Executive Director - Michelle Simmons
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After Carol Reisinger stepped down from the position, Michelle Simmons became Executive Director of Common Roads from 2006 – 2008. Goals that she brought to the position included: creating leadership and community service opportunities for the youth in the group, partnering with other organizations to reach others outside of Harrisburg, and expanding the educational opportunities through a local LGBTQ+ youth conference. Towards the end of her time as Executive Director, Michelle also proposed the group merge with the LGBT Center Coalition of Central PA.
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Michelle Simmons headshot, Dickinson College, circa 2012. Courtesy of Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections.
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Michelle talking about creating community service opportunities for youth
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Michelle talking about educational and leadership opportunities for youth
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Leadership and Community Outreach Opportunities
Common Roads Booth at Central PA PrideFest, circa 2006. Courtesy of LGBT-021, DCA
Common Roads Float at Central PA PrideFest, circa 2006. Courtesy of LGBT-021, DCA.
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Under Michelle, the group was able to create a pilot leadership program and develop community service opportunities for the youth, with both opportunities feeding into each other. In the leadership program, students would meet and talk with local leaders in the community to learn how to become leaders. Michelle also planned and encouraged youth to help serve at local dinners hosted by MCC of the Spirit and at Saint Stephen’s Church (where they met on a weekly basis), to become more active in the local community.
Michelle also encouraged the youth to participate in PA Pride Fest by sitting at the Common Roads booth (for those who were comfortable doing it) and/or help with planning a float for the Pride Parade. It was during their first Pride Parade experience that the students met Governor Ed Rendell: Michelle talking about the youths' reaction to meeting Governor Ed Rendell
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Branching Out
Along with providing opportunities for the youth to interact with the community, Michelle also planned events with outside organizations throughout Central PA to advertise for Common Roads and support other organizations.
She helped plan “Coming Out: 15 Artists, 15 Years of Common Roads,” which was a traveling exhibit that expressed the coming out experience of 15 LGBTQ+ artists and celebrated the 15th anniversary of Common Roads (starting from its beginnings as Bi-GLYAH).
Michelle also used this goal to involve the youth in fundraising for the group. This was done through events like “Tropicanza,” which was a silent auction and tea dance fundraiser, and the “Winter Arts Festival.”
She helped plan “Coming Out: 15 Artists, 15 Years of Common Roads,” which was a traveling exhibit that expressed the coming out experience of 15 LGBTQ+ artists and celebrated the 15th anniversary of Common Roads (starting from its beginnings as Bi-GLYAH).
Michelle also used this goal to involve the youth in fundraising for the group. This was done through events like “Tropicanza,” which was a silent auction and tea dance fundraiser, and the “Winter Arts Festival.”
Tropicanza Program, June 17th, 2007. Courtesy of LGBT-021, DCA.
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Coming out: 15 Artist, 15 years of Common Roads Exhibit Postcard, 2008. Courtesy of LGBT-021, DCA.
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Winter Arts Festival Postcard, February 16, 2008. Courtesy of LGBT-021, DCA.
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Gay Straight Alliance/Gender & Sexualities Alliance (GSA) Summit
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During Michelle’s time working with the pilot leadership program, she attended the True Colors Conference, a LGBTQ+ Youth Conference in Connecticut, with youth from the group. After that experience, Michelle wanted to establish a similar conference in Central PA to expand educational opportunities for LGBTQ+ issues in the area.
Using the educational workshops that Carol started for school administrators, counselors, and educators as a starting point, the GSA Summit was created. The purpose of the GSA summits were to provide a space to help high school students and faculty learn how to start a GSA in their own schools. They hosted their first summit at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) on February 29, 2008, with 140 students attending. After the first meeting, the summits moved to Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA in 2009, and by 2012 were extended to a two-day conference, with one day focusing on high school students and the other focusing on college students. Michelle talking about the GSA Summit creation
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GSA Summit 2022 Virtual Poster, April 7 – 8, 2022. Courtesy of https://centralpalgbtcenter.org/2022-gsa-summit
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