Board of Directors
Shannon Johns (she/her)
Board President | Co-Founder
Shannon is the married mother of four children, three of which she birthed and one that she was blessed with through my marriage. Shannon married her husband almost 20 years ago and has been living in Dutchess County since 1994. She is a graduate of Beacon High School and Dutchess BOCES and got her associates degree in nursing from Dutchess Community College in 2018 and received her BSN in 2020. She has been a nurse for the past 26 years and has the strong desire to help others find comfort in this life. She plans to continue her journey towards helping others by furthering her education to earn a degree as a Nurse Practitioner
Shannon helped to co-found Dutchess County Pride Center to solve a problem for her son, who is transgender and pansexual, as well as herself, as they went through his transition journey together. Dutchess Pride also gave her daughter the confidence to come out as bisexual last year. It is her strongest wish that members of the local LGBTQ+ community have this safe space to come together as a family, to feel safe and welcome regardless of gender identity or expression and sexuality, and for allies to show love and support to their LGBTQ+ loved ones.
Jason Baker (he/him)
Treasurer
Jason is a lifelong City of Poughkeepsie resident dedicated to advancing queer equity through his work with Dutchess Pride and his day job working for Hudson Valley Credit Union. He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from SUNY New Paltz in 2021, which aides him in his role as Treasurer.
Jason has worked on such previous events as March For Our Lives Hudson Valley, Dutchess Pride’s Poughkeepsie Pride Parade Parade before joining the board, and coordinating several community events when attending Dutchess Community College in his role as President of the campus’ Pride Alliance Club.
Jason currently resides in Poughkeepsie with his fiance, Luke, and his adorable cat, Scratchy.
Melissa Marino (she/her)
Secretary
Melissa is a Licensed Mental Health counselor in New York, and has worked in the field for over seventeen years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology and Mental Health Counseling from Iona College and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Manhattanville College. She began her career in mental health counseling working with adult survivors of abuse and neglect. This trauma-sensitive model of services eventually led to her working adults diagnosed with serious mental health conditions, and then with the LGBTQ+ community providing gender-affirming care, connection to resources, and family support and advocacy for youth and adults. She is a published author, having previously published articles on trauma-informed care and LGBTQ+ awareness as well as several novels, combining both her knowledge of mental health and creative writing.