Leadership
The Leadership Team
Adrian Brantley
(he/they)
Prism Teens Program Director
Adrian Brantley is a Mobile native and student at the University of South Alabama earning his degree in hospitality and tourism management. An advocate at heart, Adrian has spoken out for trans rights at rallies and community events like Trans•Lucent and the Trans Youth Town Hall. He is an avid coffee lover who spends much of his time participating in local community theater, performing in productions like Oliver, Beauty and the Beast, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Adrian was once a member of our Prism Teens program, and he works tirelessly to contribute to that program’s continued growth and success.
Corey Harvard
(he/him)
Executive Director
Corey Harvard is a poet and singer-songwriter from Grand Bay, Alabama. He received his BA in English and philosophy from the University of South Alabama where he served as editor-in-chief of Oracle Fine Arts Review. He is a recipient of the Steve and Angelia Stokes Undergraduate Poetry Award, a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, and a regular coach for Poetry Out Loud in Mobile. Corey co-founded Prism United in 2018 with his dear friend Justin Litaker. In his free time, he enjoys backpacking, reading, and being a guncle. You can read Corey’s coming out story on his travel blog The Trip That Takes Us.
Kirsten Purvis
(she/her)
Prism Preteens Program Director
Kirsten is a Mobile native. She has twice graduated from the University of South Alabama: first with a BA in secondary education and English, followed by an MA in education leadership. Kirsten has seven years of teaching experience with English learners and is currently coordinator of the MCPSS ESL & migrant programs. As the program director of Prism Preteens, she develops curriculum and facilitates preteen meetups. She spends her spare time going on adventures with her little girl.
Rachel McMullen
(she/her)
Development Director
Rachel is a seasoned educator and librarian with master’s degrees in both Education and Library and Information Science. With over a decade of community engagement and teaching experience, combined with a profound love for creative writing, she has become a catalyst for driving impactful fundraising initiatives. Her commitment to community development and lifelong learning is unwavering, and she firmly believes in the profound transformational potential of storytelling. To relax, she enjoys the benefits of belly laughter and being under a blue sky as well as sharing time and food with friends and family.
Ricketha Kirksey
(they/she)
Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator
Ricketha Kirksey earned their BA in Sociology at Auburn University at Montgomery where they served as a peer mentor and tour guide for the Admissions Office. A proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated, Ricketha prides herself on the values of sisterhood and is often seen in the community serving at all capacities. When it’s time to get her creative juices flowing, she enjoys DIY crafts and has a love for rollerblading, hiking, and yoga. Ricketha lives by the mottos: “You don’t have to be good at things to enjoy them” and “I’d rather regret doing something than doing nothing at all.”
Sarah Fischer
(she/they)
Color Fairhope With Pride Event Coordinator
Sarah Rutledge Fischer is an artist, writer, LGBTQ+ activist, and licensed (but inactive) attorney living in Fairhope, Alabama. Since 2015, Sarah has been writing for Focus Magazines, authoring articles that serve the LGBTQ+ community, including a regular advice column titled Ask Allie. Closer to home, she teaches art classes at the Eastern Shore Art Center and exhibits her artwork locally. In her free time, she can be found spending time with her family or tending her beehives.
Program Leads & Facilitators
Prism’s gatherings are run by Program Leads and Facilitators who are vetted and trained during their onboarding at Prism. These members of the team are the beating heart of our support groups, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of LGBTQ+ young people and their loved ones. For information about becoming a Facilitator, check out our volunteer page!
Cooperative Governing Ethos
Prism strives to cultivate a cooperative governing ethos, de-centering power and prioritizing the voices of the youth it serves. To achieve this, we hold 360-degree evaluations: youth evaluate facilitators, facilitators evaluate directors. Submitted evaluations are anonymous and inaccessible to the individuals to whom they pertain. To foster a cooperative ethos in our board, we’ve eliminated hierarchical officer titles and practice consensus decision-making.
Board of Directors
RHODA VANDERHART
Coordinating Officer
CHENELE CHAPMAN
Administrative Officer
KRISTON SEIBER
Finance Officer
DAN VANNOSTRAND
Records Officer
MARGARET JORDAN
Member
ANTONIO BRITO
Member
PRISM UNITED
Prism United responds to the comprehensive needs of LGBTQ youth. Specifically, Prism works to mitigate the psychological, socio-economic, and academic disadvantages caused by repression and victimization.