Board of Directors

Ryan Bedrosian, President
Rich’s Nightclub

Ryan Bedrosian is the owner of Rich’s Nightclub located in the heart of Hillcrest and a San Diego resident for over 20 years. Before taking ownership of the club in 2020, he was the general manager of Rich’s for the previous 12 years. He currently serves on the City of San Diego Police Chief’s and the San Diego County Sheriff’s LGBT advisory boards.

Cecelia Moreno, Board Vice President
Crest Cafe

Cecelia thrives in an activist roll to advocate for the viability of the Hillcrest Business Community. She has previously served as Chair of the Hillcrest Parking Committee and the Beautification Committee.

Cecelia is a native San Diegan and has owned and operated the Crest Cafe since 1985. She is a graduate of the University of California Irvine with a BA in Social Ecology and attended one year of Graduate school in Mass Communications at San Diego State University. She is currently a resident of Oceanside California with her husband Kit Sackett and their two dogs.

The Crest Cafe, celebrating its' 37th year in Hillcrest, proudly participates in Dining out for Life, Taste of Hillcrest, Taste and Tinis, Shop Hillcrest for the Holidays; as well as a founding donor to the Hillcrest Pride Flag. She looks forward to help ensuring the continued success of the Hillcrest Farmers Market and seeing the fruition of the Hillcrest Promenade Pride Plaza and the ATT mural project.

Glenn Younger, Treasurer
Great Security

Glenn Younger is president of Grah Security / Grah Safe and Lock and they have been helping San Diegans to be Safe, Secure and Successful since 1914.  The Grah office is located at 10th and University Ave. In addition to the retail storefront, Grah dispatches service vehicles throughout San Diego country from their convenient Hillcrest location. The supply division of Grah also takes advantage of the Hillcrest location and serves facility and building professionals with their door and security hardware needs.

Glenn has been involved with the HBA since 2006. He is also involved with the Hillcrest Farmers Market, Hillcrest CDC, Metro CDC,  and the Uptown Community Plan Update committees.

Gary Wong, Member
Gary Wong Properties

Gary has an extensive background in the banking and financial sectors having a long career with Union Bank as Senior Vice President and Region Sales Manager for the west coast. Gary has a long philanthropic background. He served as President of the San Diego Mortgage Bankers Association and San Diego Home Loan Counseling Service, Board Member at Community Housing Works, and an Advisory Member of the Fair Housing Council of San Diego. Gary’s family has long been a stakeholder in Hillcrest and continues to hold many properties throughout the neighborhood.

Gary currently serves on the HBA’s Maintenance Assessment District Committee.

Trent St. Luis, Member
Realtor

Trent St. Louis has been a full time Realtor for over 20 years in metro San Diego and works for the real estate brokerage, The Metropolitan Group. Trent also owned and operated his own real estate office in San Diego before selling it in 2004. Before his real estate career, Trent worked for Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Division as a Humans Resources Director. Trent has a Bachelors in Liberal Arts and a Professional Designation in Human Resource Management for UCLA. Trent is a local San Diego resident, who lives in Hillcrest. 

Matt Ramon, Member
Inside OUT
Matthew Ramon has been involved with the San Diego community for over 30 years. Originally from Michigan, Ramon moved to California in 1991 and helped with the opening of Hamburger Mary’s – now Urban MOs (MOs) - alongside Chris Shaw and Doug Snyder. Mentored by Shaw, Ramon worked diligently and advanced to become co-owner of MOs, San Diego’s largest gay bar. 

Along the way, Ramon and his business partners developed other prominent LGBTQ+ restaurants in Hillcrest such as Baja Betty’s, Gossip Grill, and Hillcrest Brewing Company.  In 2018, Ramon opened insideOUTwith the vision of having an elevated venue for Hillcrest to experience.

Ramon is a pillar and leader of the San Diego LGBTQ+ community. In partnership with the Hillcrest Business Association and Tom Abass, Ramon founded the Hillcrest Mardi Gras street party that brought the entire community together for one of the most festive times of the year. In addition, Ramon is the founder of the Tantrums & Tiaras fundraiser. For a decade, Tantrums raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the San Diego LGBT Center. 

During the pandemic, Ramon continued to operate MOs and insideOUT by implementing safety protocols that protected the staff allowing them to continue working and more importantly, provided the community an outlet to still have a homo away from home.

In 2021, Ramon became the CEO and owner of MOs. Ramon believes in the importance of giving back to the community. He and his partner organize numerous events that raise awareness for a variety of nonprofits and organizations; donating and raising money to empower them. He prides himself for having his establishments as safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. He serves on the Hillcrest Business Association.      

Andrei Lechert-Kelly, Member
Hey Harvey
As a current HBA Board Member, a long-term resident of Hillcrest and Site-Manager of Eitol Towers, I am delighted to be a candidate for the Hillcrest Business Association. I love Hillcrest and the inclusivity, creativity and growth I have witnessed over the past 10 years. I cannot wait to continually watch the endless possibilities this organization can make an impact on Hillcrest in years to come including the Hillcrest Promenade between Normal Street and University Avenue.  

