Board of Directors

Ryan Bedrosian, President
Rich’s Nightclub

Ryan Bedrosian is the owner of Rich’s Nightclub located in the heart of Hillcrest and a San Diego resident for over 20 years. Before taking ownership of the club in 2020, he was the general manager of Rich’s for the previous 12 years. He currently serves on the City of San Diego Police Chief’s and the San Diego County Sheriff’s LGBT advisory boards.

Gary Wong, Board Vice President
Gary Wong Properties

Gary has an extensive background in the banking and financial sectors having a long career with Union Bank as Senior Vice President and Region Sales Manager for the west coast. Gary has a long philanthropic background. He served as President of the San Diego Mortgage Bankers Association and San Diego Home Loan Counseling Service, Board Member at Community Housing Works, and an Advisory Member of the Fair Housing Council of San Diego. Gary’s family has long been a stakeholder in Hillcrest and continues to hold many properties throughout the neighborhood.

Gary currently serves on the HBA’s Maintenance Assessment District Committee.

Adam Gilman, Board Treasurer
Gillman Ventures

Gioia Marino, Board Secretary
Gioia’s Room
Gioia Marino is a proud business owner in Hillcrest. Her Styling House of Inclusion has been a retail staple in the community for over 11 years. Gioia’s Room offers unique & one of a kind styles, in house styling, reworked pieces and complementary alterations with purchase.

Gioia is an active participant in all Hillcrest community events - such as the reoccurring monthly event A Walk in A.R.T., City Fest, Pride and many more.

She is also an active member of the community

in other respects. From having spoken at a press conference at the Mayor’s office - on behalf of her fellow business owners - to having participated in multiple news appearances; discussing local community business, safety and upcoming events.

Gioia is very excited at the possibility of being a member of The Board of Directors for the HBA. As a long standing retail business owner, she is ready to offer a new, vivacious, fresh perspective & voice to the board!

Glenn Younger, Member
Great Security

Glenn Younger is president of Grah Security / Grah Safe and Lock and they have been helping San Diegans to be Safe, Secure and Successful since 1914.  The Grah office is located at 10th and University Ave. In addition to the retail storefront, Grah dispatches service vehicles throughout San Diego country from their convenient Hillcrest location. The supply division of Grah also takes advantage of the Hillcrest location and serves facility and building professionals with their door and security hardware needs.

Glenn has been involved with the HBA since 2006. He is also involved with the Hillcrest Farmers Market, Hillcrest CDC, Metro CDC,  and the Uptown Community Plan Update committees.

Trent St. Luis, Member
Realtor

Trent St. Louis has been a full time Realtor for over 20 years in metro San Diego and works for the real estate brokerage, The Metropolitan Group. Trent also owned and operated his own real estate office in San Diego before selling it in 2004. Before his real estate career, Trent worked for Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Division as a Humans Resources Director. Trent has a Bachelors in Liberal Arts and a Professional Designation in Human Resource Management for UCLA. Trent is a local San Diego resident, who lives in Hillcrest. 

Sheila Kazemaini, Member
UClick Properties
I have over 25 years of experience in property management.  I am known for being a problem solver, effective communicator, thought leader, and relationship builder.  I am concerned about the growing homeless population in Hillcrest and it’s effect on neighborhood safety and cleanliness, as well as causing Hillcrest's recent loss of some well-known national businesses. Hillcrest is a wonderfully unique and vibrant area of San Diego and I would like to work with my fellow Hillcrest business owners to ensure that Hillcrest is a safe, vibrant, walkable area that will attract customers and tenants to our businesses.

Dorian Brewer, Member
State Farm Insurance

Dorian is a State Farm agency owner in Hillcrest since 2020  located in the historic bank building on the corner of University and Fifth Avenue. He has lived in San Diego for over 20 years and believes in surrounding himself with those who will push him to be better.

His passion is to be actively involved and support his community. He says, “a connected community is a strong community that understands and accepts each other for who they are as people.”

He makes full use of his platform as a high profile State Farm agent to help the LGBTQ community. Most of his team identify with the LGBTQ community. He makes it a point to support local LGBTQ businesses and help promote them through his social media.

A few items below of which he is particularly proud are: Proud co-parent to an amazing human being, Fundraiser and supporter not-for-profits since his childhood, Cystic Fibrosis bike-a-thon, Multiple Sclerosis 50 Mile Walk, Project KidReady, GirlScouts, Amazing Strays, Red Dress Party, Supporter and advocate of the LGBT+ communities and businesses, LGBTQ+ business owner and survivor since 2020, Selected to represent LGBTQ+ State Farm agent in national social media campaign, San Diego Equality Business Association Board Member (2018-2022), Co-founder of Sobriety on the Sand (SOS) – not-for-profit benefiting the recovery community.

Kyle Matthews, Member
Flicks Nightclub

Kyle Matthews currently serves as the Operations Manager at Flicks and has been a part of the staff just shy of 8 years. He has previously served as the Events Coordinator and Open Division Rep on America’s Finest City Softball League (AFCSL) board.  He has been an active member of the Hillcrest community since he first arrived in San Diego in 2012. His organizational skills and his personability are known throughout the neighborhood, and represent the Flicks staff and community well. 

