This past Sunday, we welcomed a record 78 community members, volunteers, and supporters to our 2026 Annual Meeting, an evening devoted to celebrating an extraordinary year, conducting our annual business, and looking ahead to an important new chapter.
The gathering came during a milestone year for Spencer Pride. Ten years after opening the Spencer Pride commUnity center and nearly 20 years after our organization began, we continue to grow not simply in size, but in our ability to serve LGBTQ+ people and strengthen the rural community we call home.
Celebrating a Year of Impact
Throughout the evening, Spencer Pride leaders highlighted progress across programming, fundraising, facility renovation, and organizational development.
Our recurring programs continued to provide opportunities for connection, education, recreation, and support. Highlights included renewed momentum within Iris Youth Group and ongoing collaborations with the Simons Foundation that have incorporated STEM learning into several Spencer Pride programs.
Spencer Pride also experienced a strong financial year, supported by individual donors, Sustainers, grants, fundraising activities, festival sponsorships, and other revenue sources. That support has allowed us to invest in both the needs of today and the long-term sustainability of the organization.
Our FY26 strategic work included providing tangible support for the transgender community, investing in tomorrow’s leaders, preserving Spencer Pride’s history, and completing the foundational rehabilitation of our historic commUnity center. These accomplishments are particularly meaningful in a year that also included the unexpected loss of Spencer Pride co-founder Judi Epp and the significant work required to prepare for our first Executive Director.
Nine Years of Rainbow Rehab 
One of the evening’s biggest announcements was nearly a decade in the making: the Rainbow Rehab Project is officially complete.
For nine years, volunteers, donors, contractors, and community partners have helped transform our historic downtown building. The Board defined completion of the foundational project as reaching the point when spaces throughout the facility were safe and usable. We have now reached that milestone.
Major accomplishments during the past year included the installation of our elevator, completion of the Judi Epp Board Room, Rex G. Hinkle Library, and Learning Center, and installation of the Vicci Laine Mural. Additional facility improvements will continue as the organization works to furnish spaces, implement sustainability improvements to infrastructure, and more.
Prior to the formal start of the Annual Meeting, attendees first gathered in the Learning Center to celebrate the rehab work. This was the first event to take place in the newly renovated (and greatly expanded) space.
Investing in the Next Generation
We were proud to recognize two young Spencer Pride volunteers with scholarships supporting their continued education.
Wren Brown is pursuing an anthropology degree at the University of Wyoming, while Alice Howard is pursuing music composition at Earlham College. The scholarships reflect our longstanding commitment to investing in young people who invest their time and talents in our community. The scholarships come automatically without application or essay.
Building What Comes Next
Perhaps no development better represents Spencer Pride’s next chapter than welcoming Jake Taylor as our first Executive Director.
For nearly 20 years, Spencer Pride has been built and led by volunteers. Hiring our first full-time Executive Director represents a major investment in sustaining that work. Volunteers remain fundamental to who we are, but they now have dedicated professional leadership supporting their efforts.
That transition is also changing how our Board leads. Following the adoption of term limits and a multi-year succession plan last year, the Board continues its transition toward a governing model focused on oversight, stewardship, and strategic leadership.
Attendees unanimously re-elected John Angeline, Jonathan Balash, Kim Fidler, Shea Finnegan, Joy Hellman, Rex Hinkle, and Martha Nally to three-year terms on the Board of Directors.
They also unanimously elected the FY27 officers: Jonathan Balash, President; Elisabeth Solchik, Vice President; John Angeline, Secretary; and Wendy Wonderley, Treasurer. John Angeline is a new officer this year, following the planned transition of Secretary responsibilities from Kim Fidler.
Preparing for FY27
Looking forward, Spencer Pride shared three strategic priorities for the coming year: advancing our resources, deepening our impact, and nurturing our leaders.
Together, these priorities reflect an intentional approach to our next chapter. Our goal is not growth simply for the sake of becoming bigger. We are focused on strengthening the resources that sustain our work, ensuring our programs create meaningful impact, and developing the leadership Spencer Pride needs for the future.
Attendees also unanimously approved Spencer Pride’s FY27 operating budget, which fully funds these strategic priorities and several important one-time investments associated with our organizational transition.
And We’re Just Getting Started 
Our Annual Meeting was ultimately about more than reviewing another fiscal year. It was a chance to recognize what thousands of hours of volunteer service, generous financial support, thoughtful leadership, and extraordinary community commitment have made possible.
As Spencer Pride approaches its 20th anniversary, we do so with a completed Rainbow Rehab Project, our first Executive Director, a strong financial foundation, an engaged Board and volunteer team, and an ambitious vision for the future.
Twenty years have changed Spencer Pride. Spencer Pride has helped change our community. And we’re just getting started.
