Our organization is overseen by an all-volunteer board. Together they coordinate all branches of Geeks OUT across the country.

Nic Gitau

President

They / She

Long a fan of Geeks OUT’s work, Nic began volunteering with the organization in 2012. Since then they have served as Blog Editor, Vice President and, beginning in 2018, President. As a librarian and tech researcher, she counts Barbara Gordon and Jenny Calendar among her fandom inspirations.

Kevin Gilligan

Vice-President

He / Him

Kevin is a bisexual comic book lover, who has found strength in his queer geek identity through his work with Geeks OUT. He chairs the Conventions Committee, bringing a safe space and visible queer presence to conventions around the country. When he isn’t volunteering time to make geek culture more welcoming to the queer community, he spend his time acting, writing, and producing.

Steve Gianaca

Secretary

He / Him

Steve joined Geeks OUT in 2015, previously serving as the Creative Lead, webmaster and Flame Con Committee Chair. Outside of Geeks OUT, Steve has worked as a designer for major TV networks, Creative Director for several national publications, and marketing designer for a Fortune 500 tech company.

Phoebe Ellman

She / Her

Phoebe discovered Geeks OUT and Flame Con in 2018 as an attendee and hasn’t looked back since. She is thrilled to be part of this work of making vibrant queer nerdy spaces. By day Phoebe works as a museum educator, but in her free time she enjoys getting lost in sci-fi and fantasy books, writing, and dressing up in medieval armor to fight in full-contact armored combat events (it’s a real sport, I promise!).

Leslee Friedman

She / Her

Leslee got her first taste of queer advocacy in 1992 at the age of eleven, and has been hooked ever since. Happily dwelling in a variety of fandoms since she stumbled upon online fandom in 1998, joining the board of Geeks OUT feels like bringing together two of the most central elements in her life, while getting the privilege of working with other people who are as enthusiastic as she is. When not being a semi-professional queer person and/or geek, Leslee practices trademark law, spends time at shul, attends theater, and smooshes her dog’s and rabbits’ faces.

Rachel Greeman

She / Her

Rachel joined Geeks OUT as an intern in 2014. From 2015 to 2022, she proudly served as the Secretary of the Board. She helps manage Cosplay related programming for Flame Con, which is her favorite convention on the entire planet (probably the entire universe). Her favorites include Amaya x Zari, Captain America, and True Blood (maybe).

Mike Moon

He / Him

Mike discovered a love of nerdy things when his parents first introduced him to Star Trek at the age of 6. Over the years his love of geekery and seeking out fellow queer geeks brought him to the Geeks Out podcast. He listened for a few years before deciding to find a way to get involved. Mike serves as the Marketing chair for Geeks Out and Flame Con.

Sara

She / Her

In 2020 Sara joined Geeks OUT as a Programming Coordinator and is now the Panels Lead for both Geeks OUT and Flame Con. Before joining Geeks OUT, Sara volunteered and presented at Flame Con as a panelist. She is passionate about amplifying and uplifting queer voices through educational public speaking–hence why she’s so involved in programming! Outside of Geeks OUT, Sara is a high school choir and theatre teacher, yogi, anime nerd, and avid reader of fanfiction.