Shanna Valencia, Member
Hairspray
Hi, I’m Shanna Valencia and a Master Stylist/Owner of Hairspray Salon who has 23 years of experience. I love mentoring my staff & have fun working with my clients to create unique looks. I have colored & cut it all. When I’m not at the salon,  I enjoy giving back to my community & hanging out with my four granddaughters.

Gioia Marino, Member
Gioia’s Room
Gioia Marino is a proud business owner in Hillcrest. Her Styling House of Inclusion has been a retail staple in the community for over 11 years. Gioia’s Room offers unique & one of a kind styles, in house styling, reworked pieces and complementary alterations with purchase.

Gioia is an active participant in all Hillcrest community events - such as the reoccurring monthly event A Walk in A.R.T., City Fest, Pride and many more.

She is also an active member of the community

in other respects. From having spoken at a press conference at the Mayor’s office - on behalf of her fellow business owners - to having participated in multiple news appearances; discussing local community business, safety and upcoming events.

Gioia is very excited at the possibility of being a member of The Board of Directors for the HBA. As a long standing retail business owner, she is ready to offer a new, vivacious, fresh perspective & voice to the board!

Sheila Kazemaini, Member
UClick Properties
I have over 25 years of experience in property management.  I am known for being a problem solver, effective communicator, thought leader, and relationship builder.  I am concerned about the growing homeless population in Hillcrest and it’s effect on neighborhood safety and cleanliness, as well as causing Hillcrest's recent loss of some well-known national businesses. Hillcrest is a wonderfully unique and vibrant area of San Diego and I would like to work with my fellow Hillcrest business owners to ensure that Hillcrest is a safe, vibrant, walkable area that will attract customers and tenants to our businesses.

Kyle Matthews, Member
Flicks Nightclub

Mike Burnett, Member
Foundation for Form

Paris Sukomi Max, Member
Barrel and Board

Adam Gilman, Member

Byron Ross, Member

Professional Staff

Benjamin Nicholls, Executive Director

Benjamin Nicholls has served as the HBA’s Executive Director for over ten years. While in Hillcrest, he has been the recipient of the “Outstanding Ally Nicky” award by the San Diego LGBT Imperial Court, he is the recipient of an San Diego Architectural Foundation award, he was the project manager for the creation of the San Diego LGBT Pride Flag and Hillcrest Pride Historical Monument, he oversaw two expansions of the Hillcrest Farmers Market, and the complete renovation of the Hillcrest Sign. Prior to his time with the HBA, he managed Discover Pacific Beach where he created the Beach Area Community Court in a partnership with the San Diego City Attorney’s office and the San Diego Police Department. He has presented at national conferences on community development, marketing, criminal justice, and urban development. As a private consultant he oversaw a lighting demonstration event in Barrio Logan’s Chicano Park National Historic Landmark and an event unveiling the Barrio Logan Community Sign. He is the president of the Uptown Community Parking District and holds a masters degree in leadership and nonprofit management from the University of San Diego.

Valerie Le Page, Special Event Manager

Valerie earned her Bachelor's degree in Recreation, Tourism, and Event Management and her Bachelor's in Global Wine Trade at Central Washington University. She has an extensive background in Special Events ranging from small community events to large-scale music and food festivals. Her wide range of event experience has helped her to master the skills of multitasking, organization, and elevating the customer experience.

Valerie was born and raised in Washington State before moving to Idaho post graduation. While in Idaho, she developed a love and passion for helping small businesses and creating community events. Since moving to San Diego, Valerie and her pup Jaxx enjoy soaking up the sun on the beach and exploring the City.

Natalie Starr, Special Event Assistant

Natalie received her Bachelor’s in Strategic Communication with an emphasis in Advertising from Northern Arizona University. She moved back to her hometown, San Diego, to start her career. Natalie has worked in customer service for years and decided to carry out her dream of getting into the event industry this past summer. Eager and excited to learn everyday, Natalie hopes to put into practice her growth mindset, time management, and communication skills for special events in the community. 

A San Diego native, Natalie enjoys spending time with her friends and family by going to the beach, eating at local restaurants, and attending festivals and concerts.

Board of Directors Cont.

Matt Ramon, Member
Urban Mo’s

Matt Ramon is the Owner of Urban Mo’s and insideOUT

Kyle Matthews, Member
Flicks Nightclub

Kyle Matthews currently serves as the Operations Manager at Flicks and has been a part of the staff just shy of 8 years. He has previously served as the Events Coordinator and Open Division Rep on America’s Finest City Softball League (AFCSL) board.  He has been an active member of the Hillcrest community since he first arrived in San Diego in 2012. His organizational skills and his personability are known throughout the neighborhood, and represent the Flicks staff and community well.