East Bay Stonewall

Matt Larder (he/him) - President

Matt Lardner has been a part of the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club since 2017. In 2018 he was hired by then Club President Brendalynn Goodall as the Club Fellow and served in that position until he joined the board as an at-large member in 2020. He then went on to become the club’s Vice President in 2021 and has been serving in the role of President since 2023. Matt is honored to have the trust from his community members to lead a club that has a rich history of advocating for a seat at the table for LGBTQ+ people and elevating their voices locally in the East Bay.

Shay Franco-Clausen (she/her) - Vice President

Shay Franco-Clausen is Political Director for Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. A resident of the Bay Area, Franco-Clausen is an award-winning public advocate, speaker, political strategist and former elected official. She has contributed her thought leadership to drafting seventeen pieces of legislation in California. Notable among these accomplishments is her role in extending the statute of limitations for felony domestic violence survivors, advocating for the rights of foster youth, preserving endangered open spaces, and championing the restoration of voting rights for individuals on parole.

Shay has spent the last 14 years serving on many local, county and state boards, political action committees and commissions, centered on criminal justice, LGBTQ and reproductive rights, gender-based violence and environmental protections.

Ryan LaLonde (he/him) - Political Action Committee Chair

Elected to the Alameda Unified School District’s (AUSD) Board of Education in November of 2022, Ryan LaLonde became the first openly LGBTQ person elected to any office in the city of Alameda. Ryan is an active AUSD parent, husband/father, artist, LGBTQ+ and foster youth advocate, author and PTA leader. Ryan has worked most of his life to create better outcomes for those in need ranging from work in HIV/AIDS prevention in tribal communities to reducing stigma around children’s mental health. Ryan works full-time as an illustrator, designer and mixed media artist with an active studio in Alameda.

Ryan also serves on the Alameda County Measure A Oversight Commission and as a Director on the Alameda County Fair Board. Ryan grew up on the family farm in rural Michigan and honed his art at the University of Michigan School of Art and Design with a BFA in 1997. Ryan currently resides in Alameda, CA with his husband of almost 30 years, Chris and their son Farber.

James Barolo (he/him) - Treasurer

James is a Bay Area native and practicing attorney with over 10 years of legal experience. A graduate of UC Berkeley and the University of Virginia, he has dedicated time to community service and political activism for decades, including full-time work on Barack Obama's groundbreaking 2008 presidential campaign. James brings his passion for equality and justice to his role as Treasurer for the East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club.

Brent Blackaby (he/him) - Membership Chair

A Berkeley city councilmember, small business owner, and pioneer of progressive digital politics, Brent Blackaby was elected to the Berkeley City Council in November 2024 to take action on our most pressing challenges – including crime & public safety, streets & transportation, affordable housing, wildfire safety, school safety, and homelessness.

Brent and his partner, Larry Huynh, have lived in District 6 for the past 20 years. Their two children attend our local public school, Cragmont Elementary, where Brent chaired the School Site Council. He co-founded Make Our Schools Safe (MOSS), an organization working to improve campus security at every Berkeley school, and was appointed by the Superintendent to serve on the Berkeley School District’s safety committee. Brent also served on the Berkeley Police Accountability Board, where he provided citizen oversight of the Berkeley Police Department.

Alfred Twu (he, her, them, all) - Policy Chair

Alfred is a Rent Board Commissioner in Berkeley, and works on housing and tenant protection policy at the state and local level. They've also worked on improving and getting funding for transit and street improvements, as well as increasing LGBTQ and Asian American Pacific Islander participation in politics.

Avery Arbaugh (she/they) - Board Director

Avery Arbaugh is a student and community organizer who currently serves as a Labor Commissioner for the City of Berkeley and head of the Berkeley Tenant Organizing Task Force. Her organizing focuses on worker and tenant rights, and corporate-free progressive advocacy.

Austin Bruckner Carrillo (he/him) - Board Director

Austin Bruckner Carrillo is a progressive champion for public education, labor rights, and LGBTQ+ equity, making history in November 2024 as the youngest person ever elected to the Hayward Unified School District Board. He flipped a historically right-wing seat. Born to parents struggling with addiction, Austin was raised by and later adopted into a Puerto Rican-Italian household that instilled in him the values of resilience, service, and community. Coming from a working-class, union family, he knows firsthand the importance of strong public schools and labor protections in uplifting marginalized communities.

Austin brings more than a decade of experience working in local and state government, where he has been a tireless advocate for students, working families, and equity-driven policies. He served as a Board Member for the South Alameda County Young Democrats and is an Associate Member of the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, fighting to amplify youth voices and advance progressive policies. He is also the President of Alameda County’s longest-running LGBTQ+ Pride organization, working to protect and uplift queer communities in the face of rising right-wing attacks.

Chantel B. Carter (she/her) - Board Director

Chantel Carter is a dedicated public servant with a career spanning Capitol Hill, federal law enforcement, and community engagement. As a law enforcement officer in the District of Columbia, Chantel worked to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the LGBTQ community by fostering trust, understanding, and meaningful dialogue. As an active member in the Bay Area LGBTQ community, Chantel remains committed to promoting inclusivity and equity in all spaces.

Jordan Long (he/him) - Board Director

Jordan Long is an Oakland native with over ten years of experience in LGBTQ+ advocacy. As a passionate advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Jordan brings a unique blend of expertise and enthusiasm to the East Bay Stonewall Democrats. Jordan has been on the boards of LGBTQ student organizations at Morehouse College and California State University East Bay. Jordan joined the East Bay Stonewall Democrats because he believes that it is one’s duty to serve their community. Outside of the board duties, Jordan enjoys walking in Oakland’s emerging vogue ballroom scene, cooking, and attending Oakland’s many cultural festivals. Jordan enthusiastically welcomes conversation about how we can continue to empower our community.

Lorrel Plimier (she/her) - Board Director

Lorrel was elected to the Piedmont City Council in November of 2024. She is a US Army Veteran, attorney, and data scientist. She is well-versed in policy analysis and has over 15 years of experience as a practicing patent attorney specializing in software technology. Most recently, she worked as Managing Director for a consulting company she founded to provide data and technology support for mission driven non-profit organizations.

She served eight years on the board of the League of Women Voters of Piedmont including as president for four years. She is a Director on the board of the League of Women Voters of California supporting the mission of “empowering voters and defending democracy.” She also serves on the board of StopWaste, a public agency that helps Alameda County’s businesses, residents, and schools waste less, recycle properly, and use water, energy, and other resources efficiently.

Lorrel has a bachelor’s degree from Mount Holyoke College, a JD from Boston College Law School, and a Master of Information and Data Science degree from U.C. Berkeley.

East Bay Stonewall Democratic Club. P.O. Box 10996, Oakland, CA 94610 Contact us at: eastbaystonewalldems@gmail.com