FOUNDING BOARD MEMBERS
Our founding board members form the structural foundation of QCAF. Their role is to support, strengthen, and safeguard the organization’s long-term mission—ensuring the resources, stability, and governance that allow the creative vision of QCAF to flourish and evolve.
Nick Ammaturo – President of the Board
Founder and strategic leader ensuring organizational alignment, sustainability, and impact.
Marc R. Christensen – Executive Director, Creative & Cultural Affairs
Founder and artistic visionary, leading public programming, residencies, and curatorial efforts.
Peter Lemire – Executive Director, Internal Affairs
Oversees operations, administration, and internal systems to keep the foundation running smoothly. He brings years of foundational nonprofit experience, offering deep insight into mission-driven infrastructure and organizational care.
Stephen Charles Lessard – Managing Attorney + Founding Board Member
Stephen provides essential guidance on legal structuring, compliance, and governance. He stewards QCAF through complex organizational matters, ensuring our foundation is equipped for sustainable growth and long-term impact.
Dennis Chimeri – Founding Board Member
Community liaison and Manager of The Visitors Center, bringing frontline engagement to QCAF’s cultural footprint.
Alex (August) Weinberg – Founding Board Member
Leads the Paul McGregor Residency – Bamboo House (QCAF Residency Site 002), honoring her grandfather’s creative legacy.
Fran Tirado – Founding Board Member
Develops a dedicated residency for the Dolls and/or the trans community, expanding QCAF’s commitment to queer visibility.
Carlin Rollenhagen – Founding Board Member
Brings years of experience in fashion development, branding, and sustainability to QCAF. Leads the foundation’s fashion programming, and residencies, spotlighting queer designers and storytelling through style.
FOUNDATION STAFF
Our staff lead QCAF’s initiatives and platforms, translating vision into action, supporting day-to-day operations, and preserving our shared cultural memory.
Nick Hernandez – Head of Human Resources
Nick brings extensive HR expertise and leadership to QCAF, overseeing human resources strategy across all entities under the foundation. His work ensures that our internal culture is rooted in equity, care, and best practices for creative and operational excellence.
Emilio Buitrago – Editorial Director, Fire Island Tea & QCAF Archivist
Leads content development and directs our archival efforts through Fire Island Tea, helping transform it into the foundation’s primary storytelling platform.
Christian Shackton – Editorial Director, Fire Island Tea & QCAF Archivist
Leads content development and directs our archival efforts through Fire Island Tea, ensuring that our living archive reflects the depth, diversity, and evolution of queer cultural history.
Dennis Chimeri – Store Manager, The Visitors Center
(Also a founding board member) Manages the retail and community-facing space and programming at the heart of QCAF’s public engagement.
Taylor Jane – Concierge, The Visitors Center
Taylor brings radiant presence and heartfelt connection to the frontlines of QCAF's cultural experience. As concierge at the Visitors Center, she welcomes visitors, supports programs, and helps steward the spirit of queer hospitality at the heart of our foundation.
Arsen Karougian – Studio Fellow, Winter Residency
Arsen contributes to QCAF’s Winter Residency by offering use of his painting and ceramic studio on Cedar Walk. A collaborative partner to the foundation, Arsen works closely with Marc during the summer and provides vital space and resources to support year-round artistic programming.
FOUNDING RESIDENCY PARTNER
Tom of Finland Foundation – Founding Residency Partner – Erotic Arts + Histories Residency
Supports the development of QCAF’s Erotic Arts + Histories Residencies—affirming the roles of erotic expression and historical preservation in queer cultural storytelling and liberation. With QCAF based in Fire Island and ToFF headquartered in Los Angeles, this partnership creates a symbolic satellite exchange: a cross-country dialogue between two centers of queer artistic legacy, memory, and innovation.
BOARD OF ADVISORS
The QCAF Board of Advisors is a growing body of cultural thinkers, artists, organizers, and institutional partners who provide guidance, insight, and strategic counsel as the foundation evolves.
Robert Knox Hayes – Inaugural Member, Board of Advisors
A board member of Tom of Finland Foundation and respected cultural advocate, Robert brings a deep commitment to queer art, preservation, and intergenerational legacy to his advisory role at QCAF. He also serves as QCAF’s liaison to Tom of Finland Foundation, supporting aligned cross-country initiatives and collaborative programming between our two organizations.