I  am a gay man. I was married for 26 years to the mother of my three sons. I came out in October of 1996. I started attending PFLAG with my ex-wife the following spring. I eventually met my now husband, Mike. We were married in November 2015. Now we are all one big happy family.

Sharon Groh-Wargo, Ph.D., has been an active member of PFLAG Cleveland for many years. Previously, she served as the board president. Sharon sought out PFLAG to meet other parents of gay children when her daughter came out at the end of her freshman year in college. What she found was a warm and welcoming group of dedicated volunteers living the PFLAG mission of support, education and advocacy. Sharon's energy is sustained by witnessing the remarkable personal growth of the many individuals and families she is privileged to meet through PFLAG.

Sharon is a full Professor of Nutrition and Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the neonatal nutritionist for MetroHealth Medical Center. She is a founding member of MetroHealth’s Gay Straight Alliance. Sharon is a member of Equality Ohio and participates in their state leadership meetings and annual lobby days in Columbus. Sharon and her husband, Frank, have been married for 39 years and have two adult children. Lauren and her wife, Mae, reside in Atlanta. Danny resides in New York City. Sharon and Frank are Federal Club members of the Human Rights Campaign.

Art retired from Cleveland Clinic in 2017.  He now volunteers his time for several non-profit organizations.  Art received his undergraduate degree from Ohio Wesleyan University and an MA from Ohio State University. Art originally turned to PFLAG Cleveland for assistance and support in 1995 at a time when he was coming out. 

Art's husband is Jes Sellers and together they have three wonderful adult children and three granddaughters. Email: thomson.art@gmail.com

Mark Lehman, LISW is a clinical social worker and a recipient, along with four others, of the Jane Daroff Lifetime Achievement Award for his early work with people with HIV/AIDS in Cleveland. Mark worked at St. Vincent Charity Hospital for 17 years and MetroHealth Medical Center for 26 years, where he was the manager of social work for 18 years prior to retiring in 2018. After retiring,  Mark joined the PFLAG Cleveland advisory board in 2019 and provides back-up to the support group facilitators.

Mark was one of the original board members of the Health Issues Taskforce, formed in 1985 to provide services to those with HIV/AIDS, also heading up support services for 4 years. The taskforce was renamed AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland in 1994. Additionally, Mark volunteered at the Gay Community Center from 1990-2000, leading the support group PRYSM (for LGBTQ youth). The center later became the LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland.

Mark is a gay man, who is married to Craig Fink. They have been together since 1989, and were legally married in 2004.

Jes Sellers, Ph.D., is the co-facilitator of the PFLAG-Cleveland Monthly support group. He is a licensed psychologist in private practice after retiring from a long career as director of the Case Western Reserve University Counseling Services. He remains an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences and a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry. He has degrees from Penn State and the University of Florida.  He completed his APA training through the University of Iowa. He is married to Art Thomson. They have three adult children and three granddaughters.  Email: sellers.jes@gmail.com

Jane co-founded PFLAG Cleveland with Jes in July 1985 and continues to co-facilitate the monthly support group.  She is a licensed, clinical social worker who retired from Case Western Reserve University's Counseling Services in 2018.  She is on the National Emeritus Board or The Human Rights Campaign after serving on the National Board of Governors and the Directors. She serves as emeritus on the Alumni Board of CWRU. She also serves on the board of the School of Social Work and is a member of the Dean's Visiting Committee which is an advisory board to the Dean.  In the past, Jane has been the co-chair of the University Provost's LGBT Faculty and Staff Committee and ex-officio member of board of CWRU LGBT Center. Jane is married to Dr. Robert Daroff and has 3 sons and 6 grandchildren.  Emil: j.daroff@aol.com

Marianne M. Buccini, MSW, LISW-S, is a counselor/associate professor at Cuyahoga Community College. She has been involved in Safe Zone Ally Training at Tri C, a program that educates students, faculty, staff and administrators about LGBTQ people and prepares them to provide a safe haven for LGBTQ students and employees.

As an advisory board member for PFLAG Cleveland, she has worked on updating the PFLAG Cleveland brochure and website. She represented PFLAG at the AIDS Walk, Cleveland Pride Parade and Festival and several panels at local churches and educational institutions. Marianne served on the subcommittee for the Great Lakes PFLAG Regional Conference, held in Cleveland, September, 2013. She currently assists with PFLAG Cleveland website updates.  

Marianne also served as a Board Associate for Fortunate Families, a Catholic organization of parents seeking justice for our LGBTQ children within the Catholic Church.

"Through my volunteer service for PFLAG Cleveland, I have met wonderful people all working for equality for LGBTQ people. I look forward to continued service." Marianne can be reached at marianne.buccini@gmail.com.

Craig grew up in a blue collar family in rural Pennsylvania, the 4th of 5 children. He received a Bachelors of Science degree in biology from Juniata College and a Masters of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School. After his home congregation in Pennsylvania withdrew their support of his ordination process when he came out as a gay man while in seminary, Craig joined an Open and Affirming congregation in Boston, Church of the Covenant, which eagerly sponsored him for ordination. In 1993 he was ordained to a ministry of pastoral care with persons living with HIV/AIDS at a drug rehab facility in the South Bronx, HELP Project Samaritan, and subsequently a similar ministry continued at the Bailey-Holt House in Greenwich Village in Manhattan. After several years providing pastoral care, he moved into administrative ministry, serving as a church business administrator at a church on the upper west side of Manhattan. While working at the church, he entered into a Non-profit Management degree program at New York University. 

Shortly after receiving this master’s degree in 2000, he and his then partner - now husband, Rev. Allen Harris, moved to Cleveland. Craig worked for the National offices of the United Church of Christ and later the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland. He currently works at Old Stone Church on Public Square, where he serves as the Executive Administrative Assistant to the Senior Pastor.

He and Allen reside in an 1890’s home they rehabbed on the Near West side of Cleveland using green materials and building techniques and concepts. They celebrated their relationship in a Holy Union ceremony at Church of the Covenant in Boston, MA in June 1990 and have registered as Domestic Partners in three cities; New York City in 1990, Cleveland Heights in 2003 and Cleveland in 2009. They were legally married in Maryland in 2013.  Craig is an avid environmentalist and social justice advocate.  In addition, he serves on the advisory board of the Cleveland chapter of PFLAG (Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). His interests include architecture and historic preservation, genealogy, the study of systems and politics – both church and secular.