On Friday, Oct. 9, three members of the Elon community were recognized for their impact and dedication to Elon and LGBTQIA communities at an awards ceremony during Homecoming & Reunion Weekend 2026.
Three outstanding individuals – two alumni and one current student – were honored by the Elon LGBTQIA Alumni Network on Friday evening for their impact and dedication to the university and the LGBTQIA communities at a ceremony in the Lakeside Meeting Rooms of Moseley Center.
Attendees enjoyed an evening of recognition, connection and heavy hors d’oeuvres, while honoring Tal Fish ’09, Rev. Dr. Chelsea Yarborough-Gill ’12 and Reese Kimball ’29.
“Tonight is about recognizing the impact of and celebrating the people who continue to create spaces where others can feel seen, valued, supported and empowered,” remarked LGBTQIA Alumni Network President Jonath Monti ’08.
The LGBTQIA Alumni Network and Community Enrichment Awards were established in 2012 to create opportunities to affirm and acknowledge the work alumni, faculty and staff have done to uplift LGBTQIA people and causes on campus and in their communities at large. The Community Enrichment Awards recognize those individuals who have made and continue to make a positive impact and for their dedication to Elon and LGBTQIA communities.
Community Enrichment Award Recipients
Tal Fish ’09
Tal Fish (he/they) is a queer, neurodivergent licensed clinical mental health supervisor and licensed clinical addictions specialist who believes deeply in creating a world that is inclusive and just, working toward the safety and dignity of all people while dismantling oppression.
He is a proud 2009 graduate of Elon University’s prestigious music theater program and later earned his graduate degree from Wake Forest University. After working as an instructor for Wake Forest’s counseling program for a decade, Fish has spent the last five years supporting Elon students as a mental health therapist within Counseling Services. This September, Fish moved into a new role as clinical coordinator and staff with faculty rank for Elon’s new Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate program, supporting counselors in training and teaching counseling courses. He has also appeared globally as an out-and-proud cast member on a reality TV show for the last decade.
Rev. Chelsea Yarborough-Gill ’12
Rev. Dr. Chelsea Brooke Yarborough-Gill (she/her) is the associate director of leadership development at the Association of Theological Schools. Dedicated at her core to empowering individuals to find, embrace, and use their voices to foster well-being, equity and the possibilities of flourishing, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Elon University, her Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University School of Divinity and her Ph.D. in Religion from Vanderbilt University.
Yarborough-Gill’s new book, “Proclamation Beyond the Pulpit: The Expansive Homiletical Practice of Black Women,” which considers the preaching insights from Fannie Lou Hamer, Nannie Helen Burroughs and Sojourner Truth, is just one example of how her work seeks to challenge normative power structures and traditional paradigms of proclamation.
Even as an ordained Baptist minister, leadership coach, Enneagram teacher, and poet, Yarborough-Gill values her roles as a wife, daughter, friend, sister, and auntie, above all.
Reese Kimball ’29
A member of Elon’s Class of 2029, Reese Kimball (he/him), is a member of Elon University’s Nursing Fellows program and plans to pursue pediatric nursing after graduation. He is an active member of the Creative Arts LLC, Club Swimming, Spectrum and the President’s Student Leadership Council.
Only a sophomore, Kimball has had many exciting Elon experiences, including performing with Elon’s first show choir, the Elon Muses, during his freshman year, and coordinating the Adventures in Leadership program this summer with a mission to encourage diversity and inclusion. Kimball hopes to continue to demonstrate the ideals of the Community Enrichment Award as he continues his time at Elon.