Who We Are

Board of Directors/Mesa Directiva

The Bronx Community Pride Center is seeking a diverse group of professionals to serve on our Board.  We have a great need for people with a background in finance, accounting, business, government and development/fundraising, as well as not-for-profit management and health services.  Each Director is expected to use his/her access and influence to support the growth and development of the Center and we would welcome the chance to discuss board membership with you.

Application Guidelines:

Individuals who would like to join the recruitment pool are encouraged to submit a letter of interest and a resume to Dirk McCall, Executive Director, at dirk@bronxpride.org.

Hon. Kenny Agosto

Kenny Agosto was born Nov. 20, 1969 in the Bronx, to Proud Puerto Rican parents.
He is the eldest of two sons and a daughter and a proud uncle of a beautiful five year old niece.

Kenny attended public schools in the Bronx including Morris High School, where Kenny became passionately committed to improving his community. Kenny was very active in Aspira and Model Congress.

Kenny Attended St. Thomas University of Villanova in Miami. Florida, where he became active with environmental rights as well as civil rights for the Latino and LGBTQ community. Kenny was the first Puerto Rican elected student government president. Kenny became controversial at the Catholic Augustinian run university, by allowing a fraternity to sponsor a “Safer Sex” dance party to promote condom use on campus. Kenny was called into the university president’s office, when he removed pro-life posters of dead fetuses from all over campus to protest the lack of pro-choice discussion on campus. He graduated with a B.A. in political science with a minor in history and communications.

At the age 24, Kenny ran against one of the most powerful Assemblywomen in the Bronx and was soundly defeated. Kenny was determined to serve the public. Kenny worked with disabled children, where he became an advocated for people with disabilities.

Kenny spoke out against violence against our LGBTQ youth and protested for more HIV/AIDS funding from the federal government. He marched against the U.S. military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy and the Defense Of Marriage Act. He was an early advocate for Marriage equality. Kenny has traveled the country on behalf of LGBTQ community including Miami-Dade county, Florida on behalf of NGLTF /Save Dade Campaign.

At age 29, Kenny was appointed the youngest vice chair of the Bronx Democratic Party.

Kenny served on Bronx Community Board #11 as well as Neighborhood Advisory Board #11. Kenny is involved with 49th Pct. Community Council and Explorer program. Kenny has served on several boards: Claremont Neighborhood Centers; Compass Computer Center; Highbridge Advisory Council; We Stay/Nos Quedamos; and soon on the board of the Bronx Community Pride Center.

Over the years, Kenny has worked to elect many people into office. Kenny has served in both houses of the New York State Legislature as chief of staff to two Assemblymen and regional coordinator for the Senate Minority Leader. Kenny now serves as Special Assistant to the Majority Chairwoman of the New York Senate, Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson.

In 2006, Kenny was elected Democratic District Leader of the 80th Assembly District and founded the Liberty Democratic Association. Currently, Kenny is serving in his third term as district leader and has the honor of being the first and only openly gay elected official in the Bronx.

Robert Beil, MD, Secretary - Robert Beil has been a general internist physician with Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx since 1993. He is an HIV specialist and is happy to provide care to transgender and LGBT patients. He has been a board member of BCPC since 1997. He is the Clinical Director of the CICERO Program

Antonio Centeno, Jr., Chair – Antonio Centeno is an Operations Analyst of Credit Suisse Private Banking Group within Private Banking USA division based in New York. He is responsible for being the liaison between PB sales force and Pershing LLC on NYSE regulations and procedures.

Mr. Centeno joined the Private Banking Group of Credit Suisse in August 2007 from his previous role in the Corporate Services department. Prior to that, Mr. Centeno was an employee of Pitney Bowes Management Services.

Since joining the Firm, Mr. Centeno has worked in a variety of capacities including working on several philanthropic initiatives with the Credit Suisse Foundation. He is also a member of the NYPD LGBT
Advisory Board, Financial Service Industry Exchange (F-SIX) board of directors, Bronx Community Board #2 board member, co-founder of the Interbank Roundtable and currently a member of ESPA Equality at
Workplace committee.

Mr. Centeno holds a BS degree in Liberal Arts with a Concentration in Business Management from the College of Mount Saint Vincent. He also completed a certificate program at the French Culinary Institute in
Restaurant Management/Hospitality.

Elizabeth Conley, MPH, Board Member – Elizabeth previously served as BCPC’s Director of Programs, and she is proud to return to the agency as a member of the Board of Directors. She received a B.A. in gender studies from Yale University and an M.P.H. in sociomedical sciences from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She is dedicated to advancing the health and rights of LGBTQ populations, and she is particularly passionate about transgender health and the impact of race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, and sexual orientation on access to health care. She was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai’i and has lived in New York City since 2003.

Anthony Graham, Treasurer

Rob Flower – Board Member – Robert is an Assistant Treasurer/Assistant Vice President with Legg Mason Global Asset Management and has been with the company and its predecessor, Citigroup Asset Management, for the past 12 years.  Prior to this, Robert began his professional career with Morgan Stanley, where he was employed for 5 years.  He received his Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting from Elizabethtown College located in Lancaster County Pennsylvania.  Robert recently joined the board with help of the United Way’s BoardServeNYC program and is excited to be involved with such a worthy organization.

