Ricky Carter (He/Him) is a community activist and philanthropist. He is currently the Director of Major & Planned Gifts with Center Theatre Group, leading a powerhouse team of fundraising professionals and inspiring like-minded philanthropists to support the arts.

Previous to CTG, Ricky served for three years as the Associate Director of Development at GLSEN, an education organization focused on creating safe & inclusive schools for LGBTQ+ students in grades K-12. During his time there, he oversaw a team that transformed their corporate philanthropy program and held corporations accountable for their LGBTQ+ policies both internally and externally while also overseeing their entire West Coast major donor portfolio and events.

Ricky also held a variety of roles during his seven years at GLAAD, an LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization most known for holding TV networks, film studios, and news outlets accountable for accurate and high-quality representation of LGBTQ+ people in all forms of media. He worked on their programs, communications, and ultimately their development teams having created a new line of revenue for the organization and overhauling their major gifts program.

In his “spare time,” Ricky loves to play dodgeball in an LGBTQ+ dodgeball league and take in the sites with long distance cycling. He’s participated in the AIDS LifeCycle five times and serves in a leadership role on his cycling team, the Hot Wheels.

Ricky graduated Cum Laude from the University of Florida in 2012, and was known for his activism on campus, having been recognized in the university’s Hall of Fame along with other accolades such as the J. Michael Rollo Award for Diversity, among other honors. He began his activism there as the President of Pride Student Union and Executive Director of Pride Awareness Month, transforming opportunities for LGBTQ+ students on campus.

He is the father of Phoebe, a mini-dachshund, and Buffy, a white shepherd named after the eponymous character of his favorite show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He’s a self-proclaimed LGBTQ+ history nerd and lives in Hollywood with his partner, Damon.