Brad Odom
President
bodom@pridehouston.org

Brad is a native Houstonian and graduate of the University of Houston. After spending the 12 years working in the software industry, Brad joined up with his brother to open Salud! Winery in Montrose. He has been a supporter of Pride through the Friends of Pride program over the past five years. Brad is a Federal Club member of the Human Rights Campaign and a supporter of many community organizations and events. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 2005.

Albert Garcia
Vice President
agarcia@pridehouston.org

Albert is originally from California but, having tired of the endless sunny, 75 degree days by the beach, left San Diego in 2003 to come bask in Houston's glorious weather. Albert is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and is a commercial property developer. A member of the California and Texas State Bars, he also practices real estate law with Shell Oil. Albert was elected to the Board of Directors in 2006 and proudly serves as Vice President.

Sean Carter
Treasurer
scarter@pridehouston.org

A graduate of Louisiana State University, Sean Carter has been an active leader within the GLBT Community since coming out in 1992. He became the first community-wide elected Male Grand Marshal of the Pride Parade in 1999, as well as being the youngest Grand Marshal in the history of the parade. He is the Founder of the Imperial Court of Houston, Inc. [ICOH] – The Space City Empire and created the Lexy Bowen Community Fund as well as the Mary Margaret and Dylan Carter GLBT Youth Scholarship.

Over the years Sean has been active in numerous Houston charitable organizations including the boards of the Houston Area Teen Coalition of Homosexuals [H.A.T.C.H.] and the Houston Lesbian and Gay Community Center,  Colt 45’s, Gulf Coast Archive and Museum, Rainbow Ranglers, RSICSS, Texas Gay Rodeo Association, and the Montrose Softball League.  A lifetime member of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus; Sean served as the youngest elected President during its 25th anniversary year.

Sean’s current community involvement includes The Executive and Professional Association of Houston (E.P.A.H.), and Board Secretary of the Greater Houston Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of Leadership Houston Class XIX as well as a graduate the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Training Institute.

Sean was named “ Houston’s Best Fund Raiser” in the Texas Triangle Round-Up Awards as well as “ Houston’s Most Valuable Volunteer” in Outsmart Magazine’s Gayest and Greatest Awards. He was the first recipient of the Barry Petree Community Commitment Award and was inducted into the Houston GLBT Hall in Fame 2003. Sean has won numerous contest /royalty titles as well, and after winning the title of Mr. Gay Houston in 1998, he became the first Houston man to win the title of Mr. Gay Texas All-American.

His activities have been as outlandish as performing in the Off-Broadway musical Naked Boys Singing and as down-to-Earth as volunteering as a counselor every year with AIDS Foundation Camp Hope (a week-long summer camp program for children with HIV).

Sean has worked in non-profit development for 13 years and is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals as well as the National Council on Planned Giving. He and his husband Jeff have 2 “kids,” their dogs: Mahal and Dakota.

Mike Gonzalez
Secretary
mgonzalez@pridehouston.org

Mike hails from the most Southeastern point of Texas, known as Port Arthur. He is a 1984 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School and received his Bachelor’s Degree in General Studies from Lamar University Beaumont. At the ripe young age of 18, Mike joined the US Air Force traveling to the tropical island of Iceland for his first year assignment. After defrosting, Mike spent the following seven years in Colorado Springs, Colorado working for NORAD and Space Command at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base while his ninth and final year in the military was spent at Ellington AFB in Houston.

Following his pre-“don’t ask don’t tell” military experience, Mike opened a night club in Beaumont called Roper’s and later The Zone, where he learned the true meaning of customer service. Following his mark on the entertainment scene in down town Beaumont, Mike went to work over the next nine years as a manager, supervisor, and educator for various substance abuse testing and industrial medical facilities. Also during this time, Mike started a real estate investment company called LandCorp Investments, Inc.

After departing the drug and alcohol testing business, Mike decided to return to graduate school where he earned his Juris Doctor Degree from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2005. Since graduating, Mike has worked for the Law Offices of Peggy S. Bittick in Pearland, as an associate attorney practicing in the areas of consumer, employment, family, probate, estate planning, and real estate law. Mike is a member of the Texas State Bar and licensed to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. His professional affiliations include Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program (HVLP), Stonewall Law Association of Greater Houston (SLAGH), and the Texas Bar Association.

When Mike is not working, seldom as it may be, he enjoys spending his time with his partner of 13 years, Wesley Karnes, and their teenage daughter, April Gonzalez. For recreation, Mike plays softball on the Legal Eagles team for the Montrose Softball League and also enjoys bowling, horse shoes, playing guitar, scary-karaoke, boating, and chaotic family gatherings.

Nicolas J. Brines
Board Member
nbrines@pridehouston.org

Nick enters his fourteenth year with Pride Houston during this 2008 season. He has volunteered for the last twelve years with the organization, overseeing corporate relations, fundraising and sponsorships. Nick began attending Houston's Pride Parade during his college years and he has not missed one in Houston since 1989. In 1994, he turned to his friends as the last float passed by the parade route and remarked, "I wonder who puts on this event each year, anyway?" Later that year, he answered an advertisement in the Houston Voice seeking volunteers to join Pride Houston. He quickly fell in love with the organization's mission and purpose and became very active. He has held many leadership positions over the years, including serving as President during the 2003- 2006 seasons.

Nick's professional background is in building corporate relationships for non-profit organizations. He and his husband of seven years, Greg Decker, are the owners of Azur Salon on Shepherd Drive in Houston. They are the proud parents of two cute kittens, Frankie and Iggy.