Staff
Leo Preziosi, Jr.Founder and Executive Director
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Founded on the East Coast by Leo Preziosi, Jr., this non-profit organization is built on a singular premise — to inspire Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender youth to live proud. The inspiration came from a Metro Source article titled, “The Gun in the Closet,” which talked about two high school students who committed suicide because of societal bullying. Knowing what had to be done, Preziosi dedicated himself to helping young adults connect to role models and leaders in the community.
Many years later, 20 and still counting, Live Out Loud continues to bring innovative programming throughout the tri-state area, and to inspire and lead by example. Since its inception, Live Out Loud has had the opportunity to bring over 500 LGBT role models to NY tri-state area high schools and universities, involving renowned panelists from every walk of life. From spiritual leaders to fashion designers to corporate powerhouse and grass-roots activists, Live Out Loud speakers have touched thousands of lives.
In his former incarnation, Leo Preziosi, Jr. was a Fashion Designer working for a number of apparel companies including Gloria Sachs and Banana Republic. In 1990, he began his volunteerism by aligning with DIFFA, the Design Industry Foundation for AIDS in event production. This led to an opportunity at Felissimo, a specialty lifestyle retailer, where he repositioned the tearoom and joined the marketing team collaborating with numerous organizations including the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, The United Nations, and The Rain Forest Foundation.
He is a graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Textile Production Management and an A.A.S. in Fashion Design.
[/wpex]Board of Directors
Live Out Loud’s Board of Directors is a group of volunteers comprised of corporate and community leaders from the tri-state area – is the governing body for the organization. Its members determine Live Out Loud’s mission and purpose, and they sustain the organization’s vision.
The Live Out Loud Board of Directors has the ultimate authority over the organization’s actions, including fiscal management and budget approval. Board members also establish the official policies that direct Live Out Loud.
Eugénie Bisulco
Eugénie Bisulco was born in Newton, New Jersey and moved to an isolated Arkansas community when she was seven years old, learning to drive on dirt roads in a ´69 Chevy Nova and a ´77 Silverado pickup. She received her undergraduate degree in English and Studio Art from Wellesley College, earning honors in Studio Art and graduating magna cum laude. Later, she received a Master of Arts in Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She has worked on
Capitol Hill, at the U. S. Department of State, and at the White House, where she was Senior Writer on the Oval Office Staff and also managed the selection of the official White House portraits of the President and First Lady. She served President Clinton, his Administration, and his Foundation in a variety of capacities for over 15 years, including as Director of Correspondence, Director of the Intern Program, Art Advisor, and City Director for the Clinton Climate Initiative in Rome, Italy. While in Rome, she married and had her son Aidan.
Bisulco is fluent in Italian and French and has basic knowledge of Spanish and several other languages and dialects. She has been an adjunct professor, a journalist, and an editor, as well as an executive in Communications for a major social services non-profit organization. Her expertises are based in an extreme empathy toward others, allowing her to build relationships, negotiate differences, and bring out the best in those she manages up and down. She is currently a Creative Director for an international branding company and a communications consultant, directing and creating content for websites, media kits, video production, and even interior spaces. She has experience leading all forms of
collateral and digital communications, including an award-winning annual report, newsletters, and social media. She has also successfully created multiple events and fundraisers, utilizing her background in White House and campaign advance. Her political experience makes her keenly aware of branding, language nuances, and sensitivities, and her artistic eye is trained to logos and color.
For fun, Bisulco is a plant hoarder, wine enthusiast, and competitive poker player. She became acquainted with Live Out Loud when it was first being founded, and she has been deeply committed to its mission ever since.
