About Peacock Productions
Below you can find the biographies of Peacock Productions Inc. Board of Directors and how they became involved with the Audria M. Edwards Scholarship Fund.
Maria
Peacock Productions, Inc. Co-Founder/President and Peacock After Dark hostess Maria has been a leader in the gay community for more than 23 years. A natural born entertainer, Maria gave her first drag-style performance in 1986 at the infamous Darcelle XV Showplace. She became a member of Oregon's oldest gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender organization; The Portland Forum and was elected to serve as Ms. Gay Portland II the following year.
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Kimberlee Van Patten
Peacock Productions, Inc. Co-Founder and Secretary Kimberlee Van Patten’s involvement in the gay community dates back to 1984 when she became involved in the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court (ISRC). In 1990, Kimberlee won one of three open seats on the board of directors for the ISRC and went on to serve for a total of four years (three as president) before becoming Rose Emperor XXIII.
Kimberlee has proven to be a driving force in the gay community. Over the past 26 years she has produced events such as the Medieval Feast, the All Ages Show, Peacock in the Park and Peacock After Dark. (more...)
Gina Valdez
Gina Valdez became involved with the gay community of Spokane, in 1986 and was crowned Prince XII in 1987. After moving to Montana, Gina became the first Emperor of the newly formed Imperial Court of All Montana in 1995. She subsequently moved to Portland, and became a member of the ISRC where she was crowned Prince XXIII in 1997. Gina served as board member of the ISRC for several years and has been a member of Peacock Productions, Inc since 2002.
Today, Gina and her partner Alicia own and operate two adult foster care facilities. They live in SE Portland with their adopted children Hattie and Diego.
Jane Arends
Jane Arends joined the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Emerald Empire in Eugene, Oregon in 1980 and was elected Empress X in 1983. In 1989, she moved to Portland and began attending and volunteering at Peacock in the Park. In 2002, Jane joined the AME scholarship review team and in 2004 she became a member of the Peacock Productions, Inc. board of directors where she currently serves as the Recording Secretary. Since 1994 Jane has been an active member of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Raintree Empire of Vancouver, Washington and in 1999, she was elected Empress XXV, received the Tim Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award and the Jose I Honors Award.
Jane is a 1958 graduate of Wilson High in Portland, received her BA from Whitman in 1962, MST from PSU in 1965, and PhD from U of O in 1975. After a 44-year career in public education as a teacher, program evaluator and administrator, Jane retired in 2006. She now lives in Vancouver with Shelley, her partner of 18 years.
Monica Boulevard a.k.a. Casey Ipock
Casey Ipock also known as Monica Blvd. grew up in Eugene, Oregon and moved to Portland in 1991 where he became a regular cast member at the Darcelle XV Showplace. As an entertainer, Casey performed in the last 13 Peacock in the Park events and has hosted various Latino Pageants for the past 11 years. He has also been the Pageant Director and MC for the LaFemme Magnifique International Pageant for the past several years. Earlier this year, Casey was featured in a national advertising campaign for the best-selling novel SNUFF by Chuck Palahniuk.
In 2011, Monica's "Keep it Fresh" campaign captured the city and she was crowned Rose Empress LIII of the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court.
As a business professional, Casey has been an Assistant Vice President with Bank of America for ten years, served multiple terms on the board of directors for the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. He is currently a member of the Oregon Association of Minority Entrepreneurs and has been a Peacock Productions, Inc. board member since 2007.
Corey Payne
Corey Payne has been actively involved with several Portland area charitable organizations since 1999. During that year, he became First Gentleman to the Princess of the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court. In 2001 he won the title of White Knight VI and this year he was crowned Emperor 34 ½ of the Rose Court’s Sister organization the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Raintree Empire in Vancouver, Washington. Corey became a member of the Peacock Productions, Inc. board of directors in 2007.
Corey is a Project Manager/Consultant for an international Real Estate Management software company and has been traveling the US extensively for the past 6 years implementing this software solution at various local and regional governments with a focus on subsidized housing management. He lives with his partner of more than 12 years Scot in SE Portland.
Steve Maller
Joining the Peacock Board as Treasurer in 2009, Steve Maller has been involved in community fundraising for over 20 years, beginning in the late 80's when he moved to Portland from Eugene, Oregon.
Now a member of the Imperial Council of Empreses for the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court, Steve's alter-ego Stephanie DeVore served the community as Miss Gay Portland XXI in 1992, Princess XXIV in 1993 and Rose Empress XXXIX in 1996. While a busy work schedule and other outside interests keep Steve from doing drag as much as he used to, Stephanie delights in doing special guest appearances for good causes, upon request.
