TONY HOANG (he/him/his)

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Tony Hoang is the Executive Director of Silver State Equality and Equality California and a veteran of the LGBTQ+ equality movement.

The son of Vietnam War refugees and the first person in his family to attend college, Tony is a proud first-generation immigrant who grew up understanding the marginalized intersections of sexuality, gender, race and immigration status. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Tony moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California. During college, he interned with the Pacific Council on International Policy and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor before joining Equality California as a field intern in 2009, beginning his long career with the organization.

Tony went on to serve as Equality California’s Database and Volunteer Manager, Director of Operations, Chief of Staff and Managing Director prior to his selection as Executive Director-designate in 2021. During that time, Tony played a pivotal role in the passage of groundbreaking civil rights legislation in California, Nevada and Washington, DC, implementation of statewide public education campaigns and the election of hundreds of openly LGBTQ+ and pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot. Tony helped usher in a dramatic expansion of Equality California’s budget, staff, programming — especially the organization’s political work and efforts to advance racial justice — and growth to over 900,000 pro-equality members across the country.

Tony serves the City of Los Angeles as a Commissioner on the Innovation and Performance Commission. He also sits on the boards of Equality Federation, the national movement builder and strategic partner to state-based organizations advocating for LGBTQ people, and DTLA Proud. He is a member of the Center for Asian Americans United For Self Empowerment (CAUSE) Leadership Network and the Pacific Council on International Policy and serves as a mentor for the USC Lambda LGBT Alumni Mentoring Program.

Tony received a BA in International Relations at the University of Southern California with minors in Political Science and Natural Sciences. Tony is an avid concert-goer, cook, cyclist and traveler.

ANDRÉ C. WADE (he/him/his)

STATE DIRECTOR

André C. Wade is the State Director for Silver State Equality. In this role he leads legislative, policy, and government affairs work; fundraising, political and advocacy activities. He has worked in human services and advocacy for more than 25 years in a variety of public and non-profit contexts.

Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mr. Wade earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in English; and a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in nonprofit management, both from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Email Andre

Tom Temprano (HE/HIM/HIS)

Managing Director

Tom Temprano is the Managing Director at Equality California, where he serves as deputy to the Executive Director and oversees the organization’s day-to-day operations.

Tom joined Equality California in February 2022 as Political Director, leading the organization’s successful efforts during the 2022 election cycle. He later served as Managing Director of External Affairs for Equality California and Silver State Equality, where he oversaw political affairs, strategic communications and media relations, legislative advocacy at the state and federal levels, and impact litigation.

Based in San Francisco, Tom previously served as Chief of Staff to San Francisco District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. He was also an elected member of the San Francisco City College Board of Trustees for five years. In addition, Tom has held leadership roles in the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club—as President, Co-President, and PAC Chair—and served on the board of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center.

Tom received a BA in Political Science from San Francisco State University. He is a passionate basketball fan and enjoys exploring California with his Chihuahua mix Valerie.

Email Tom

Theresa Carlisle (she/her/hers)

Director of Human Resources and Administration

Theresa Carlisle (she/her/hers) is the Director of Human Resources Director and Administration for Equality California responsible for all human resource functional areas, including benefits administration, talent acquisition, and retention, compensation and performance appraisal, leadership development, and workforce culture.

Prior to joining Equality California, she was the US People and Culture Manager for Denmark-based Linkfire, Inc., a music industry technology company. Theresa has over twenty years of people and culture experience in the healthcare, behavioral health, and imaging industries. She graduated from Antioch University with a BA in Business Management.

Email Theresa

VALERIE PLOUMPIS (she/her/hers)

NATIONAL POLICY DIRECTOR

Valerie Ploumpis is national policy director for Silver State Equality and Equality California, based in Washington, D.C. She is a political expert with more than two decades of experience in issue-advocacy campaigns, grassroots education and mobilization, coalition building, lobbying and media outreach. She serves on the board of directors of OutRight International Action, a global LGBT civil rights organization, and the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s Campaign Board, a national PAC which endorses and supports LGBT political candidates and elected officials. Prior to joining Silver State Equality and Equality California, she was a principal at Burnside & Associates, where she managed political and mobilization campaigns. Prior to that, Ploumpis served as a legislative and policy advocate for several international trade organizations in Washington, D.C. She holds a BA in international relations from Mills College and an MA in international relations from Johns Hopkins University.

Email Valerie

Jorge Reyes Salinas(he/him/his)

Communications Director

Jorge Reyes Salinas (he/him/his) is the Communications Director for Equality California and Silver State Equality, based in Sacramento. He was born in Lima, Peru, and grew up in the San Fernando Valley. He is a graduate of Cal State Northridge, where he received a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies and Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. As a student at Cal State Northridge, he was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to serve on the CSU Board of Trustees. Jorge recently served as Senator Monique Limón’s Communications Director. Before that, he served as an Assembly Fellow in the office of Assemblymember Kevin Mullin and as a District Representative for Senate Majority Leader Bob Hertzberg.

Email Jorge

Joe Sangirardi (he/him/his)

Development Director

Joe (he/him/his) is the Development Director for Equality California and Silver State Equality, based in San Francisco. Joe is a professional nonprofit and political fundraiser with deep roots in the LGBTQ+ movement. He spent most of the last decade working at allied LGBTQ+ organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Joe will be joining Equality California from California YIMBY, California’s leading housing policy, research, and advocacy organization, where he serves as Development Director.

Email Joe