David Cantor
David Cantor is a project management and business analyst consultant who works with financial institutions to strategize and implement business process changes. With over 25 years experience, David has worked with major institutions such as Citigroup, Standard & Poor’s, and Credit Suisse to help them adapt to regulatory changes and financial developments. It is his passion for making a meaningful difference in the present while mindful of the future that he brings to Live Out Loud. Since first volunteering with Live Out Loud in 2010, David emits a contagious enthusiasm for its diversified programs and annual Gala event where he held a Committee Co-Chair position. As a Live Out Loud Board Member, David offers his ability to transform aspirations into a strategy with focused objectives.
David lives in Glen Cove, NY with his husband Michael Dion and a ridiculously handsome dog named Jake. David holds a Bachelors of Arts in Biology from SUNY College at Oswego, a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from SUNY University at Stony Brook, and a Masters of Business Administration in Finance and International Business from New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business
Tiyale Hayes
Tiyale Hayes is the Senior Vice President, Strategic Insights & Research, for BET Networks, a division of Viacom. For over a decade, Tiyale Hayes has worked on some of the worlds biggest and best brands. A 1998 graduate of Hampton University with armed with a Marketing Degree; Tiyale started his career in sales at Johnson & Johnson. After learning the fundamentals of how consumers shop in store, he attended business school and earned an MBA in Marketing from Purdue University.
After a serendipitous moment, he began a career in Market Research at Procter & Gamble. In his time at P&G he was helped create insights that led to business winning ideas for brands like Folgers, Pringles, Crest, Gillette and Old Spice.
He left P&G to head to back to Johnson & Johnson, where he led insight development for a number of brands, including Tylenol, Motrin and Listerine. He traveled the world learning from consumers about what makes them tick and how to create products that meet their needs.
In 2016, he was tapped to lead insight development for BET where he leads a team developing insights for the BET brand and new show development.
For over a decade, Tiyale Hayes has been a strong advocate for the consumer and has helped shape the strategies of some of the world’s biggest and best brands. He has developed a solid track record of creating deep and rich insights that have been used to bring products to consumers around the world.
Tiyale is the President of the North Jersey Chapter of the Hampton University Alumni Association, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., National Black MBA Association, and the board of directors for Live Out Loud.
Rafael Mathiss
Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in NYC, where he attended both The High School of Fashion Industries and Parsons School of Design, Rafael recognized the impact to his community at a young age when he accepted the responsibility as one of the first high school students to distribute condoms to peers during the AIDS crisis. Through his efforts, he volunteered and supported many LGBTQ+ organizations.
His experiences began with design as a teenager in a fashion-focused high school where his talents were further developed. After attending Parsons, he worked several years in the airline industry living abroad in both Saudi Arabia and France. He returned to his destined path in the fashion industry by working for leading luxury brands. Rafael’s passion for design led to merchandising, marketing, and managing multimillion-dollar retail locations. His 18 years in the field have positioned him where his magnetic personality serves best, working with and for the fashion world. Today he enjoys setting an example as an Out and Proud New Yorker, alongside his fiancé Dante Sandoli in NYC, and looks forward to connecting today's LGBTQ+ youth to the LIVE OUT LOUD mission.
Greg Papa
Greg is a Director in the Assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) with 10+ years of experience serving large, multi-national, publicly traded audit clients, principally in the retail/luxury goods and consumer products sector. Based in New York, he is responsible for leading all aspects of global audit engagements associated with financial statements and internal control over financial reporting. He also advises clients regarding complex/technical accounting matters, mergers & acquisitions and capital markets transactions, as well as large-scale finance transformation projects.
Greg is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a BS and MS in Accounting from Siena College. He lives in New York City and enjoys European travel (fluent in Italian) and Peloton.
R. J. Ancona
R. J. Ancona oversees relationships with some of American Express’ largest merchants as the Vice President & General Manager of the National Client Group, B2B sector within the Global Merchant & Network Services organization. Over his 20-year career with the company, R. J. has held leadership roles in multiple parts of American Express, including overseeing the strategy and customer experience for some of the company’s most iconic small business cards. He is a large advocate of advancing inclusion & diversity initiatives across American Express, and is part of the Executive PRIDE+ colleague network, a group of senior leaders focused on how they can help LGBTQ+ colleagues bring their whole selves to work and further support their career development.