In addition to fundraising and volunteer work, Steve is politically active, helping raise awareness of labor and social issues and supporting like-minded elected officials and candidates. To pay the bills, he is a flight attendant for a major airline.
Adrienne Alexander a.k.a. Jason Mattern
Affectionately known as "The Largest White Woman In Captivity," Adrienne is celebrating 22 years in the female impersonation business. Originally from Arizona, Adrienne moved to Portland almost three years ago to expand her horizons and continue her career. No stranger to the stage, Adrienne has traveled the nation for years not only performing and hosting, but using her knowledge and abilities to help organizations like The Audria M. Edwards Scholarship Fund.
Since moving to the City of Roses, Adrienne has made her mark as Miss Gay Oregon XXXVIII and LaFemme Magnifique Plus International 2010-2011. Known for her big hair, elaborate costumes and over the top attitude - Adrienne is definately a character! She is also a costume maker & designer, a regular cast member of the Darcelle XV Showplace and a pageant promoter. By day, Adrienne's alter-ego Jason is a professional for an international banking institution.
Matt Getz a.k.a. Hollywood
Matt Getz has held several titles to serve the community. He started out by running for and winning the title of Thorn XXIX at the world's longest running underage gay pageant, Rosebud & Thorn. His involvement with the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court began when Rose Emperor XXXI Gary Benoit asked he and his Rosebud, Jinkx Monsoon, to orchestrate and star in the opening number for Portland's Coronation in 2005. The following year, Matt was elected Mr. Gay Portland XXXI and in 2007, he was crowned Rose Emperor XXXIV along with his Empress Fiona Flash Foxx. Together they reigned as the "Romance of the Rose".
An engaging entertainer, Matt became involvement with all things Peacock when he took to the stage during the last year of Peacock in the Park. Now, his drive and passion for Peacock Productions and the AME Fund can be seen every year at Peacock After Dark, setting the stage, lights, and generally running around like a crazy person to get everything done! He hopes to bring fresh ideas and new perspectives to the Board of Directors and spread the word about the wonderful work that Peacock Productions does. To support his many philanthropic endeavors, Matt works for one of the largest hospital systems in the Northwest and is studying to earn his degree in Alternative and Complementary medicine. He lives with his partner of 3 years, Caleb, in Beaverton.
Matthew Akerson aka Cassie Nova
A native Oregonian, Matthew Akerson has spent most of his life in Portland and has been an active member in gay community since coming out in 2000. His drag persona, Cassie Nova has been an active member of the Imperial Sovereign Rose Court, since 2007. In 2008 she was crowned Debutante XXVII. The following year, she was elected Miss Gay Portland XXXVIII and in 2011 she was crowned Imperial Princess XLI. During her reigns she has travelled all over the NW raising money for various communities, charities and scholarships. Cassie was also a featured cast member at Darcelle XV Showplace from 2008 to 2011, Board Member at Large for the Seethearts of Portland from 2008-2010 and a performer at Peacock After Dark for the past 4 years.
Matthew works professionally as a Loan Processor for a Mortgage company where she has been a valued employee for the past 9 years. He is very excited to join the Peacock board as he has loved the Peacock organization for years and attended Peacock in the Park every summer until the finale in 2004 (which was on his birthday).
Brian Everest
Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Brian Everest moved to Vancouver, Washington in 2009. He joined the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Raintree Empire (ISCRE), and was honored to be elected as Mr. Gay Vancouver 2010-2011. Focusing on reaching out to support youth organizations, Brian connected with Triple Point, a Vancouver youth organization supporting LGBTQ events and helped to raise funds for Martha’s Pantry and the Audria M. Edwards Scholarship Fund. In 2011 he was bestowed the title of Grand Duke to reign XXXVII, served as a member of the board of directors of the ISCRE, and was awarded “Court Member of the Year”. Recently he was elected Vice President of the interim board of the Queer Youth Resource Center, which is a newly formed organization designed to establish a LGBTQ youth community space in Vancouver, Washington. Brian has also lent his talents and time to the Equity Foundation on both their fundraising and marketing sub-committees.
Brian currently works as the SW Washington Portfolio Manager overseeing over 700 apartment units throughout SW Washington and Northern Oregon. A past Assistant Director of Forensics at Clackamas Community College, he coached the speech and debate team, helping to host the Phi Rho Pi national tournament, the largest national speech and debate tournament. In that role he directed and inspired his team to achieve multiple national awards, and individual national champions and served as a member of the Phi Rho Pi National Committee. In 2007, Phi Rho Pi honored Brian with their coveted “Service Award”.