Alex Ash (They/Ille/ Iel)
President
Alex is a passionate believer in community, grassroots movements for change, building connections, and the power of learning. Originally from London, UK, they have called Saint John home for four years. Alex is currently a coach at the Saint John Learning Exchange, a non-profit organization that strives to empower people to reach their education and employment goals. Alex strives to collaborate in all areas of their life and is driven by a desire to create safe space for all members of their community.
Katie Herrington (She/Her/Elle)
Vice-President
Katie is a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community who was born and raised a settler on the unceded territory of the Wolastoqey in Menahkwesk (Saint John). She is currently the Neighbourhood Developer based out of the Nick Nicolle Centre in the North End of Saint John. She is passionate about many issues including Indigenous rights and fostering and developing accessible and livable communities.
Mark T. Vickers (He/Him/Il)
Secretary
Mark is a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. He is originally from Nova Scotia, and he moved to Saint John in 2018 to start his career as a Psychologist. Mark’s professional experience is at the intersection of the mental health and addictions and education systems, where he, as one part of his many responsibilities, advocates for trauma-informed and inclusive, equitable spaces and provides affirming care for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth. He also has experience in community development and programming, research and statistics, and communications. In his free time, he can be found attending and supporting theatre and community events, travelling, reading, spending time with family and friends, and taking care of his kitten, Miles.
Zara BoKay (She/They/Elle/Iel)
Treasurer
Zara was born in Saint John but never planned on staying; Now she’s been back for 7 years and can’t stop getting other people to move here. A queer femme, they currently work as a Business Consultant locally and customer success manager in the start up space. A parent, Zara is committed to building inclusive community for this and the next generation. In their spare (ha) time, you can find Zara outside, in the water, eating really good food, or at home with her chosen family
Kieran Pridgeon (They/He/Iel/Il)
Board Member
Kieran Pridgeon, originally born in BC, is the founder and secretary of Chroma. After obtaining a Masters degree in English Literature in Scotland and publishing poetry in various zines and journals, they moved back to Saint John and into the non-profit sector. Discovering their passion and love for Saint John and their own identity as nonbinary, and seeing the lack of support and resources for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, they founded Chroma in hopes of filling those gaps.
Cassandra McLaughlin (They/Them)
Board Member
Cassandra, also “Cass” or “North East Moon”, is a Saint John born multidisciplinary artist. They are a “boots on the ground” type of person with previous experience in the city and the community with hosting events and gatherings.
Manny Travers (He/Him/Il)
Board Member
Manny is a bilingual, queer artist from Fredericton, New Brunswick. As a recent graduate from Mount Allison University, he has a background in fine arts, visual communications,
and contemporary arts & culture management. In high school, Manny helped advocate
for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community through various outreach initiatives, such as fundraisers
for local support groups, informative activities within his own school, and visited other
francophone institutions to lead educational presentations. Beyond his artistic
endeavours nowadays, Manny looks forward to connecting with the supportive
community that Chroma has fostered and hopes to help further grow its roots in the city
of Saint John.
Chelsie Nightingale (She/Her)
Board Member
Chelsie is passionate about seeing our region flourish; and believes that building capacity in non-profit sector is the solution to addressing gaps and challenges faced by our communities. Through work in the Sussex community, Chelse has lived experience in trying to positively impact the region and make it more inclusive and equitable. She would like to grow with Chroma to help impact our region and community as a whole.
Raunak Bagga (He/Him/Il)
Board Member
Originally from central India, Raunak moved to Saint John in 2018 for his education and career. His professional background is in Marketing and Communications, where he loves to find solutions to everyday problems through technology, creativity, and simplicity. He is passionate about giving a voice to marginalized groups, reducing ignorance, and ensuring the representation of minority groups. Raunak also believes in supporting everyone with kindness and compassion.