Staff
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Jack Tynan MacCarthy
Communications Director
Jack Tynan MacCarthy (he/they) is the communications director of OUTWORDS, where he oversees marketing, events, partnerships, and serves as a co-host and producer of OUTWORDS’ Queering Precedent podcast. Jack is also an award-winning writer, an intimacy coordinator, performer, parent, and former life coach. The New York Times has called Jack’s work “a lot of fun,” and Kate Bornstein called it “brilliant.” -
Nix Mendy
Digital Archivist
Nix Mendy (they/them) graduated from Simmons' Archives Management program (2020) and contributed to OUTWORDS' website optimization group before joining the team as a Digital Archivist in 2021. They conduct oral histories, collect + manage digital photographs, and make interviews accessible + discoverable on the website. They led the Content Advisory Task Force, co-founded the Content Advisory Initiative, and continue to support programming, grants, internships, and web design. -
Amara Norman
Operations/Communications Manager
Amara Norman (she/they) uses her degrees in History and Critical Gender Studies to bridge the gap between her skills and interests, applying her love of poetry, filmmaking, pop culture and artifacts to the complex process of managing post-production materials and publishing OUTWORDS interviews for the world to see. They carry out daily administrative supervision, as well as management of production materials and communication initiatives to ensure the highest quality of all OUTWORDS interviews. -
Astra Price
Editorial Director
Astra Price (she/her) is the editorial director at OUTWORDS, where she brings the stories of OUTWORDS interviewees to a broader audience by crafting smaller glimpses into their lives, formatted for contemporary media platforms. A moving image specialist, Astra spent numerous years as faculty at California Institute of the Arts and as an archivist and post-production facilitator for artists such as Bill Viola and Janie Geiser. -
Juan Raymundo Ramos
Production Manager
Juan Raymundo Ramos (he/him) holds a B.A. in Cinema and Television Arts from CSUN and serves as production manager at OUTWORDS, where he leads in-person and remote interviews, live event photography & videography, video editing, and asset management. He is a Co-founder of production company Howling Gale Entertainment, Head of Media at FilAmCreative, and a passionate advocate for inclusive storytelling centering underrepresented communities, including Filipino-American and LGBTQIA2S+ voices. -
Sam Sermeño
Digital Archivist
Sam Sermeno (they/elle/she) is a first-generation librarian, archivist, educator, and creative. Their librarian-archivist work centers a love for People's History, LGBTTQIA+ communities, oral histories, community archives, decolonial-liberation movements, and cultural preservation. Initially inspired by scholarship around ACT UP’s oral histories, Sam joined OUTWORDS in 2022. As one of two archivists on staff, they collaborate widely, including helping create OUTWORDS’ content advisory and internship programs and conducting oral history interviews. -
Beth Shipp
Executive Director
Beth Shipp (she/her) is the executive director of OUTWORDS, where she leads the organization’s strategic vision, operations, and partnerships as it enters its second decade. A seasoned nonprofit executive, Beth brings more than two decades of experience guiding mission-driven organizations through growth, transition, and impact at scale. Her work has spanned climate justice, care advocacy, reproductive rights, and LGBTQIA+ political representation, with a focus on building strong teams, aligning strategy and operations, and centering equity in organizational culture. Beth holds a deep belief in the power of stories to connect, ground, and move us toward a more just future. -
Mason Funk
Founder / Story Gatherer Emeritus
Mason Funk (he/him) founded OUTWORDS in 2016 and led the organization through its first decade, personally gathering some 200 of OUTWORDS' 400 interviews with remarkable LGBTQ+ elders across the U.S. In 2026, Mason gratefully entrusted OUTWORDS' leadership to new executive director Beth Shipp. Mason continues to serve as an OUTWORDS ambassador while exploring new leadership and speaking opportunities, and enjoying a slightly mellower lifestyle alongside his cherished husband Jay Edwards in Palm Springs, California.
