ORLANDO | Come Out With Pride (COWP) announced in a press release June 3 that Tatiana Quiroga will be the Pride organization’s new executive director.
Quiroga, who served on COWP’s executive committee as secretary and community outreach & inclusion director, brings more than 20 years worth of nonprofit leadership to her new role.
“With the combination of Tatiana’s background, experience, vision and passion, Come Out With Pride is guaranteed to be in outstanding and capable hands,” said Jeff Prystajko, board president of Come Out With Pride, in a statement. “Since day one we have been very fortunate and grateful to have her on the team, and I look forward to a partnership that continues elevating the success and potential of our programs and events.”
Along with serving on the the COWP board, Quiroga has also been the director of family equity and inclusion at Family Equality, a board member with Zebra Coalition, served on the advisory council for Peer Support Space, the strategic planning committee for Orlando Gay Chorus, the anti-racism committee for One Orlando Alliance, leader of Rainbow Families of Central Florida and co-chair for the WorldPride Orlando 2026 bid planning committee. Quiroga is also among one of Watermark’s Central Florida Viewpoint writers.
COWP’s board of directors selected Quiroga from “a broad pool of highly qualified internal and external candidates. She will be working closely with the board to develop what is already one of the largest Pride events in Florida into a top worldwide destination event.” The decision was made with the participation and advice of leaders from several Orlando LGBTQ organizations, according to the release.
Quiroga holds a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Rollins College and a certificate in diversity and inclusion from Cornell University. She describes herself as a bilingual, QLatinx woman with an invisible disability who immigrated from Latin America and resides at the intersection of several marginalized identities. Combining lived and work experience, she is devoted to making spaces more equitable and inclusive.
“I want to create a Pride that speaks to all our futures,” said Quiroga in the release. “Come Out with Pride doesn’t own Pride, we organize it. I believe Pride belongs to black and brown trans women who started the revolution. Pride belongs to the LGBTQ+ youth who are shaping the future of our movement. Pride belongs to all of us in the middle who strive to make ourselves heard and seen, who are fighting for equality and creating a space where our siblings can celebrate as their authentic selves. Pride belongs to each of us. And Pride must be a homecoming for all of us!”
Quiroga will be COWP’s first executive director since 2014 when then-executive director Mikael Audebert was fired from the position due to allegations of fraud and financial mismanagement.
Quiroga comes on as COWP’s new executive director just as the nonprofit organization is making plans to bid on WorldPride 2026 at the end of the year. If selected, Orlando would host WorldPride during the 10-year mark of the Pulse tragedy.
Quiroga starts as COWP’s executive director June 21.
