San Diego Pride is pleased to announce that Madonna Cacciatore has been appointed as Interim Executive Director effective today, September 23, while the organization conducts a national search for our next permanent Executive Director.
Madonna brings over 20 years of professional experience serving the LGBTQIA+ community. In 2019, she was appointed Executive Director of CSW | LA Pride in West Hollywood, where she expanded community engagement, grew the festival footprint, and led record-breaking fundraising efforts. She also served as a Global Project Manager with InterPride, working with pride organizers around the world.
Before her leadership at LA Pride, Madonna served as Events Director at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, producing high-profile fundraisers, including An Evening with Women, Center galas, and Simply diVine. She began her professional career at AIDS Project Los Angeles, where her commitment to advocacy and community care first took root.
A lifelong activist, Madonna’s commitment deepened in 1991 after losing her brother Johnny and many friends to the AIDS epidemic. She has volunteered with Freedom to Marry and The Names Project Quilt displays in Washington, D.C., and has completed seven AIDS/LifeCycle rides. Madonna also serves on the board of L.A.C.E.R. (an LAUSD after-school program), as a SAG-AFTRA delegate, and has served on the board of L-Project Los Angeles.
Beyond her nonprofit leadership, Madonna has a background in dance and theatre and continues to act in projects that advance social justice through artistry and creativity. She and her wife, Robin McWilliams, live in Los Angeles with their rescue cats and a vibrant community of hummingbirds. Both are long-time activists who spend their downtime creating art and enjoying nature.
“I join this team with humility and gratitude, mindful of the pivotal moment our organization and community face. In a time when our most fundamental human rights, freedom of speech and bodily autonomy are under relentless attack, I am honored to join a talented and dedicated team of staff, volunteers and board members at San Diego Pride,” said Cacciatore. “Together, we will continue to build on San Diego Pride’s legacy of resilience and resistance, carrying forward the work of fostering pride, equality, and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities locally, nationally, and globally.”
Search for Permanent Executive Director
San Diego Pride’s Board of Directors has formed a search committee, chaired by long-time advocate and returning Board member Martha Henderson, to conduct a national search for a permanent Executive Director. With significant input from community constituents, a candidate prospectus has been developed. The search firm will begin recruitment this fall, with interviews anticipated in late October and early November. San Diego Pride aims to welcome a permanent Executive Director by late 2025 or early 2026.
We are grateful for Madonna’s leadership during this transition and look forward to sharing updates with our community as the search progresses.
San Diego Pride raises funds primarily through festival ticket and beverage sales, and through sponsorships, and exhibitor fees. These funds support San Diego Pride’s community philanthropy which has distributed more than $2.5 million in advancement of its mission to foster pride, equality, and respect for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities locally, nationally, and globally.