Board of Directors
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Scott Galea
Board Chair
Scott Galea is an experienced technology leader with a passion for helping others connect with and support their best ideas. Scott is a frequent mentor and speaker at start-up events, focusing on aiding go-to-market plans. He is delighted to bring this experience to support OUTWORDS' budget and advancement initiatives. -
Jennifer Dawson
Board Treasurer
Jennifer Dawson is the founder and CEO of Pallas Care, which helps seniors age at home while maintaining dignity and independence. Previous to her pivot to entrepreneurship, Jennifer had a 16-year career in nonprofit fundraising. She has raised tens of millions of dollars for important causes. In 2023, Jennifer received a Masters in Social Entrepreneurship from USC's Marshall School of Business, as well as a Certificate in Gerontology at Pasadena City College. -
Marsha Botzer
Board Director
Marsha Botzer has served the LGBTQIA+ and progressive communities for over 45 years. She has served on boards of Pride Foundation, Seattle Counseling Service, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, Ingersoll Gender Center, The National LGBTQ Task Force, and others. She currently serves on the Martin Luther King County Labor Council Executive Board and is a founding member of the Washington State LGBTQIA+ Commission. -
Odell Mays II
Board Director
Odell Mays II is the founder and Principal of Mays2 Consulting LLC. With over 30 years of management experience in nonprofits and board leadership, he's served on the board of Gay Men’s Health Crisis, as treasurer of the NYC LGBTQ Community Services Center, and treasurer of the Proteus Fund. Odell has been instrumental in education for many years, at the Leadership Fellows at the Trust Program, New York University and Columbia University School of Professional Studies, and the Columbia University School of Social Work. He is also a Founding board member of the American LGBTQ+ Museum, scheduled to open in NYC in 2028. Odell received his B.A. from Stanford University in Psychology and his M.B.A in from NYU's Stern School of Business. Outside of the office, Odell is passionate about the arts, in particular dance. He is an avid reader and enjoys power walking and yoga. -
Idit Klein
Board Director
Idit Klein (she/her) is a national leader for social change with more than 30 years of experience in the non-profit justice sector. She serves as Vice President for Public Engagement of the New Israel Fund. From 2001 to 2025, she was the founding CEO of Keshet, which she built from a small Boston organization into a national force with offices in six states. Prior to Keshet, Idit worked in the Israeli-Palestinian peace movement and LGBTQ+ sector in Israel, helping envision the Jerusalem Open House. A graduate of Yale University, she holds a Master’s in Education from UMass Amherst. The granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Idit’s justice work is rooted in resilience and hope. -
Fred Dillon
Board Director
Fred Dillon is a seasoned public health advocate and social sector leader with over two decades of experience in strategy, intervention development, advocacy, and coalition-building. Currently, he serves as the Director of Partnerships and Strategy at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, where he spearheads initiatives to expand and accelerate the school’s social impact. Previously he served as Senior Director of Innovation & Strategy at Hopelab and as the Public Policy and Communications Director for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
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Alex B. Perez
Board Director
Alex B. Perez is an attorney with a private criminal defense practice in Southern California, Law Offices of Perez & Perez. He attended Stanford University, earning a bachelors degree in Political Science and a masters degree in Sociology, before graduating from USC Law School in 1994. -
Jovan Wolf
Board Director
Jovan Wolf is an innovative and passionate advocate for the TGI community, seamlessly blending roles as a DEI&B (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Consultant, business owner, fashion designer, and herbalist. Drawing from a multi-racial, Black and Filipino background, as well as being a veteran for the US Army, Jovan identifies as Trans and Gender Non-Conforming, utilizing their passion for art, advocacy, and media to uplift the TGI community. -
Richard Tate
Board Chair Emeritus
Richard Tate is CEO at The California Wellness Foundation. He served as OUTWORDS Board Chair from 2017-2022.
Production Team
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Betsy Kalin
Senior Producer
Betsy Kalin (she/her) is an Emmy-nominated director/producer/writer at Itchy Bee Productions. Her films ‘Vision 2030: Future of SoCal,’ ‘East LA Interchange,’ ‘Roof,’ ‘Chained!,’ and ‘Hearts Cracked Open’ have been honored with multiple awards. She is currently in development with the feature documentaries ‘Dreaming in Somali’ and ‘Phoenix: The Life and Death of Alice Herz.’ -
Oladele “Sogo” Oluwasogo
Transcription Reviewer
Nigeria-born Oladele “Sogo” Oluwasogo (he/him) is a writer and documentary photographer who believes passionately in the power of the pen and the importance of enabling people to tell their own life stories. He is currently working on a photography project called ‘Identity’. -
Kate Kunath
Producer / Interviewer / Director of Photography
Kate Kunath is an Emmy Award winning Director and Executive Producer/ Showrunner known for her documentary, non-fiction and branded works. In 2018, Kunath won a Primetime Emmy for directing and executive producing Anthony Bourdain's Explore Parts Unknown: Little Los Angeles. Her first feature length doc We Came To Sweat premiered at OUTFEST/NEWFEST. Kate loves an adventure—near, far or virtual. -
Michelle McCabe
Director of Photography
After beginning her career in the world of fashion, celebrity, and lifestyle still photography, Michelle McCabe has been a cinematographer for more than 15 years. Her documentary work has taken her to China, Afghanistan, Tanzania, Malaysia, Ukraine, Cuba, Brasil, and countless other locations.