Dakarai G. Larriett, M.B.A., Board Member – A Military brat, Dakarai was born in Birmingham, Alabama and has lived all over the United States, as well as in Germany. He is a forecasting/business planning professional and has worked for such companies as L’Oreal, Calvin Klein Jeans and Jones Apparel Group. He holds an M.B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Dakarai G. Larriett joined the Board in 2009.

Robert Lassegue -Board Member – Robert Lassegue, is a freelance Event Coordinator for the past 15 years and a current is a board member of Marriage Equality New York, Inc. (MENY) since 1999. Robert started his activism with Long Island Sports pride Association (L.I.P.S.A.) an organization that created sporting events for LGBT on Long Island. We created a softball, bowling, cycling and volleyball leagues. I became a volunteer with MENY, Inc and became the Long Island marriage Equality Co-Chair from 2000 to 2003 and then joined the MENY state board in 2003, holding the position as Secretary, assisting in Marriage Equality fundraising events and assisting in any aspect of tabling, networking and creating new relations. In 2009, MENY created a Political Action Committee (MENY PAC) as the Secretary. While on the MENY PAC, he has working on several campaigns in 2009 and working on building relationships on local, state and federal levels.  Robert is also an avid immigration advocate on within the state and federal levels.   Robert currently resides on Long Island with his husband Manuel.

Viraj Patel, MD

Viraj Patel is a general internist/primary care physician at Montefiore Medical Center in the South Bronx and is happy to provide care for LGBT patients. He is also a research fellow at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and has interests in addressing LGBT as well as immigrant health issues through research. He joined the board in 2011.

Carmen Robello

Carmen Robello is the very proud mother of a 21 year old gay son. When he came out at 12 years old, she fully supported him. She attended a meeting and joined the Board of PFLAG FCA (for Families of Color and Allies) NYC. After visiting schools to address homophobia and bullying, she soon realized that she wasn’t doing enough to protect LGBTQ youth. Both Carmen and her son joined various LGBTQ youth and political organizations to reach out to abused and homeless teens. When she realized that her employer wasn’t LGBTQ friendly, she became a representative on the Interbank Roundtable – an organization that brings equality to the workplace. She appeared with her son in the documentary “Anyone and Everyone” and represented PFLAG at the Pride event at the White House.

In addition to PFLAG, she is also Vice President and Executive Board Member of Latinos/as Unidos de New York, Inc. – an LGBTQ Latino organization working to eliminate homophobia in the Latino community.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Ex Officio

Elected Bronx Borough President in the Special Election on April 21st, 2009, Ruben Diaz Jr., previously served in the New York State Assembly since 1997, representing the 85th Assembly District.

Throughout his seven terms in the State Legislature, Ruben Diaz Jr. was a champion for working families in the Bronx. He demonstrated passion for constituent service, social advocacy and community empowerment balanced with support for sensible, green economic development and job creation programs. He sponsored and secured passage of important and innovative laws to address the consequences of the intolerable levels of asthma in the South Bronx, healthcare insurance fraud, and quality of life concerns.
Borough President Diaz has proven himself to be a fearless and tireless advocate for justice and equality for all. A staunch defender of the environment, he is a leading voice against environmental racism and injustice and helped lead the fight to restore the Bronx River. Due to his tireless and relentless advocacy in the case of his constituent, Amadou Diallo – a law-abiding young African Bronx resident who was wrongly killed by four NYPD officers in a hail of 41 bullets – Ruben Diaz Jr. became known around the world for his advocacy for civil and human rights.

In the State Assembly, Ruben Diaz Jr. served as Chair of the Committee on Election Law and on the Assembly’s Standing Committees on Education, Ways & Means, Children and Families, Environmental Conservation and Transportation. He was also a member of the Assembly’s Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force and the Black/Puerto Rican and Asian Legislative Caucus.

Since becoming borough president, Diaz led the opposition to the proposed redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory, based on concerns over future wages at the retail mall, traffic impact on the neighborhood and the potential of the new project to conflict with businesses on nearby Fordham Road. Following that victory, Diaz is now leading the fight for a new “living wage” law in New York City, which would require developers that receive heavy taxpayer funding for their project to pay the employees of that development a “living wage.”

In addition, Diaz hosted the borough’s first ever economic summit, in coordination with the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, which brought together business, community and not-for-profit leaders from across the Bronx and the region to discuss the economic goals of the borough. Diaz has also created a Public Housing Advisory Council, which meets to discuss and find answers to the issues faced by the residents of the borough’s public housing buildings; and an African Advisory Council, which works with the Bronx African community to resolve its emerging issues and make recommendations on strategies to improve the quality of life of this growing population.

A lifelong resident of the Bronx, Borough President Diaz lives in the Southeast Bronx with his wife Hilda Gerena Diaz and their two sons, Ruben Diaz III and Ryan Isaiah Diaz. He graduated from Lehman College, City University of New York, with a Bachelors degree in political theory.