# Partners, team, and volunteers

Source: https://www.qaravan.org/annual-report/2025/team/

*Brighton Beach Pride, May 10, 2025.*

This section thanks the board members, program leaders, volunteers, Brighton Beach Pride team, and partners behind QARAVAN’s work in New York City (NYC) in 2025.

## Board of Directors

- Yelena Goltsman, President
- Ezra Abdullabekov, Vice-President
- Enver Latifzade, Treasurer
- Dante Matero, Secretary
- Tanzilya Oren, Board Member
- Lieb Fischbach, Board Member
- Lyosha Gorshkov, Board Member
- Alex Trifonov, Board Member
- Maxim Ibadov, Board Member

## Program leadership

- Olga Mamaeva, Program Director
- Aleksandr Grigorev (Alex), Assistant Coordinator
- Maxim Ibadov, National Coordinator through May 2026; also Pride Organizer
- Alex Trifonov, Health Coordinator
- Regina (Gina) Rafikova, Support-group facilitator
- Simon Shterenberg, Support-group facilitator

## Volunteers and contributors

Thank you to everyone who gave their time to welcome newcomers, coordinate programs, translate documents, and organize events in 2025.

- Aleksei Igumnov: Volunteer recruitment and coordination
- Ekaterina Dostovalova: Rainbow Connections coordination
- Elena Fennell: Rainbow Connections matching and follow-up
- Sabina Dzhabbarova: Events and Pride preparation
- Daria Ashikhmina: Female Queer Perspectives curation
- Lilu Goncharova: Arts workshops and events
- Jason Sidorov: Communications and Pride preparation
- Liza Masodova: Knitting workshops
- Ainur Tleubay: Group hikes
- Arsen Sattar Abeu: Community Member Support
- Aleksandr Sabirov: Community Assistance & Support
- Maksim Gavriliuk: Pride preparation

## Brighton Beach Pride team

Thank you to everyone who planned our ninth Brighton Beach Pride, welcomed participants, prepared banners and publicity, performed, helped with setup and cleanup, and documented the day.

## Organizing team

- Yelena Goltsman
- Olga Mamaeva
- Aleksandr Grigorev
- Maxim Ibadov
- Tanzilya Oren
- Lieb Fischbach
- Aleksei Igumnov

## Pride preparation

- Ekaterina Dostovalova
- Sabina Dzhabbarova
- Jason Sidorov
- Kirill Sannikov
- Maksim Gavriliuk

## Photography

- Dinara Khairova
- Stas Ginzburg / Liberation Archives

## Partners

Thank you to the organizations that shared their expertise, hosted our programs, and supported our work in 2025.

## Immigration and practical support

- SAFE Asylum: Immigration Pro Se Legal Clinic partnership
- RIF Asylum Support: Asylum information and support
- Brooklyn Defender Services: Immigration support documentation

## Program spaces

- Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST)
- Kane Street Synagogue
- Pier 57 / Hudson River Park
- Brooklyn Community Pride Center
- Coney Island USA
- New York City Pride (NYC Pride) / Heritage of Pride

## Arts and learning

- Hunter College’s Russian and East European Cultures program and the Tamizdat Project: Film screening collaboration
- Awita New York Gallery: Exhibition space

## Pride and outreach

- PFLAG NYC
- National Queer Theater
- GayRidge
- New Yorkers for Culture & Arts: Outreach and collaboration around Pride
- Rude Mechanical Orchestra: Music at Brighton Beach Pride

## We also thank

- Legal Services NYC
- New York University (NYU) Langone
- Riverside Language Program
- Emma’s Torch
- CAMBA
- International Rescue Committee
- Ruth’s Refuge
- New York City Commission on Racial Equity
- MyBiblioteka
- Russian Refugee Foundation
- Feminist Anti-War Resistance
- Memorial
- Russian Seattle for Freedom
- First Presbyterian Church

[PDF, 28 pages, 17.9 MB](https://www.qaravan.org/files/qaravan-annual-report-2025.pdf)