Mei Ling Tom was born and raised in LA and lives in Palm Springs. After 30 years of teaching in the field of Special Education, she retired 10 years ago. Mei Ling has spent the past 7 years on the board of The L-Fund, a non-profit that supports cis, trans, and queer identifying lesbians in financial crisis, education, the arts, and health and wellness. When she’s not L-Funding, you may see her working at the Palm Springs Vintage Market, dancing hula, cooking, traveling, reading, and spending time with family and friends. Mei Ling especially cherishes spending time with her two children and 3 year- old twin grandkids!
Robbin Burr’s legacy leading career included serving as a co-founder and member of the American Airlines Rainbow TeAAm. The Rainbow TeAAm was one of the first (at that time) Fortune 100 companies to launch a dedicated marketing effort to gain the loyalty of the LGBTQ community. From her notoriety in the American Airlines role, Burr went on to serve as the Executive Director of the Center on Halsted in Chicago where, along with the Center’s board of directors, she helped lead that organization through a Capital Campaign to build a state-of-the-art LGBTQ center. Over the years, Burr has served as a board Co-chair for the National LGBTQ non-profit organizations Lambda Legal and Centerlink. She brings a wealth of experience in non-profit leadership and fundraising.
Gwen Kibbe has been a resident of Palm Springs since 2018. She has lived in various cities in California and the Midwest. After retiring, she chose to live in Palm Springs because of the wonderful LGBTQ community, and the weather. Her work career is in corporate operations where she managed multi-million dollar budgets and very large departments. She has been on the board of a Midwest LGBTQ community center and a LGBTQ foundation. She also supports numerous non-profit organizations with her time and other resources. She is thrilled to be on the L-Fund Board and looks forward to working with the diverse community of the Coachella Valley.
Marilyn Ramos is a local corporate paralegal who has worked at Guralnick & Gilliland, LLP. for over 25 years. She also has 5 years’ experience as an estate planning and probate paralegal. She was born and raised in New York City and then lived in Dallas, Texas for approximately 10 years before landing in the Palm Springs area.
Marilyn has been an advocate for women, the LGBTQIA+ community and animals for many years. She has volunteered her time with local animal advocacy groups and administers a local vegan group. She also volunteers her time with trade organizations in her field of work. Prior to serving on The L-Fund Board of Directors, she served on its Outreach Committee and LEAP Committee (and continues on those committees as well as others). She currently lives in Cathedral City with her two adorable dogs, Frida and Diego.
Marnie Tenden is originally from upstate New York. After getting her MBA in Arizona, she began her career in advertising at an international ad agency in New York City. Within a year, she transferred to the LA office. During the next twenty years she held various Executive Advertising and Marketing positions before transitioning into public service as the Communications Director at the Southern California Association of Governments.
In 2008 she started her own company, In Sync Social Media, which still keeps her active. In most recent years she has focused on creating web sites for non-profits. She is the author of two books, and after moving to Palm Springs in 2018, began painting again. Her work has been in Palm Springs art galleries and stores, and she is one of the founding members of Lesbian Artists of the Desert. Her Aussie, Kari, keeps her in shape.
Dr. Karyl Ketchum is a Professor and the Department Chair of Gender and Sexuality Studies at California State University, Fullerton. Her research centers on the politics of representation and how these reproduce, resist, and reimagine hegemonic structures of power and identity. Her book, Gender Diversity and LGBTQ Inclusion in K-12 Schools: A Guide to Supporting Students, Changing Lives (Routledge), is a first resource for educators interested in ensuring educational spaces and institutions responsive to the needs of LGBTQIA+ students.
Carol Gorski has a long history of success as a Human Resources Professional in both the public and private sectors. Carol started her career in local government in the Anaheim City Manager’s Office, then moved to the Orange County Board of Supervisors. She next moved to Washington D.C. to work for the U.S. Dept. of State and the Executive Office of the President, Management and Budget. Leaving the public sector, she joined Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and led their organizational change efforts which helped to move them to a successful deregulated business. Her next challenge was a move to Silicon Valley as a human resource executive at Sun Microsystems Inc. (now Oracle), then to Affymetrix Co. (a pioneering biotech company, now Thermo Fisher Scientific), and Infinera Inc. (a telecommunications start-up). Moving back to Southern California to be close to family and friends she currently serves as a Business Consultant for the Coachella Valley Women’s Business Center and HR Manager at Vyaire Medical Inc. in Palm Springs. Carol is a frequent speaker and meeting facilitator at volunteer and community events.
Maria Fraser RN spent her career helping others. Her work in Social Welfare led her to obtain her Nursing degree, where she specialized in psychiatry, chemical dependency, and adolescent health. She has over 30 years’ experience in intake and case management for high-risk populations who are impacted by financial instability, addiction, insufficient medical resources, or unsafe living situations. She has served on and consulted with many community collaboration boards.
Maria’s experience and skills fit well with the mission of The L-Fund, one that Maria strongly believes in. Knowing that lesbians often have a lack of family and financial support, she joined the Board of Directors in 2014 to be a part of the journey, and now serves as Intake Coordinator. The work of The L-Fund is very meaningful to her.