Maria Fernanda Bernal is a storyteller, researcher, and community builder bridging communication, culture, and social impact. An alum of San José State University and UC Berkeley, she reports for a number of Bay Area print and radio outlets. She also served as Event Chair for the National Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists (NLGJA).[1]  A former student and mentee of Kevin Roe, Maria Fernanda is honored to serve on the inaugural Advisory Group for the Kevin Roe Legacy Fund and contribute to its scholarship and award initiatives.

Jasmine Betka is a lecturer in Health Sciences at California State University Channel Islands and in Public Health at San José State University. A proud San José State alumna, she was one of the original members of the organization Kevin founded, Queer Public Health and Recreation, where she developed, analyzed, and authored a faculty and student LGBTQ+ department climate assessment. Previously, she served as the health intervention specialist at Moorpark College, where she aimed to advance health equity initiatives and led several LGBTQ+ student programs, including a district-wide Lavender Graduation, the design and opening of a Pride Center, and a campus-wide National Coming Out Day celebration. In her personal life, Jasmine enjoys spending time with family, especially her wife and new baby. 

Jean Breny is Professor of the Department of Public Health at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Connecticut. She received her PhD in Public Health/Health Behavior from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her public health research and practice aim to achieve health equity through an antiracism lens; using Photovoice research and CBPR. Jean is an Affiliated Scientist in the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale University. She was a Fulbright Specialist in Global/Public Health in Izmir, Turkey and is Past President of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). Her co-authored book, Photovoice for Social Justice: Visual Representation in Action, was published in 2021. For more than 20 years, Jean and Kevin shared passion for photovoice, student success, social justice, and fun.

Shelley Facente is a public health consultant, sociologist, and epidemiologist with over a decade of experience working with government agencies and community-based non-profits. She and Kevin met over 20 years ago while working in HIV prevention in San Francisco and were close friends ever since.  After years helping to coordinate SF’s  community-based HIV testing, in 2009 she started Facente Consulting, which has since grown into a firm of 8 people devoted to improving the health of communities most neglected and harmed by current and historical systems. Shelley is also an adjunct professor in the Community Health Division at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-founder and Board Chair of Springboard HealthLab, a 501(c)(3) designed as a public health “incubator” for big ideas that aim to improve health equity across communities.  Shelley received her BA in Sociology from Ithaca College, her MPH in Health and Social Behavior and PhD in Epidemiology from UC Berkeley. Shelley is the author of What in the Health?! on Substack.

Mary Cheryl Bravo Gloner has devoted her life’s work to advancing health equity, social justice, and community well-being across the region for more than five decades. She was born, raised, educated, and employed in Santa Clara County.  A proud San José State University MPH alumna and adjunct lecturer in the Department of Public Health and Recreation, she also earned an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Mary enjoyed a long professional relationship with Kevin through SJSU and the Society for Public Health Education. Her career spans leadership across nonprofit, public, and academic sectors, where she has built coalitions, influenced policy, and strengthened community capacity. Recognized by Stanford Medicine, San José State University, the Silicon Valley Business Journal, and the Filipina Women’s Network for her leadership, Mary is guided by her Filipino family values, American idealism, and belief to always “start with the community first.”

Quin Hussey is a graduate of the San José State University MPH program, where they provided seminal leadership to the Health Science Department’s sexual diversity and inclusion commitments. Quin and Kevin collaborated over the years to sustain these commitments and infuse them in other organizations and initiatives. Quin has over 23 years of progressive leadership experience within the University of California, including serving as the Assistant Dean for Students at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, and Director of the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative. They currently serve as the Assistant Vice Provost for Graduate Studies/Chief of Staff (AVP/CoS) at the University of California at Berkeley.