R. J. is passionate about helping LGBTQ+ youth find role models in their communities and in business. He believes mentors and sponsors are a critical way for young leaders to imagine the possibilities of how they can realize their full potential. Over the course of his career, he has leveraged coaching, leadership, and strategy techniques to help groups tell their stories, create followership, and deliver on their goals and objectives.
In his free time, R. J. enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, spending time with his dog, and slowly running the occasional NYC marathon. Following his time living in London, he became an avid fan of the royal family. Originally from the Midwest, he also enjoys spending time on a lake with family & friends.
R. J. holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and holds an MBA from Imperial College Business School in London. He is a member of the United Way of New York City’s Gridiron Gala Host Committee.
Dion Vlachos
Dion Vlachos is Executive Vice President of U.S Retail Sales, Global Publishing & U.S licensed Food, Health & Beauty categories for Nickelodeon Consumer Products. Based in New York, Dion manages the development of the Nickelodeon retail business and serves as the key liaison between the Nickelodeon internal departments, including Ad Sales, Promotions Marketing, Brand Marketing, and Digital and licensees to develop U.S. retail strategies for all Nickelodeon Consumer Products categories and properties. He also oversees the Global Publishing business and the Domestic Consumer Packaged Goods categories for all Nickelodeon Franchises.
Prior to joining Nickelodeon, Dion held several marketing, merchandising and communications positions during a 22-year tenure at The Walt Disney Company. He served as Vice President, Franchise
Development and Global Marketing, Disney Publishing Worldwide, where he led brand strategies and campaigns for key global franchises like Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh, Disney and PIXAR films like Wall-e and Cars, and major book franchises like “Percy Jackson & the Olympians.”
Prior to his Publishing post, Dion was Director of Franchise Marketing, Europe at Disney Consumer Products. Based in London, he was responsible for strategizing and leading merchandising programs for key film, TV and evergreen franchises across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Dion (full name Dionysios Demetrios Vlachos) grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona born to a Greek immigrant Father and Mexican American Mother. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing from Arizona State University and a Certificate in International Business and spent his junior year studying at the University of Madrid in Spain. He moved to Los Angeles in 1991 to work with The Walt Disney Company and continued his career with Disney in London and New York.
Dion is engaged to his partner, Jack, and they enjoy travel, real estate ventures, and their two dogs, Godzilla and Rocco.
Hunter Thomas
Hunter is a senior manager in PwC’s Consumer Markets Advisory practice, focused on merchandising, supply chain, and operations transformation. He has led a variety of strategy, planning, and business transformation projects across retail, grocery, food, beauty, and consumer product companies. Prior to PwC, Hunter held strategy and finance roles at Hudson’s Bay Company during their integration of Saks, Inc. Hunter is the chair of Live Out Loud’s Strategic Planning Committee. Originally from southern California, he graduated with a Bachelors of Business Administration from The George Washington University and is now based in New York.
Emeritus Board Member
Bruce T. Sloane
Bruce T. Sloane was born and raised on Long Island NY and is a Real Estate Professional in New York City. He was raised to believe in “Tsudukah” ( charity) doing good and helping those in need. Bruce comes to Live Out Loud with past experience with various LGBT organizations. Drawn to Live Out Loud’s mission to help today’s youth to be out, proud and to know that they are OK just the way they are!
He hopes that he can be a role model to young LGBT kids. After being introduced to Live Out Loud’s work by being invited to the NYC Gala in 2007, Bruce has served on committees, been a major donor and in 2009 hosted and originated the Live Out Loud “Pride in the Hampton’s” event. This event has been very well received and has grown in size, popularity and has become an important part of Live Out Loud’s annual budget. It is his pleasure to have created the event and is proud to be a member of the Live Out Loud team.