MEPSI BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Sarah Sowell - President
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I was born in the small town of Swansea, IL in December 1975. I have lived my entire life in the Metro East area and I'm proud to call it home. I am a mother of two children and consider them to be my best accomplishment in life. They embrace our family and support me completely. On June 1st, 2011, Civil Unions became legal in the state of Illinois. My partner, Heather and I were first in line at the courthouse. On July 16th, 2011, we proudly held our wedding at Paulo's at the Mansion in O'Fallon, IL.
My life of volunteering started at the age of 14. I was a junior volunteer for Memorial Hospital until the age of 18 and still hold the title of most volunteer hours worked in the history of the junior volunteer program at the hospital.
I have been in the Accounting and Office Management field for the past 10-years. Before that I was in Retail Management. I was one of the youngest managers for a mass retail company being named Co-Manager at just age of 18. Through my young adult years, I have spent time organizing fundraisers and benefits and led as my daughter's Girl Scout Troupe in 2007.
I am relatively new when it comes to involvement within the LGBT community, having come out in June of 2008. Although this was a difficult time in my life, it has brought me to where I am today. It inspired a passion and vision for a greater purpose.
I feel it is this passion and vision, along with my strong organizational and team leadership skills, that will guide me down this path of serving as MEPSI President.
Colin Murphy - Vice President
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Born in St. Louis and raised in the Metro East, Colin Murphy has been consistently involved in the Gateway City lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community since 1990. Colin attended Southwestern Illinois College and St. Louis University with a focus on English and Communications and has been a well-respected voice in LGBT media for over 20-years. He is presently Executive Editor/Senior Writer at Vital VOICE Omni-media.
Colin's op-ed, "1 Out of 10 Ain't Bad!" has been published in various forms since 1991 and is one of the longest running columns in St. Louis. In June 2011 he celebrated 10-years with Vital VOICE where he has written hundreds of stories on our area's prismatic LGBT community. Throughout his career, Colin has interviewed high profile politicians, celebrities and community leaders—but it is the remarkable stories of the quiet heroes who toil away for the betterment of our community which he enjoys telling best.
An avid gay history buff, Colin is a member of the St. Louis LGBT History Project and has collaborated with the St. Louis LGBT Archives at UMSL. He is a former Vice President of The Late Knights of Pythias; a member of the Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and Vital VOICE Advisory Board. He is presently Secretary of the Pride St. Louis Scholarship Committee and Secretary of The LGBT Center of St. Louis. In 2010 he was honored as a St. Louis Pride Parade Grand Marshal. He is the recipient of the 2010 Missouri Award and 2011 New Day Award, presented by The Miss Gay Missouri America Pageant.
In addition to Vital VOICE, Colin has written for The Show Me Guide, TWISL, Kolours, Missouri Pride and Slam! magazine. He currently lives in O'Fallon, Illinois with his husband Kurt.
John Kreisel - Secretary
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I was born in Sedalia, Missouri and grew up in a rural community about 15-miles from there. After high school and a brief stint at community college, I moved to Columbia to continue my education. Columbia was very different from where I had grown up and the change was very, very welcome. It was while at Columbia that two friends and co-workers who were from the Saint Louis region talked me into moving to the "big city”. In 1995, I moved from Columbia to Saint Louis, living in the South City area near Soulard, then in University City. I’ve lived in the Metro East since 1999, having first lived in Edwardsville, Maryville, and now Belleville, Illinois. I was drawn to Belleville because it has a lot of the charm that I remember growing up in Central Missouri.
I have worked for a major telecommunications provider since 1996, and have held numerous positions over the years. Currently, I am working in an HR Position. Job satisfaction is important to me, and I have been fortunate to have had a variety of job duties within the company for the last 14 years.
After serving as the Metro East Pride President for most of 2008, I took a hiatus, until rejoining the group in November 2010 as Secretary.
When I am not working, I spend my free time doing home improvements and gardening. I have a 1929 bungalow that is my pride and joy. I love to travel, and have a deep appreciation of local history wherever I may be. Reading is also a passion.
My personal mission for Metro East Pride is to help enlighten our Metro West neighbors of the beauty and charm that can be found in Southwestern Illinois.
Cindy Klocke - Treasurer
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I have a bachelors degree in Business Administration with a minor in Psychology. Nursing.
I have always wanted to donate my time to the LGBT community and finally have the opportunity to do so. I am excited to be involved with Metro East Pride of Southwestern Illinois and look forward to the challenges that we will face to make Metro East Pride of Southwestern Illinois a great success.