St Pete Pride President Dr. Byron Green-Calisch (C) speaks in front of outgoing Executive Director Nicole Berman (far L), Mayor Ken Welch and the nonprofit’s board at the 2024 Stonewall Reception. (Photo by Dylan Todd)
ST. PETERSBURG | St Pete Pride will launch a nationwide search in the coming weeks to find its next executive director following the departure of Nicole Berman, who resigned from the position late last month.
Berman, whose final day is Nov. 8, joined St Pete Pride ahead of its landmark 20th year. She oversaw significant growth through its month-long 22nd celebration in June.
“We are saddened to announce the parting ways of our executive director as she goes on to a phenomenal opportunity in Massachusetts,” St Pete Pride shared with Watermark Nov. 1. “While we wish her luck in her next endeavor, we are saddened to see her go and want to celebrate the amazing improvements and beautiful things she has brought to St Pete Pride over the last three years.
“We absolutely wish her luck in this next endeavor and will continue to support her,” they continued. “In the interim, all inquiries will go to St Pete Pride Board President Dr. Byron Green-Calisch as he and the board begin the search for a new executive director to fill her very large shoes.”
“I am so very proud of the community in St. Petersburg,” Berman says. “Everyone that I have had the pleasure and the opportunity to interact with has been so incredibly supportive and passionate about ensuring that Pride in St. Pete continues to be the beacon that it is.
“I feel very blessed and privileged to have spent some time here working with all of these people, who I will miss everyone very much, but I am excited to see what happens with St Pete Pride next year,” she continues. “I know it will be just as big and just as wonderful, continuing to grow and evolve.”
Green-Calisch will serve as interim executive director until a replacement can be found, handling sponsorships and other essential matters. He joined the board in 2022 before becoming president this year.
“I am eternally grateful for Nicole’s creativity as it relates to facilitating 12 to 13 programs in a single month,” he says. “She has done a phenomenal job … and being able to pull off one of the largest Pride celebrations in the country, with volunteer help, is no small feat.
“Being able to raise millions of dollars for St Pete Pride, in itself, is a marvel,” he adds. “Building the relationships that she’s been able to build has made her a leader of the pack … her expertise lies not only in creating inclusive events, but also in finding the dollars wherever they might exist. That is absolutely what we value in an organizational leader and hope to find moving forward.”
The board will seek to have a new executive director in place by St Pete Pride 2025. Green-Calisch says he will “lead the charge” and work in tandem with whomever the organization hires.
Before then, the nonprofit’s annual holiday fundraiser will return to a new venue, FloridaRAMA, on Dec. 7. Red & Green will “look and feel very different than it has in the past,” he teases.
“After two hurricanes we need some time to come together and celebrate,” Green-Calisch says. “It’s going to really focus on chosen family and lean into the holiday season’s joyous moments.” Read more about the event below:
For more information about St Pete Pride and future events, visit StPetePride.org.