Byron Ross, Member

Byron Ross is a proud San Diego native and Realtor with PorchLight Realty, bringing 14 years of vibrant community engagement in Hillcrest. As a familiar face in the neighborhood, Byron has dedicated himself to fostering strong relationships among local residents and business members.

With four years of experience as a Board Member of the Hillcrest Business Association, Byron has been instrumental in driving initiatives that benefit the community. He also serves on the Board of the Uptown Community Parking District, where his efforts have contributed to significant projects like the Normal Street Promenade.

Byron’s passion for Hillcrest shines through in his volunteer work at various events, from setting up the Pride Block Party and Nightmare on Normal Street to promoting CityFest and Walk-In-Art. His commitment to seeing the Hillcrest community thrive is unwavering, and he believes that together, we can continue to make this neighborhood an exceptional place to live and work.

Professional Staff

Benjamin Nicholls, Executive Director

Benjamin Nicholls has served as the HBA’s Executive Director for over ten years. While in Hillcrest, he has been the recipient of the “Outstanding Ally Nicky” award by the San Diego LGBT Imperial Court, he is the recipient of an San Diego Architectural Foundation award, he was the project manager for the creation of the San Diego LGBT Pride Flag and Hillcrest Pride Historical Monument, he oversaw two expansions of the Hillcrest Farmers Market, and the complete renovation of the Hillcrest Sign. Prior to his time with the HBA, he managed Discover Pacific Beach where he created the Beach Area Community Court in a partnership with the San Diego City Attorney’s office and the San Diego Police Department. He has presented at national conferences on community development, marketing, criminal justice, and urban development. As a private consultant he oversaw a lighting demonstration event in Barrio Logan’s Chicano Park National Historic Landmark and an event unveiling the Barrio Logan Community Sign. He is the president of the Uptown Community Parking District and holds a masters degree in leadership and nonprofit management from the University of San Diego.

Valerie Le Page, Special Event Manager

Valerie earned her Bachelor's degree in Recreation, Tourism, and Event Management and her Bachelor's in Global Wine Trade at Central Washington University. She has an extensive background in Special Events ranging from small community events to large-scale music and food festivals. Her wide range of event experience has helped her to master the skills of multitasking, organization, and elevating the customer experience.

Valerie was born and raised in Washington State before moving to Idaho post graduation. While in Idaho, she developed a love and passion for helping small businesses and creating community events. Since moving to San Diego, Valerie and her pup Jaxx enjoy soaking up the sun on the beach and exploring the City.

Natalie Starr, Communications Manager

Natalie received her Bachelor’s in Strategic Communication with an emphasis in Advertising from Northern Arizona University. She moved back to her hometown, San Diego, to start her career. Natalie has worked in customer service for years and decided to carry out her dream of getting into the event industry this past summer. Eager and excited to learn everyday, Natalie hopes to put into practice her growth mindset, time management, and communication skills for special events in the community. 

A San Diego native, Natalie enjoys spending time with her friends and family by going to the beach, eating at local restaurants, and attending festivals and concerts.

Wendy Tapia, Event and Project Assistant

Wendy is a proud first-generation Mexican-American and a graduate of the University of California, San Diego, where she earned a B.S in Earth Sciences. Fluent in both Spanish and English, she brings a people-centered approach to her work and a genuine love for community-building.

Prior to joining the Hillcrest Business Association, Wendy gained hands-on experience working closely with the public sector, where she developed a passion for inclusive, accessible spaces and community-focused initiatives. Outside of work, Wendy can often be found at the beach, exploring local restaurants, or thrifting around San Diego.

Marcel Brown, Custodial Manager

Board of Directors Cont.

Gloria Cruz Cardenas, Member
San Diego LGBT Community Center

Gloria Cruz Cardenas is a passionate public servant with more than 22 years of experience in actively developing policy and advocacy with a race and equity framework. She is a lifelong activist for LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights, being a member of both communities.

She currently serves as the Chief Impact Officer at The San Diego LGBT Community Center (The Center) where she leads The Center's Public Affairs Department.  Previous to her work at The Center, she served as the Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). While at CHIRLA, she led regional, binational, state, and federal efforts to advance the rights of immigrants and refugees in California, Mexico, and the U.S.

A glass ceiling breaking activist and organizer, Gloria was deeply involved with the 1994 student walkouts in opposition to CA Prop 187, and was active in the campaigns for in-state tuition for immigrant youth (AB 540) and fighting for the DREAM Act.

A graduate of San Diego State University, prior to CHIRLA, Gloria served at the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties where she focused on education equity, immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and criminal system reform. Followed by service at the SD City Council under President Georgette Gomez and at the SD County Board of Supervisors under Supervisor Terra Lawson Remer, Gloria served the City of San Diego and subsequently the County as the Director of Community Engagement, Public Safety & Binational Affairs. During her tenure in local government, she brought forward legislation against the Trump administration, affirming San Diego’s commitment to welcoming immigrants and refugees.  

Gloria is an Hispanas Organized for Political Equality Leadership Institute (HLI) 2019 Fellow and University of San Diego’s Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Alum. She is also a graduate of Yale School of Management’s Executive Women Leadership Program.

Mike Burnett, Member
Foundation for Form

Paris Sukomi Max, Member
Barrel and Board

Victoria Robertson, Member
Divo Diva