"I first met Leah Bartley a year ago, at a business get together she had coordinated at The Top Of The East. It was a small, intimate affair, and I remember thinking that THIS is the sort of thing that Portland's gay community vitally needs! ...And thus was the beginning of a wonderful collaboration. The feedback from DEPA participants has been overwhelming & personally fulfilling. It is the reason why I've put the resources of my company & all of my efforts into DEPA. I believe that it is important to give back to your community, and I hope this counts.

I had mentors when I was in my early 20s—people who gave me their time, believed in me, encouraged me to do better & to be better. I have worked hard for what I've accomplished, and I've had a lot of help along the way. DEPA is my payback, it gives me great satisfaction when I see young people at our events. It's a great place for them to get business world experience, meet like-minded professional gay men & women and have a safe place to belong. It is my hope that they see us as positive role models and that someday they too will give back and pass on the lessons, the patience & the grace to be themselves to others. It is this sense of self worth that I pass on to future generations. DEPA is all of our legacies."

Sid has over 25 years of marketing, sales & advertising experience. As a small business owner in the Old Port, he works hard to combine Portland's business community with local resources to keep them afloat during this uncertain economy & strong for the future. Understanding the value of supporting local gay & gay-friendly businesses & professionals, Sid's focus is to bring the right resources to the creative table and make magic happen.

"I partnered with Sid Tripp to start DEPA because we saw the direction the economy was going and wanted to promote our own business as well as others in the LGBT community. Our events give people the opportunity to get to know and support other LGBT businesses. Napoleon Hills' book Think and Grow Rich discusses the mastermind alliance philosophy. Why not create that type of culture within the gay community? We wanted to create an event that is conducive to have conversations and chat with one another. DEPA is also a forum for a professional community to share ideas. This is only the beginning as we help each other strive for success. Why not create a kind of Good Old Gays Network!"

Leah has over 11 years experience in the financial services industry. Her specialties include 401k plans, retirement planning, long term care insurance and domestic partner planning. She holds two advanced designations and has been the recipient of many regional and national awards. Contact Leah to learn more about domestic partner planning.

Lauren Johnson
DEPA Coordinator, Webmaster

"I was introduced to DEPA through my administrative work at Proactive Resources. Since then, I have been happy to volunteer my marketing & graphic design services to DEPA, which has a great community mission as a strong promoter of Southern Maine's GLBTQ & gay-friendly professional business community. Even as a non-gay supporter, one can clearly see DEPA's positive message of unity, equality & support and its vital role as a resource for local business owners in networking strategy in the Portland area. "Everyone is always welcome!" and I like that!"

Lauren came from The Chronicle of Higher Education newspaper production office in Washington, DC. She is currently the Advertising Director at Proactive Resources. She holds a B.A. in Communications from Marymount University in Arlington, VA, and has also completed some graduate coursework at the University of Baltimore for Publications Design. A Virginia native, she currently resides in the West End of Portland, Maine.