Local
Comings & Goings
New roles for locals at ConferenceDirect and EDF
The ‘Comings & Goings’ column chronicles important life changes of Blade readers.
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].
Michael Sicheri
Michael H. Sicheri has taken a new position as Global Account Executive with ConferenceDirect, a leading provider of global meeting planning solutions. Sicheri said he is proud to be working with them the company because, “We help clients save time and money by securing the best hotel accommodations, meeting space, conference venues and hospitality services available at the most favorable terms possible.”
Sicheri has more than 30 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. He has worked at hotels including the Omni Shoreham Hotel, as a senior sales manager; the Loews Madison Hotel, as a national sales manager; and the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, as sales manager. In addition to his work with ConferenceDirect he is an owner of Cruise Planners, Travelisto.
Sicheri is a past vice president of Alexandria Gay Lesbian Association; past president of Capital Area Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. He also served in the United States Navy. He is a Persian Gulf War veteran stationed on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. He graduated from Mercyhurst University with a bachelor’s in Business/Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Management.
Mark W. Rupp recently began a new position with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) as director, Wildlife Campaign. Within the organization he will coordinate the activities and strategies among several EDF functional areas: political affairs, ecosystems, marketing and communications and legal. He will also facilitate activities and strategies with outside partners and coalitions and represent EDF to elected officials and members of the administration.
After President Trump’s election, Rupp left his position at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where he served as deputy associate administrator for intergovernmental relations. Prior to that, he worked for former Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire as director of her D.C. office and as legislative counsel to U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).
He worked as a law clerk for both the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and the San Francisco Environmental Law and Justice Clinic. Rupp has been active in the community as a member of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., and was on the board of the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice. He has received numerous awards including a 2016 Recognition for Service to the Environment and the States, Environmental Council of States (ECOS); 2012 Appreciation for Leadership on behalf of the Chair, Western Governors Association; and 2005 Distinguished Congressional Staff Award, National Association of Community Health Centers.
Mark Rupp
Scott Widmeyer was recently named chair of the School of Media and Public Affairs Council at The George Washington University. The National Council for Media and Public Affairs functions as the director’s advisory body for the School of Media and Public Affairs (SMPA). Comprised of distinguished national and international alumni and friends, the Council works to address issues impacting the growth and development of SMPA. In addition, members help to promote the mission of the university and SMPA through their work on the Council.
Widmeyer is a founding managing partner at Finn Partners and founder of Widmeyer Communications. Talking about Finn Partners, he said, “In June, we celebrated the fourth anniversary of Widmeyer Communications joining Finn Partners. It’s been a good and evolving endeavor. At mid-year, Finn Partners, a global marketing communications firm, is approaching nearly 600 employees in 14 offices throughout the U.S. and globally. Our most recent acquisition of Ying Communications enables Finn to establish its Asia-Pacific hub in Singapore.”
Scott Widmeyer
District of Columbia
Juvenile arrested for anti-gay assault in D.C.
Police say suspect targeted victim in house with Pride flags
D.C. police announced on June 16 that they have arrested a 13-year-old juvenile male on a charge of Assault With Significant Bodily Injury for allegedly throwing a rock through the window of a house in Northeast D.C. and “striking the victim in the face.”
In a statement announcing the arrest, police said the incident took place on Friday, June 6, and “LGBTQ+ flags were displayed at the front of the home.”
A separate D.C. police incident report obtained by the Washington Blade states, “Victim 1 reports he was sitting in his living room at the listed location watching television when a rock came through the front window and struck him about his left eye. Victim 1 suffered a laceration under his left eye.”
The report adds, “Victim 1 states he observed Suspect 1 running away.”
According to the June 16 statement issued by police, “On Sunday, June 15, 2025, officers located the suspect and placed him under arrest. [A] 13-year-old juvenile male of Northeast D.C., was charged with Assault With Significant Bodily Injury (Hate/Bias).”
The statement says the house where the incident occurred is located on the 400 block of 20th Street, N.E.
