Our Staff

Stratton co-founded EQFL in 1997 and serves as the Deputy Director overseeing all Field and Development programs. A Political Science graduate of Emory University, Stratton has spearheaded numerous community based campaigns both responding to far right political attacks and building support for anti-discrimination ordinances, safe schools policies, and domestic partnership laws at the local level and at our state capital. As a key spokesperson on LGBT issues, Stratton is a regular contributor to major television, print, and radio outlets throughout the state and has had opinion columns published in the Miami Herald, Broward Sun-Sentinel, Saint Petersburg Times, Tampa Tribune, Daytona Beach News Journal and Orlando Sentinel. Stratton served on the board of directors and as Vice-Chair of the Equality Federation, the national network of statewide LGBT advocacy groups, from 2004-2006. He has raised over five million dollars for LGBT Organizations and political campaigns. Stratton lives in Miami with his husband of 14 years, Christopher Boykin and is the father of 11 year old twins, Ben and Sarah.

Joe Saunders comes to Equality Florida with a strong background in grassroots activism and community organizing. As EQFL’s Field Director, Joe helps to lead the organizations grassroots, electoral and fundraising programs.

In 2008 Joe served as State Field Director for VoteNoOn2, a campaign working to defeat FL’s so-called “Marriage Protection Amendment”. Most recently, Joe served as the Campaign Manager for Equality is Gainesville’s Business, a successful campaign to defeat an anti-gay charter amendment in Gainesville, FL. Equality is Gainesville’s Business prevented the repeal of Gainesville’s LGBT protections and made history by breaking student-turnout and fundraising records.

A proven fundraiser, over the years Joe has led fundraising programs that have raised over a million dollars for LGBT causes.

A recipient of numerous awards and acknowledgements for his activism in the LGBT community, Joe has been recognized with a Young People For Fellowship, a Spectrum Award for Service and Leadership to the Orlando GLBT Community and in 2006 was selected as one of Watermark Magazine’s “Top 25 Leaders Under 25”.

While at the University of Central Florida, Joe studied Political Science, Women's Studies and Legal Studies. He currently resides in Orlando with his partner Donald and their puppy Bea Arthur.

Since 2005 Tobias Packer has served as a vital member of Equality Florida’s staff. In his current role as the New Media Manager, Tobias utilizes his unique mixture of traditional organizing principles and deep knowledge of new technologies to increase the organization’s reach. He specializes in developing online civic engagement programs and groundbreaking new media strategies that bridge the gap between the grassroots and the netroots.
 
 During his tenure with Equality Florida, Tobias has spearheaded numerous community based campaigns both responding to far right political attacks and building support for anti-discrimination ordinances, safe schools policies, and domestic partnership laws at the local level. Most recently Tobias played a leadership role in the Fairness for All Families Campaign, the campaign launched to combat Florida’s so-called “marriage protection” amendment. During the course of the campaign he spearheaded an aggressive online program that brought in hundreds of volunteers.
 
In 2007 the South Florida Blade named Tobias South Florida's "Best Transgender Activist." Most recently Tobias was a featured speaker at the National Equality March on October 11th, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

In addition to his work at Equality Florida, Tobias is a founding member of T.E.R.I. (Transgender Equality Rights Initiatives), and currently serves on the board of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus.

Ed Lally serves as Tampa Bay Development Officer for Equality Florida and is responsible for general and Florida Council memberships and fundraising in Tampa/St Petersburg. After a long-term career in banking Ed retired from Wachovia Bank to devote more time to LGBT causes. His activism in the community began in the mid-80’s when many of his friends were lost to the AIDS epidemic. Ed was one of the first board members of the Bay Area AIDS Consortium and later the Tampa Bay Aids Network (TAN) and headed up TAN’s annual giving programs and initiated fund-raisers such as TAN’s White Party and Life Dance. Recently recognized in Watermark Magazine as “The Constant Fundraiser” Ed has raised over $850,000 for various LGBT organizations over the years. He has also been active in the political fundraising campaigns for candidates that support LGBT rights and was a big brother in Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Tampa Bay for several years. 

Ed has worked as a fundraising volunteer for Equality Florida since 1997 as well as financial supporter. Ed’s goal is to increase and broaden Equality Florida’s membership and donation base in the Tampa Bay area which will allow Equality Florida to expand their efforts to make Florida’s laws, on both a state and local level, more inclusive of the LGBT community and as a result, a better place for us to live and raise our families. A Louisville native, Ed attended University of Kentucky and University of Louisville and relocated to Tampa in 1979. He and his husband, Phil Dinkins have been together 32 years and were married in Canada in 2003.