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Contact Information

Email Us:

billy@goldenrainbows.org

Call Us: 618-318-1643

Meet the Team

Meet our board members, made up of wonderful Southern Illinois Community members.

  • Bill Rogers is an LGBTQ activist who has dedicated his life to advocating for equality and fostering a more inclusive society. With a career spanning 4 decades, Billy's contributions have been transformative. Alongside his spouse, he owned and operated LGBTQ campground for two decades, providing a safe and welcoming space for the community. This endeavor became a vital hub for LGBTQ individuals to connect, celebrate their identities, and build lasting friendships.

    In addition to his work as a campground owner, Billy has been actively involved in various community initiatives. As co-founder and co-host of “Isn’t it Queer,” a talk show on community

    radio in Carbondale, Illinois, he used his platform to amplify LGBTQ voices and discuss important social issues. Billy’s commitment to social action led him to collaborate with organizations such as Equality Illinois and Rainbow Café, through their joint effort called Social

    Action for Southern Illinois. This collaboration aimed to advance LGBTQ right and provide essential support and resources to the local community.

    Billy’s dedication to serving the LGBTQ community extends beyond local boundaries. He is the co-founder of Golden Rainbows of Illinois South, a non-profit organization in Illinois that focuses on developing programs and services for LGBTQ individuals aged 50 and above in Southern Illinois. Moreover, Billy is an active member of OUTAging, a group operating under the Pride Action Tank and the Aids Foundation of Chicago. His commitment to advocacy was recognized in January 2023 when he was appointed by Governor Pritzker to serve on the 3-year commission on LGBTQ aging. Additionally, on January 18, 2023, he was appointed as the Illinois Statewide LGBTQ Commission Advocate by Paula Basta, the Director of the Illinois Department on Aging.

  • Carrie Vine (she/her), LCSW is Executive Director of Rainbow Café LGBTQ Center. She is also a Co-Founder of GRIS- Golden Rainbows of Illinois South. Carrie holds a BA in Music and a bachelor's and a Master's in Social Work. She is currently finishing her Master's in Public Health and Gerontology Certificate. Carrie sits on the AIDS Foundation Chicago Statewide Community Engagement Group and serves on the Equality Illinois Community Advisory Group and Chairs the Social Action of Southern Illinois, an advocacy group for the LGBTQ community of Southern Illinois. Carrie's professional experience includes serving people living with HIV, working with harm reduction and substance use disorder, HIV prevention, and reproductive justice issues.

    Carrie's greatest accomplishment in life was raising intelligent and compassionate children that are and were accepting of all beings. Carrie lives just south of Carbondale with an accomplished musician named Curt, a small comedian Skylar, a brilliant teen named Cal, a few spoiled cats, a couple of excitable dogs, and some naked guinea pigs that make excellent office mates.

  • Clare Killman is a southeast Missouri native who moved to southern Illinois nearly a decade ago. With a background in criminal justice reform and involvement in regional politics, alternative dispute resolution models are a sustained area of interest for her. Clare currently works as a mediator in southern Illinois.

    In addition to serving on the board of the Golden Rainbows of Southern Illinois, Clare also serves on the Citizen's Advisory Board for the Jackson County State's Attorney, the Ambassador Committee for the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce, and has launched a bid to run for Carbondale City Council in the 2023 election cycle. As a Southern Illinois Leadership Institute graduate, Clare has a clear commitment to the development of the public and nonprofit sectors of southern

    Illinois' economy.

    She lives in Carbondale with her husband, Ben, her dog, cat, turtle, 20 fish, and three dozen houseplants.

  • Liz Hunter has held the position of Jackson County’s elected Treasurer since 2019. A proud second-generation Saluki, Liz holds degrees in Communication Design and Higher Education Administration. She worked in technology and marketing at SIUC for 16 years before becoming Treasurer. There, she developed leadership, supervisory, and budgeting skills. She also served as Vice Chair and Chair of the Finance and Administration Committee on the Jackson County Board for 4 years, giving her extensive knowledge of government finances.

    Liz is a lifelong Southern Illinoisan and loves to enjoy the beauty of the area by running, hiking, kayaking, and spending time with friends. She is President-elect of the Carbondale Rotary Breakfast Club, Co-secretary of Illinois Rural Partners Board, and enjoys volunteering throughout the community.

  • Pat is a CPA whose practice is focused on consulting and auditing governmental and non-profit entities. Pat holds a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s in business administration. Pat has been a practicing CPA in Southern Illinois for over 30 years. She currently focuses her practice on governmental and non-profit consulting and auditing.

    A lifelong resident of Southern Illinois, Pat has always had deep compassion and empathy for marginalized people and groups. She uses that compassion and empathy as a minister at a metaphysical church in Kentucky serving those who have been marginalized as a result of traumatic events throughout their life.

    She believes that all life is worthy and deserving of the highest reverence and respect.

  • Casey is an attorney located in Marion, Illinois. She has served the Southern Illinois area since graduating from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 2014. Since being admitted to practice in 2014, Casey has helped numerous clients navigate estate planning, probate and trust administration, and small business establishment. Casey also serves as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Illinois handling eminent domain matters for the Department of Transportation and Department of Natural Resources. Other areas include utilities, municipal law, and civil litigation.

    Casey is a Southern Illinois native with her husband, Ben, and two goldendoodles, Ginger and Mocha.

  • Licsened Massage Therapist 10+ years.

    Native of southern Illinois and 2009 graduate of SIUC with a B.A. in Anthropology.

    In 2009 Alex moved to Knoxville, TN where they graduated from Roane State Community College in 2013 with a certification in massage therapy. 

    In 2018 Alex moved back to southern Illinois to be closer to their aging parents. 

    Alex is a transmasculine person, transitioning later in life, and uses they/he pronouns. 

    Alex is a member of the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship and is on their LGBTQIA+ Welcoming Committee and attends the Awakening Heart Dharma Group. 

    Alex is passionate about activitism for the LGBTQIA community, especially the aging population.

    Alex lives in DuQuoin with their two dogs and three cats. They enjoy spending time with and helping their mother Peggy. He has also been a  dedicated practioner of the WahLum Praying Mantis system of Kung Fu for the past three years, traveling to Knoxville for class every few months and practicing remotely at home.

  • Jo Nast received her MA in Anthropology with concentrations in Museum Studies, Art and Anthropology, and Material Culture. She is retired and spent over 15 years in Research Development Administration. In this role she served as Research Project Specialist in the Office

    of Research Development and Administration at SIUC and Director of the University's Undergraduate Research Program, and prior to that as Executive Director of Development and Research at John A. Logan College. Before entering research development, she was Curator of History at the University Museum at SIUC and began her career as Director of Educational

    Services at the former Illinois State Historical Library in Springfield.

  • Wayne Larsen worked in scholarly publishing for more than thirty-five years, twenty of which were spent at Southern Illinois University Press. As a young man, he used his degree in psychology from Midland Lutheran College to serve developmentally disabled adults and, later, Chicago-area families at risk of state intervention. For thirty years, Wayne was domestically partnered with or legally married to playwright and scholar David Rush, who died in 2024.