Similar to statements D.C. police have issued regarding LGBTQ bias-related cases in the past, the statement announcing this case says that while the case is being investigated as being potentially motivated by hate or bias, that designation could be changed at any time during the investigation.
It adds that a hate crime designation by D.C. police may not be prosecuted as a hate crime by prosecutors. Under D.C. law, juvenile cases are prosecuted by the Office of the D.C. Attorney General.
Since court records for cases involving juveniles are sealed from public access, the Blade could not immediately determine whether prosecutors designated the case as a hate crime.
It also could not immediately be determined if the juvenile charged in the case was being held in detention while awaiting trial at juvenile court or whether he was released to a parent or guardian and whether a judge set any conditions for release.
The police statement concludes by saying that the department’s Special Liaison Branch, which includes the LGBT Liaison Unit, is assisting with the investigation.
Milton, Del., will host its Pride Fest this Saturday with the theme “Small Town, Big Heart.” The town’s population of just over 3,000 is in its sixth year hosting Pride.
The event is hosted by Sussex Pride and Milton Theatre and will take place from 4-8 p.m. in the area surrounding the theater. Admission is pay-what-you-can and proceeds will support the Milton Theatre’s education wing campaign, an initiative dedicated to expanding arts education and creating spaces for the next generation of performers and artists.
The musical act schedule includes Goldstar at 4 p.m., Magnolia Applebottom and Friends at 5:30 p.m., and Mama’s Blacksheep at 6:45 p.m. There will be vendors, food trucks, and a Kids Fest with an inflatable obstacle course.
“In our little corner of the world, LOVE leads the way! Milton Pride 2025 is a celebration for EVERYONE — neighbors, families, allies, and friends — because acceptance, kindness, and community belong to us all,” Milton Theatre’s website reads. “Whether you’re here to cheer, learn, or simply feel the joy … you’re welcome exactly as you are. Let’s come together and celebrate Milton, a SMALL TOWN … with a BIG HEART!”
District of Columbia
Drive with Pride in D.C.
A new Pride-themed license plate is now available in the District, with proceeds directly benefiting local LGBTQ organizations.
Just in time for Pride month, the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles has partnered with the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs to create a special “Pride Lives Here” license plate.
The plate, which was initially unveiled in February, has a one-time $25 application fee and a $20 annual display fee. Both fees will go directly to the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning Affairs Fund.
The MOLGBTQA Fund provides $1,000,000 annually to 25,000 residents through its grant program, funding a slew of LGBTQ organizations in the DMV area — including Capital Pride Alliance, Whitman-Walker, the D.C. Center for the LGBTQ Community, and the Washington Blade Foundation.
The license plate features an inclusive rainbow flag wrapping around the license numbers, with silver stars in the background — a tribute to both D.C.’s robust queer community and the resilience the LGBTQ community has shown.
The “Pride Lives Here” plate is one of only 13 specialty plates offered in the District, and the only one whose fees go directly to the LGBTQ community.
To apply for a Pride plate, visit the DC DMV’s website at https://dmv.dc.gov/
Blogging my way through the Norwegian Fjords and the Arctic
Juvenile arrested for anti-gay assault in D.C.
Trump anti-trans EO used to deny health care to Democrats, unmarried vets
New LGBTQ+ Archive to save scrubbed federal resources
PHOTOS: Baltimore Pride Parade
Drag queens protest Trump at the Kennedy Center
Padilla forcibly removed from federal building for questioning DHS secretary
Pride and Progress: Supporting LGBTQ+ Communities in Quitting
Tel Aviv Pride parade cancelled after Israel attacks Iran
Drive with Pride in D.C.
-
District of Columbia5 days agoDrag queens protest Trump at the Kennedy Center
-
Congress5 days agoPadilla forcibly removed from federal building for questioning DHS secretary
-
Sponsored5 days agoPride and Progress: Supporting LGBTQ+ Communities in Quitting
-
Israel4 days agoTel Aviv Pride parade cancelled after Israel attacks Iran