Lauran Tatum is married to her wife Kari, and they live in Cartersville with their 2 dogs. As an educator, she strives to create an inclusive atmosphere where students feel safe, respected, and encouraged. Lauran is a Cartersville native, and has lived in Bartow County most of her life. The absence of LGBTQ visibility in the community and her conservative upbringing impacted her as an adolescent and young adult. She struggled with her identity for many years. Lauran has observed the growth of the community over 30+ year, and is glad to see more LGBTQ people (including herself) living as their open, authentic selves in Northwest Georgia.

Hi, I’m Becky Giolitti — most folks know me as Becky Joy. I grew up bouncing between cultures, from South Carolina to Egypt to Georgia, and those experiences gave me a deep love for community and connection. After my 14-year marriage ended, I had to rebuild from scratch — trying everything from starting a local co-op to launching a group for women who live alone. (Both eventually fizzled, but I learned a lot!) Now I’m a proud polyamorous, queer, neurodivergent, nonbinary farmer, passionate about creating spaces where people feel seen, safe, and supported. I’m excited to bring that same energy to help build something amazing here.

Eric Rose is a native of Cartersville Georgia. In his spare time he enjoys hiking and spending time in the outdoors, road trips, reading, and DIY music. He’s also 3 raccoons in a trench coat working for the autonomy and self efficacy of all people.

I moved to Cartersville in June of 2024. I am not an accountant by trade, yet I am currently Director of Accounting for the corporation that I work for. I grew up in Plainfield, CT. and relocated to Tampa, FL in the mid 90’s. I found the love of my life there. He grew up in Rockmart, GA. We’ve been married 9 years and decided it was time to bring him home to GA last year. I’ve been sober 18 years and have served on the board of Directors for the Rainbow Recovery club in Tampa around 2010 as the club Secretary. I also served as the President of the Live and Let Live group (LGBTQ Alcoholics Anonymous in Tampa) around 2012.

I am a Georgia native, but new to Cartersville. We were desperately looking for a place to put down roots and fell in love with this little town. I’m a stay at home mom to a toddler and two cats. This is my first foray into nonprofit work, but have been involved in less formal activism for a long time. I’m so excited to help our Org. shine!