The program is run by a committee. Here is who they are and how the program is organized.

Our mission

The LDG Mentoring Program exists to cultivate growth, accountability, and leadership among kinksters who identify with or participate in masculine expression and spaces. Through structured mentorship and intergenerational connection, the program advances a culture of safety, inclusion, and racial equity within the community it serves.

Leadership is shared

How the program is organized

The San Francisco Leathermen's Discussion Group has run mentoring since 2012. In 2026 the program paused for a year of reflection, and it returns in January 2027 with a clearer structure.

Leadership is shared across a committee with defined roles, so no single person carries the program alone. No sensitive function, whether incident reports, mental-health concerns, or background checks, rests with one person. Independent, confidential channels exist for raising concerns, kept separate from program leadership. Everyone who leads is held to the public Operating Committee Values Agreement.

Operating Committee

Roles and current leads for the 2027 cohort. Some roles are shared, and one is still open.

• Program Chair / Admin Lead: Erik
• Governance & Safety: Jay (Chairman), Patrick
• Mental Health: Percy, Chuck
• Mentor Team: Blade, Chuck
• Mentee Team: Kourosh, Chuck
• Programming: Patrick, Kourosh
• Equity & Belonging: Pat
• Marketing: role open

Board

The Operating Committee is accountable to the LDG Board, which provides oversight independent of the day-to-day running of the program.

(Board roster pending.)

Related: Committee Values · Safety and Support