Meet Our Team

Board of Directors

Cece, President

Cece (they/them) first became involved with the BRC in 2021, designing graphics for Bi+ Health Awareness Month around the theme of Equity. They work in the social justice nonprofit space, advancing civil rights campaigns and issues that center justice and equity, and helping foster greater social acceptance and advance legal protections for non-monogamous people and families. When they’re not working, Cece enjoys traveling and connecting with queer communities across the globe, petting cats in different countries, photography, video games, and eating good food with good friends.

Noël S., Vice President

Noël (they/she) is a passionate social worker and advocate dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ youth. They’ve been part of the BRC board since 2020 where they now serve as Vice President. With experience in youth programming, clinical supervision, and political advocacy, Noël sspecializes in mental health and LGBTQ+ advocacy. Outside of work, they love reading, watching horror movies, going to concerts, and spending time with their cat and partner.

Garrett Katz, Treasurer

Garrett (they/them) joined the BRC in 2022. Joining the BRC for them was an opportunity to be more active in the bi+ community and to contribute time and energy to furthering the BRC towards our vision of an empowered, visible, and inclusive community for bi+ people. Outside the BRC, Garrett works as the Director of Executive Search at Work Renewed, a talent and team management solutions firm for social impact and community-focused organizations. Their favorite hobbies include cooking new recipes, playing board games, and spending time with their cat, Zora.

Brooke Lindley, Clerk

Brooke Lindley has been part of the BRC since 2018. She is primarily responsible for email correspondences, sharing and building resources. Outside of the BRC, Brooke resides in Michigan and works in Nonprofit Organization leadership as well as, operates a small business. In 2021, Brooke was featured in the New York Times: The ‘Double Closet’: Why Some Bisexual People Struggle With Mental Health. Hobbies include streaming video games on Twitch, writing, playing ukulele and being a proud dog mom!

Jessica Haggett Silverman

Jessica, “Belle” to her friends, is a nonprofit professional passionate about leaving her communities better than she found them. Her career started in ecology, where she discovered her love for categorizing invertebrates. She has developed expertise in a broad range of nonprofit management at a variety of organizations, both big and small. She loves creepy crawlies, food, and music, and lives with her partner and her dog, Rosie. She loves hearing stories about how the BRC has impacted the bi+ community that has nourished her her whole life, and contributing her nonprofit know-how.

Jade Johnson-Brown

Jade is a jane of all trades—working in brand strategy, development, social media, & programming.  Intent on expanding the BRC’s reach to the BIPOC community, she sits on the DEIJB & Communications committees respectively. In addition to BRC, Jade is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and also holds the position of NAACP-Akron Chapter LGBTQ+ subcommittee Co-Chairperson. The things she loves are as follows: film, beauty, champagne, cooking, and spending time with her wife and Shiba Inus, Raekwon, and Shaolin.
 

John Lapsley

John (he/him) is a nonprofit accountant and freelance illustrator who takes pride in helping nonprofits devote fewer resources to operations and more resources to their mission. He joined the BRC board in 2025 and is excited to support efforts to increase bi+ community visibility, mutual support and health outcomes. Away from laptops, John enjoys DIY publication, pinball, and listening to music with his partner & their poorly-behaved cat.

 

Christopher McKenzie

Christopher is a filmmaker, photographer, and lecturer in Film and Television at Boston University and Emerson College. After a lifetime of quiet bisexuality, he found in the Bisexual Resource Center an organization that he would have given anything to know about while growing up in Oklahoma. He joined the board in 2021 because he believes deeply in the BRC’s mission of building community and supporting bi+ individuals everywhere. As you might guess, he enjoys consuming media, but also loves road trips and playing his mandolin. Christopher uses the he series of pronouns and is a proud member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma.

Bailey Merlin

Bailey (she/her) is the author of A Lot of People Live in This House, the co-host of the podcast Bisexual Killjoy, the founder of the growing global phenomenon Bi+ Book Gang, and a dedicated bi+ activist. She holds an MFA in fiction from Butler University and an SM in Media, Medicine, and Health from Harvard Medical School. Her writing and activism investigate the intersection of community and health, especially as it pertains to bi+ populations. When her Google Calendar allows, she loves to play video games and plan parties.

Helen Parshall

A self-described “professional bisexual,” Helen Parshall serves as the Digital Director at Lambda Legal. She is an avid writer and passionate social justice advocate, who uses digital media to bring visibility to marginalized communities. Before joining the team at Lambda Legal, Helen worked at AIDS United and the Human Rights Campaign, telling stories at the nexus of HIV, racial justice, transgender justice and bisexual visibility within the broader LGBTQ movement. From covering stories about the broken criminal justice system in Baltimore City to rebuilding homes for LGBTQ elders in Puerto Rico, Helen has always been driven by a desire to uplift others in the hopes of creating a better, more just world. She is a graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, holding a master’s in journalism degree with a focus in multi-platform journalism. In her free time, Helen can be found reading a book or watching Doctor Who curled up with her dog, Pippin.

Sara Schmieder

Sara (she/her) joined the BRC as a volunteer in 2023 to assist with social media content creation and joined the board in 2025. She has been involved in bi+ research since 2018, when she started her undergraduate research thesis on biphobia and aphobia on Tumblr at The College of William and Mary, ultimately leading to her master’s degree in the same subject from Brandeis University. Sara presented her research at the International Bisexuality+ Research Conference in 2022 and 2024. When she isn’t making graphics or writing copy for the BRC, Sara can be found at the local independent non-profit art house cinema, an independent bookstore, knitting on her couch, or at a basement punk show.