  – Vice-Chair