Seattle Pride announced that Sarah Toce will immediately assume her new role as communications director and board member of the Washington’s largest Pride organization Friday.
Sarah joins nine other board members as the annual event which hit the big 4-0 in June.
She welcomes Seattle’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to reach out to her with suggestions for Seattle Pride, according to the October 10 news release from the Seattle Pride.
“I’m in great company,” says Sarah, calling her new position at Seattle Pride a “no-brainer.”
“The board members have an obvious and clear commitment to making Seattle Pride the best it can be – this year and every year,” continues Sarah, who says she brings accessibility, a wiliness to listen and try new concepts and ideas, honesty, and openness to the board.
“I look forward to continuing the work of my predecessor – and also blazing some new trails,” she adds.
An award-winning journalist, Sarah is the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Seattle Lesbian, an online newspaper for Seattle’s lesbian community and beyond. She is also a media partner with Girls That Roam, an online women’s travel magazine and community, and a co-producer of EDEN Pacific Northwest, a women’s weekend getaway in the Pacific Northwest.
“Seattle Pride depends entirely on volunteers to produce our annual events,” says Eric Bennett, board president of Seattle Pride. “Sarah’s reputation in the community as a dedicated volunteer and activist makes her the perfect fit for Seattle Pride.”
Seattle Pride educates and informs the community on LGBT issues through a variety of outreach projects and popular events, such as, the annual Seattle Pride Parade, Pride Idol, Pride Brunch, Women’s Pride, and the Seattle Pride Picnic.
Adam McRoberts, former communications director and current board vice president of Seattle Pride, agrees.
“Sarah brings a wealth of talent and knowledge to the communications director role and to the board of directors,” praises Adam. “We are honored to have Sarah working with us to bring the Seattle region the best annual Pride festivities that represent all members of our community.”
Sarah hopes to create and implement a year-round communications strategy that will be inclusive of Seattle’s LGBT community from subgroups to start-up and established businesses.
“Seattle Pride aims to unite the community all year long,” says Sarah, who looks forward to producing the second annual Seattle Women’s Pride in 2015. “The best way to do that is to engage with the people you come into contact with every day.”
Year of Pride
It’s been a big year for Sarah, who was recognized as one of Go! Magazine’s Red Hot Entrepreneurs and successfully launched Seattle Women’s Pride in 2014.
Recently, Sarah contributed to the Windy City Times’ AIDS @ 30 series, which won the prestigious Peter Lisagor Award from the Chicago Headline Club. She was also nominated for a national Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Award, in the same category with The New York Times and The Boston Globe.
Originally from Connecticut, Sarah fell in love with Seattle after several vacations to the Pacific Northwest. She eventually decided to call the Emerald City her home after living in New York for four years.
In 2010, she founded TSL, the Seattle’s only lesbian online newspaper, to serve the local community and the queer women’s community beyond. The online publication quickly became Seattle’s LGBT news source, particularly for queer women, reaching 1 million readers within its first year.
In 2012, TSL was honored with the distinguished McCormick Foundation’s New Media Women Entrepreneurs Award.
As a journalist, Sarah has profiled many of the world’s most influential players ranging from high-level politicians to A-list celebrities, health experts, and key civil rights advocates. Her diversified portfolio has runs the gamut between local, national and international news coverage and features. Her work is regularly featured in Huffington Post, Curve magazine, Windy City Times, and other respected national publications.
She’s also contributed to books, such as 2012’s Gay Press, Gay Power: The Growth of LGBT Community Newspapers in America
To book your Queer Girl Adventure in Seattle, contact Heather Cassell at Girls That Roam Travel at Travel Advisors of Los Gatos at 408-354-6531at or .
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