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 22 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 25 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 daughter Hattie.
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 17 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.
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 11 years Scot in SE Portland.
Aaron Bong
was born in Portland and raised throughout the western states. In the early 80's he returned to Oregon and lived for several years in the foothills of Mt. Hood in Wemme, Oregon before moving back into Portland in '91.
Aaron has been involved in the LGBTQ community in various ways. Early on he attended the once popular youth group Windfire! at the downtown library. He worked with Multnomah County on establishing a non profit organization run for and by LGBTQ youth called the Oregon Sexual Minority Youth Network for three years. During that time he helped in creating grants, chairing meetings and handling budgets. The music column Aural Gratification appeared in Just Out for 2 years, written by Aaron helping many in the community choose which CD's were really the ones to start buying in a still very new format. By the mid 90's Aaron had created the effervescent character Daphne DeVille, performing at the youth nightclub The City. Daphne became the hostess of Nightscene (a cable access show focused on the GLBT community) for 4 years following the retirement of Rosey Waters/Robert Hill from that role.
Aaron joined the AME Board of Directors in late 2009. Aaron works on photography, graphic design and networking for The Fund. He is always on the lookout for the next corporate sponsor and he definitely wants to provide you with the opportunity to say yes!
Justin Taylor also known as Ivory Cox
was born and raised in Arlington, Washington before moving to the Vancouver\Portland metropolitan area and settling in to his current residence in beautiful and historic downtown Vancouver in 2005.
Justin has been an active member of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Raintree Empire (ISCRE) since 2006 and was elevated to the position of Princess XXXIV in 2008. Currently Justin serves as the Board Secretary to the ISCRE and looks forward to many amazing things happening in Vancouver in the months\years to come.
Justin works full time for JUST OUT (Oregon & SW Washington's LGBT Newspaper).where he has enjoyed meeting and working with many people in the community. Justin feels very blessed that his professional life and his drag persona can intermingle and co-exist.
Justin joined the Peacock Productions, Inc. board of directors in 2009. He hopes to put his wealth of administrative and sales skills to good use raising money for the Audria M. Edwards Scholarship Fund.