As a proud San José State University alumnus and longtime queer advocate, Mike Kemmerrer is honored to support the Kevin Roe Legacy Fund. He spent his college years focused on HIV/AIDS activism and education, driven by a lifelong passion for social justice and community support. Today, he brings both that dedicated perspective and professional acumen as the owner of an IT managed services consultancy to the Legacy Fund Advisory board. In his words: “I am committed to helping this fund award meaningful scholarships and support queer programming at SJSU that Kevin would be proud of.” Mike is a San Francisco Bay Area native, living and working in Santa Clara County for over 35 years. He graduated SJSU with a Bachelors in Health Science and a minor in Sociology, ‘97.

Ed Mamary has over 45 years of experience in public health, with a focus on HIV prevention and care, evaluation, and community-based health initiatives. Most recently, he served as Professor and Director of the MPH Program at San José State University, and now holds the title of Professor Emeritus while enjoying retirement through volunteering, hiking, traveling, and learning Italian. He says “it is a personal honor to serve on this Advisory Group, as the scholarship commemorates Kevin Roe, my former student, collaborative colleague, and dear friend—whose passion for public health continues to inspire.” Ed is committed to supporting the next generation of LGBTQ leaders dedicated to advancing health equity and social justice in our field.

Maribel Martínez (no pronouns/use name) is a Queer Chicanx of P'urhépecha heritage,  brainiac, storyteller, and dream warrior from East San José, CA. Maribel shapeshifts between public policy, higher education, and the arts. Maribel performs and writes short stories, poems, plays, napkin memoirs, and may even sing you a Mexican bolero or ranchera. Maribel is a member of Macondo Writer's workshop, Califas en Comunidad writer’s group, Primeras Paginas playwright’s circle, Latinx Theatre Commons, The Multicultural  Arts  Leadership  Institute  (MALI) Silicon Valley, and was a founding member of La Peña’s Hybrid Performance Experiment Ensemble and The Queeceañera Project SJ. Maribel’s short play Out for Finals was part of the San Jose City College inaugural playwrights festival in 2024. Maribel has a BA in Political Science (minor, Sociology), an MA in Applied Anthropology, both from SJSU, and multiple certificates in Public Policy. Maribel was the founding manager of San José State University Cesar E. Chavez Community Action Center, and the founding manager of the County of Santa Clara Office of LGBTQ Affairs, the first office of its kind in the United States.  Maribel now works as part of the leadership of the Division of Equity and Social Justice for the County of Santa Clara.

Robert Rinck  is the Fieldwork Coordinator for the MPH Program at San Jose State University (SJSU) and Chapter President of the Northern California Society of Public Health Education Chapter (NC-SOPHE). He and Kevin worked together for many years across many roles and projects in the Department of Public Health and Recreation, and public health professional organizations.  Robert co-wrote and received a SOPHE mini-grant on “Clearing the Air,” which successfully worked towards making SJSU a tobacco-free campus. Robert was the advisor to the COUGH@SJSU club, which spearheaded the tobacco-free initiative, and won the Outstanding Service Program Club for SJSU campus in 2018.

Amor Santiago began his career in podiatric medicine and surgery.  Following years in clinical practice, he received an MPH from San José State University. His first public health work was in HIV prevention in Santa Clara County. He went on to lead nonprofit health and social services organizations in primary care, mental health, and family support in Santa Clara County and San Francisco. He was a colleague of Kevin Roe, and recently retired as a Lecturer in Health Administration at SJSU. He is currently Director of Development & Evaluation at Sacred Heart Community Service, an anti-poverty organization, serving Santa Clara County.

Bonnie Sugiyama is the director of the San José State University PRIDE Center and the Gender Equity Center. They have worked on social justice issues as a student and a professional at several CSU campuses over the past 25 years. In the community, Bonnie serves on the Board of Advisors of Adolescent Counseling Services; is a board member of BAYMEC, an LGBTQ+ PAC; and a board member of the Giants Community Fund, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit of the San Francisco Giants. They also previously served on the national board of the Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals as the People of Color Co-Chair. Bonnie holds a B.S. in Management Information Systems and a M.A. in Educational Technology from California State University, Sacramento.