Meet the PROMO Staff
Katy Erker-Lynch
Executive Director | Pronouns: she/her & they/them
Email: katy@promoonline.org
Katy Erker-Lynch is a community-focused advocate and relationship builder. She has experience in community organizing, nonprofit management, social impact tech startup, and public-private partnerships. Katy obtained her Masters in Public Policy from the University of Chicago’s Harris School, has a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Boston University, and a BS in Sociology from Santa Clara University. Like so many young, queer Missourians, Katy left the state at 18 and headed west for school, in search of a vibrant queer community. In El Salvador and Boston, Katy’s work allowed her to accompany trans women, commercial sex workers, and unaccompanied homeless youth and adults. The folks Katy supported taught her about their lived experiences, and together they centered their voices through policy and advocacy actions. Those experiences continue to drive Katy to seek social and racial justice and to interrogate the root causes of inequity, while embracing a strengths-based approach.
Robert Fischer
Director of Communications | Pronouns: he/him
Email: robert@promoonline.org
Lacie Jett
Director of Development | Pronouns: she/her
Email: lacie@promoonline.org
Shira Berkowitz
Sr. Director of Public Policy & Advocacy | Pronouns: they/them
Email: shira@promoonline.org
Shira Berkowitz joined the PROMO team in October 2018. They bring a unique collection of experience working in political advocacy and policy strategy, human-centered design, communication strategy, and the arts to the team. They hold a Master of Fine Arts from Washington University of St. Louis, and is dedicated to building spaces for people to grow as community while addressing civic and social challenges in our built environment. They are a founding board member of MaTovu, a Jewish neighborhood center in the City, serves on the Board of Directors for the Jewish Federation of St. Louis, are a founding member of MARSH — a queer bio-culture laboratory and mutual aid hub, and founded Camp Indigo Point a camp for LGBTQ+ youth in the Midwest.
Dany Lacio
Equality Organizer (Springfield) | Pronouns: they/them & he/him
Email: dany@promoonline.org
Dani is an involved advocate with a focus on education and has been apart of the Springfield, MO area for the last 20 years. They graduated from Ozarks Technical Community College, Missouri State University, and has a Master of Nonprofit and Civic Leadership with a graduate certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership from Drury University. They wear many hats serving on Springfield Public Schools Community Collaborative, City of Springfield Sexual Assault Taskforce, Chief Citizen Advisory Group, graduate of Leadership Springfield and serves as an election judge. Dani is a member of Springfield NAACP, PFLAG of Springfield, Planned Parenthood, and Missouri Jobs with Justice. Dani lives by two mottos, “To be for others what they wish they would have had in their journey” and “We have to become comfortable having uncomfortable conversations. The more uncomfortable the conversation, the more important it is to have it.” Outside of time standing up and fighting for others, Dani enjoys spending time with their wife and children and exploring the great outdoors.