Bridging Voices Staff

DeReau K. Ferrar

He/Him

Maia Estes

They/Them

Erik Gulickson

He/Him

Evan Paul

He/They

More About Us:

  • DeReau was a fan of Bridging Voices long before joining us as our Artistic Director! DeReau is the Music Minister at Ainsworth United Church of Christ, Music Director at Portland Center Stage, and the Artistic Director of the A Notion A Scream Chorus. He’s also worked with the Portland Revels and Resonance Ensemble. Prior to moving to Portland in 2016, he worked in Los Angeles with A Noise Within (The Threepenny Opera, A Christmas Carol), DC6 Singers (SxSW, Jessye Norman’s Stand Up Straight and Sing! Tour, Sundance, Norman Lear, Michael Abels, Jerry Kohl, Monkeypaw Productions (Get Out), HBO (All the Way), Selah Gospel Choir (Coachella, RuPaul’s DragCon), MUSE/IQUE Symphony Orchestra, The RED Stamp (The Wiz, Ragtime, Songs for a New World), Epic Megalopolis Productions (JUNK! A Rock Opera), The Verdi Chorus, the University of California Los Angeles (The First Lady), California State University Los Angeles (A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum), New Roads School (Guys and Dolls), a bunch of churches he’s proud of and a few he’s not, plus some other folks. DeReau has served as the Bridging Voices Artistic Director since August 2022.

  • Evan is our Principal Pianist. As a collaborative pianist with 25+ years of experience, Evan has supported Bridging Voices’ LGBTQ+ youth singers since 2017 as accompanist, arranger, and sectional leader. He also performs with paraprofessional and community Portland choral ensembles, including Northwest Vocal Arts and the Portland Lesbian Choir. Evan holds a Doctorate in Music Composition from the University of Oregon, and is an award-winning composer and dedicated music educator.

  • Maia joined Bridging Voices as a singer in 2015. They were one of the first singers to take on a leadership role in the chorus—managing singers, music and choir practice routines. Maia joined the board in November 2022, worked as the chorus manager for almost 2 years, and is now our Operations Director. Maia feels honored to give back to an organization that added so much to their life, and the lives of so many LGBTQIA+ youth.  

  • This season, Erik will serve as an Assistant Director for DeReau as needed.

    A natural collaborator and problem-solver, Erik brings leadership and adaptability to every role, with experience spanning nonprofits, tech startups, and large corporations. He previously served as the Artistic Director of Bridging Voices (2015-2022), helping to create a safe space for youth to discover their authentic voices through a shared love of music and the performing arts.

    He returned to the organization, first as Interim Artistic Director (2025) and then as a board member (2025-2026). Erik brings passion and artistry to every facet of his work.

    He has worked in the arts for more than thirty years as a performer, teacher, director, and stage manager on over 100 productions across the country. He is the minister of music at Bridgeport UCC. a regular local soloist, and a popular vocal coach.

    A lifelong youth advocate, Erik describes his ongoing leadership of Bridging Voices as the culmination of all life’s paths; a dual opportunity to cultivate a space where all youth are welcome as they are, and to challenge his own assumptions of what the world can be in a city where such dreams can be realized.

Bridging Voices Board

Cristina Vanderburgh

She/Her

Jace Unicorn Wheatley

They/Them

Lizzie Condon

They/Them

Ian Morton

He/Him

Susannah Axelrod

She/Her

More About Us:

  • Cristina is our Board Chair. She brings a wealth of professional experience from her career in accounting, IT, and business consulting, including serving as IT Security Manager for Columbia Sportswear before retiring. A long-time supporter of Bridging Voices since its founding—when her husband Reid served on the inaugural board—Cristina’s passion for queer+ youth advocacy is deeply personal. In 2008, her daughter Maggie was a founding member of her high school GSA, In 2023, the Vanderburghs welcomed a teenage transman into their family, opening their home for seven months while he rebooted his life; he’s now a treasured neo-grandson. These experiences have inspired Cristina’s commitment to creating safe, affirming spaces for LGBTQ+ youth. In addition to her community work, Cristina enjoys learning ASL, singing at any opportunity, and playing with her dog. She believes providing a safe place for queer youth to sing, connect, and belong is life-saving, and is dedicated to helping the chorus thrive.

  • Jace Unicorn joined our board in 2026. They are a Portland-based LGBTQ+ community organizer, digital creative, and dedicated civil rights advocate. With over a decade of leadership experience, they serve as a National Board of Governors member and local area representative for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), where they focus on building inclusive spaces, driving volunteer engagement, and amplifying queer and nonbinary voices. Passionate about intersecting advocacy with the arts, Jace is committed to using digital storytelling and community-building to foster connection and lasting social change.

  • Lizzie joined the board in 2026 as a member at large. They are currently a singing member of Bridging Voices and bring a vital youth perspective to our leadership.

  • Ian joined the board in June 2026 as our Treasurer.

    Ian is thrilled to call Portland “home” after spending twenty-three years in San Diego, CA. Ian served as executive director at Q Center, and built robust collaborative partnerships between the community center and the many organizations fighting for - and alongside - intentionally sidelined communities. He is currently the program director for Pride Northwest. He brings to Bridging Voices a specific passion to elevate the voices of youth in the LGBTQ2SIA+ community and to help build a culture of mentorship and community connection within the chorus.

  • Susannah has more than 20 years of experience building and leading product teams for B2B software companies— including Intuit, Thomson Reuters, Verizon, Puppet and Sauce Labs. With an MBA from Wharton, she understands both the executive perspective and the mechanics of product, user experience (UX), and developer teams. Susannah has been a fractional product leader, consultant and advisor for diverse software companies since 2023. She has sung in classical and a cappella choirs for decades, and is currently a soprano singing with two choirs in Portland's Blueprint Arts organization. As a parent of a choir member and an advocate for the rights of LGBTQ+ kids, Susannah joined the Bridging Voices board in June 2025.