The Pride Center was created by the Founding members in January 2011. The founding members are: Christine Smith, Joanie Dovekas, Deborah Rezac, Steve Zywicki, and four original interns: Jack Melberg, Rory Cowart, Miranda Seitz, and Kit Wise.
The Pride Center’s original name was The LGBTQA Resource Center but changed its name to The Pride Center in 2014. The center’s initial focus was to provide a safe space for students to socialize and get educational tools. Once the need was known it took time for them to locate some space. They wanted a space that was visible to the students, they decided on a room that was an old storage closet. In the beginning, The Pride Center were two small rooms, an office, and a social room. The Pride Center started with no funding, they were all volunteering their time and eventually got a grant from an outside source.
Stacie Christian started in May 2011 in The Pride Center working 10hrs a week. The Pride Center now has Stacie Christian as a full time staff member/ director and now there are 14 interns.
Mai J. Lo Lee started the first Lavender Graduation at UWGB, which is a graduation that recognizes LGBTQ+ students that are graduating. The Pride Center has grown, there are now three rooms an office, a quiet room, and a social room. The Pride Center now serves roughly 80 students daily. The Pride Center has come a long way and will hopefully continue to grow.
By Sydney Vandenbusch
Sydney is a UW-Green Bay student with a major in Public Administration with an emphasis in Nonprofit and Emergency Management and a minor in Human Development and Political Science. Sydney is also a UW-Green Bay Pride Center Intern.
