Meet the Staff
Our staff keep The Center running every day. Feel free to stop in for a visit or call if you are needing resources!
Emily Rokosch
Executive Director
She/Her
Emily is a longtime nonprofit leader and advocate with over 20 years of experience supporting LGBTQ+ youth, families, and communities. She brings to The Center a strong commitment to equity, community
engagement, and thoughtful organizational growth. Before coming to The Center, Emily held senior roles at JASMYN, a Florida-based LGBTQ+ youth center. She also founded the LGBTQ+ Resource Center at the University of North Florida and later led the center at UCLA.
She holds a master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling, and her advocacy work has spanned healthcare, education, corporate, and nonprofit spaces—always with a focus on connecting systems more deeply to the communities they serve. At the heart of her work is a love for building community.
With deep family roots in Montana, Emily is excited to get to know Missoula and spend more time with her twin sister, who lives just outside of Bozeman. And if all goes well—she just might become the better fisherman of the two.
Kera Rivera
Operations Administrator
They/Them
Kera is the Operations Administrator for The Center and Site Ops Manager for Missoula Pride. They are passionate about creating a comfortable and safe space for their community while focusing on accessibility, safety and inclusivity. Kera has been a part of the Missoula community for over 10 years, moving to Missoula from Chicago in 2012. Kera came out in their mid 20s and has worked hard to create a fulfilling life with a chosen family and amazing friends, while wishing the same for everyone in this community.
Accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusivity are major focuses that they try to include in everything they do at The Center as well as throughout Missoula. In their free time, they can be found napping on water vessels, training their cat to walk on a leash or doing theater in the local scene from MCT to Rocky at The Wilma. Kera loves Missoula and can't imagine a better place to let their freak flag fly.
Kelli Villalva
Social Work Intern
She/Her
Kelli is a social work practicum student from the University of Montana. She is excited to work at The Center and continue to make the LGBTQ+ community feel welcome and inspired in Missoula. She is originally from Washington but moved to the Midwest for a few years, and is excited to make her way back to the beautiful mountain region! She loves reading, hiking, arts/crafts, and going to fun events around Missoula. Her goal in her social work career is to eventually work with queer children and make the world a safer place for lgbtq+ youth. She is looking forward to learning more about how to support the local city while learning about policies that impact the queer community. She is looking forward to being here and can’t wait to hear from you.
