Leadership

Dr. Ryn Skultety (She/Her) is a dynamic LGBTQ+ leader with over 20 years of experience in the non-profit sector. Her career has focused on advocating for change and innovations in funding, systems, and services for underrepresented and marginalized populations. Ryn has a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and spent her early career providing clinical care, research, and education in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. Ryn moved into the non-profit sector in 2007 and worked for nine years at the Institute on Aging and served across the agency in clinical, educational, and administrative leadership roles.

In 2017, Ryn became the Executive Director of Openhouse in San Francisco. In this role, Ryn led Openhouse to open San Francisco’s first LGBTQ+ welcoming affordable senior housing as well as dramatically expanded services and funding for the organization. After finishing her tenure at Openhouse, she has focused on providing strategic consulting to community-based organizations. Most recently, she served as the Senior Strategist for SAGE, a large LGBTQ+ non-profit, in a 2-year role focused on scaling growth at a national level through the implementation of their strategic plan.

In 2021, Ryn returned to live in her home state of Colorado to support her aging parents and make more room to run and play with her kids, Quinn and Nova. While neither her skiing skills or beer knowledge live up to Colorado standards, she loves living in a state with beautiful mountains, impressive food truck cuisine and 300+ days of sunshine a year.

Chris Corrigan (he/him) is an operations director with over 17 years of leadership experience developing and implementing efficient, cost-effective systems and equitable policy for non-profit organizations, international government bodies, corporate agencies, and tech start-ups.

Prior to joining ROMBA, Chris served as Director of Operations for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Center for Conservation Media, building systems in human resources, finance, and project management to support global environmental conservation. During his tenure at “The Lab”, Chris completed a dual executive MBA program, graduating from Cornell and Queen’s University in 2022 with the aim to continue his work helping non-profits achieve the strategic goals that advance their mission.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Chris is committed to advocating for equity and inclusion in policy and process to improve workplace culture.

Demetri Sparks (he/him) began his career in Washington, DC, helping to launch former President Bill Clinton’s signature program, AmeriCorps, after attending Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Demetri has worked diligently in the LGBTQ+ health space over the past three decades. He has led three different grassroots agencies as Executive Director. He has served in various development positions at diverse LGBTQ+ organizations as well, including Howard Brown Health (Chicago), AIDS ReSearch Alliance (LA), PRC (San Francisco), and GMHC (NYC). Demetri is thrilled to serve Reaching Out as its Development Director. He enjoys alternative music festivals, international travel, and low-key weekends.

Karina Perez (they/them) enthusiastically joined the Reaching Out MBA team as Program Manager in early 2024. With a degree in Psychology and minor in Education from the University of Florida, Kari has used their academic foundation to help their passions flourish. Since 2019, they’ve been deeply involved in LGBTQ+ work and advocacy, with a focus on queer and trans-affirming healthcare, social work, and housing justice. Their work is rooted in a commitment to uplifting the diverse voices that shape our collective humanity.

Outside of work, Kari is a proud music nerd and food lover who thrives on discovering new sounds and flavors. You can often find them at live shows, out adventuring, or spending time with their loved ones and their pup, Luna. They also enjoy reading, diving into creative projects, and hitting the pavement for a good run.

Nick Bailey (he/him) joined the Reaching Out MBA team in January 2022, having spent many years in his career supporting graduate business students. Prior to Reaching Out, Nick worked for several years in higher education, serving as Assistant Director of Student Services of the hybrid Master of Science in Finance program at Georgetown University, and as the Senior Student Success Advisor for the online MBA@Rice program at 2U, Inc. He is passionate about the power of education and enabling students to achieve their definition of success. He has years of experience in program management, higher education, and building strong relationships. He is excited to serve as Reaching Out’s Program Director to deliver high-impact programming to our MBA students and alumni.

Outside of work, Nick volunteers as an alumni interviewer for the Georgetown Alumni Admissions Program, as he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University. In his spare time, he enjoys trying new restaurants, making trips to the dog park, baking new desserts, and traveling.

Sadiyah Rashied (she/her) joined the talented Reaching Out MBA team as the Development Coordinator in 2023. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communication at East Stroudsburg University, she gained experience in the non-profit sector by advocating for animal welfare at Morris Animal Refuge, and processing grants for donor-advised funds at National Philanthropic Trust. Sadiyah’s career in non-profit has provided her with experience in development, building rapport, and understanding the intricacies of non-profit organizations.

She is passionate about serving marginalized communities and advocating for equal rights. Beyond work, Sadiyah loves discovering new musical artists, trying new foods, relaxing with her dog, Zelda, engaging in creative projects, and continuing her sustainability journey. 

Julie (she/her) began a relationship with Reaching Out with the 2006 ROMBA Conference at the Grand Hyatt in New York City thanks to a referral from a friend attending NYU Stern.

Through Reaching Out’s constant growth and evolution, Julie gradually took on more operations / production responsibilities for ROMBA and additional annual programs. After 16 years Julie is extremely proud of to continue as Event Producer. In between Reaching Out’s ever-growing annual schedule Julie works in broadcast production, stage management and live event production.