MEET THE STAFF

Candice Nichols
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Candice Nichols is a native of Las Vegas, Nevada. She is a mother of two adult children and proud grandmother of two adorable grandchildren. Her family has expanded with the addition of her life partner, Suzanne Miele’s two adult daughters.

Since 1989 she has worked in several non-profits in Southern Nevada. In the early 1990’s she held the position of Director of Public Affairs at Planned Parenthood of Southern Nevada, and then during the height of the AIDS epidemic became Director of Prevention Education for 11.5 years at Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN), the largest AIDS Service Organization in Southern Nevada. She took the position of Executive Director for The Center in December of 2004. Her background has been primarily program development and, since taking her position at The Center, she has expanded programs and staff and increased the budget threefold. As she moves into her sixth year as Director of The Center, she looks forward to increasing visibility and awareness of the community center movement and also the new challenges we face as a community in the social justice movement.

Joshua Montgomery
HIV Prevention Coordinator/
Vegas Mpowerment Coordinator
Joshua Montgomery is a native San Diegan. Since getting clean and sober on July 14, 1997, Joshua has been active in various recovery programs and service work to help those who struggle with addiction. In 1998 Joshua met his life partner Tom Wilson and began his academic studies the same year at San Diego Community College with his focus on becoming a counselor. Joshua and his partner Tom had a Holy Union one year from the date they met which was June 12, 1998 and shared their experience with 150 friends and family including their mothers giving them away. Joshua and Tom moved to Las Vegas in June 2003 and a couple months later he began working for The Gay & Lesbian Community Center. Joshua ran the youth group, coordinated the Vegas Mpowerment Project and counseled those who needed support during the day. He continued his education attending various conferences around the country dealing with HIV/AIDS. In his spare time, Joshua pursued one of his passions in life and became Mr. Las Vegas 2006 where he later competed for International Mr. Leather in Chicago. Joshua left the Center in 2007 and continued his education at UNLV working on his degree in Social Work. In 2008 Joshua and Tom renewed their vows on their 10th anniversary with an amazing reception that followed. Joshua returned to The Center December 1, 2009 as the HIV Prevention Coordinator.

Mel Goodwin
YOUTH AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES DIRECTOR
Mel Goodwin is a Las Vegas native and has worked in the non-profit sector for six years. Mel is currently an undergraduate social work student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and holds a Certificate in Non-Profit Management. Before joining The Center, Mel spent three and a half years with Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth (NPHY), advocating for programs and services to support the thousands of homeless teens living in the Las Vegas Valley. At NPHY, Mel specialized in fundraising and grants management, raising an average of $500,000 in grant funds per year.

Mel was hired as the Youth and Volunteer Services Director at The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada (The Center) in November 2008. Since that time, Mel has developed The Center’s transgender programming and resources to include the first ever ‘Southern Nevada Transgender Resource Guide’ and a weekly discussion group for trans people and their loved ones called Trans.lation. Mel currently sits on the Las Vegas GLSEN Steering Committee and the Continuum of Care Evaluation Working Group through the Office of the Regional Homeless Coordinator. Mel enjoys baking vegan cupcakes, taking frequent trips to the Los Angeles area and traveling around the country to various transgender and LGBTQ conferences. Mel’s long-term goal is to obtain a PhD and advocate for transgender rights at the national level.

Arlene Cooper
OFFICE MANAGER
Arlene has been a resident of Las Vegas since 1992, via Tennessee, Florida and California, and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2005. After spending 21 years in hotel management, Arlene became involved in the HIV/AIDS community with ReachOut, a daycare center for children infected and affected with HIV/AIDS, Golden Rainbow and Saint Therese Center. In addition, Arlene became a licensed foster parent to a 10 year old HIV-positve boy and volunteers for Special Olympics and the Democratic Headquarters. She has one very special, loving son, Ryan.