Meet Katie Vernon, Our Hermosa Beach Treasure(r)
If there’s a spreadsheet to balance, a budget to protect, or a mission to strengthen, Katie Vernon is already on it, usually while juggling ten other things for the good of the community.
Katie Vernon, Treasurer of the Board
Originally from Sacramento, Katie’s path to the South Bay wasn’t exactly linear. After time in the Bay Area for school and work, raising four kids, and navigating a few life pivots along the way, she finally found her “escape velocity” when she moved to Hermosa Beach in 2018. It didn’t take long for her to put down roots and start showing up.
A natural leader with a deep instinct for service, Katie quickly became involved in local nonprofit and civic spaces, including Leadership Hermosa Beach and the Chamber’s foundation work. Her ability to step in, figure things out, and elevate systems didn’t go unnoticed. So when she was asked a simple question—“Do you know anything about money?”—her answer was classic Katie: “I’ll learn.”
That willingness led her to Pride, where she now serves as CFO.
In her role, Katie is the organization’s financial backbone ensuring transparency, accountability, and sustainability. From managing budgets and filing nonprofit taxes to advising on spending decisions and long-term planning, she brings both precision and perspective. She’s the voice in the room asking the important questions: How do we make this work? How do we sustain it? And how do we grow it so we can give back even more?
For Katie, it’s not just about numbers—it’s about impact.
“My whole goal is to make money so we can give money,” she says.
Katie and her wife Arlene (left), leading the annual Hermosa Pride Parade to the rainbow lifeguard tower meetup point.
That mindset reflects her broader approach to community: thoughtful, inclusive, and deeply invested. Whether she’s helping fund events, advocating for responsible growth, or brainstorming new ways to expand Pride’s reach, Katie is always thinking about how to build something that lasts, and serves.
Outside of Pride, Katie recently made a bold move—leaving her career at a major medical center to launch her own company, Umbrella, a wellness brand focused on beauty, mind, and body. She’s also a proud mom of four, grandmother, and partner to Arlene, who played a key role in bringing her to the South Bay.
What keeps Katie grounded in all of it is the community itself.
She believes Pride’s strength lies in its size, small enough to be personal, but powerful enough to create real connection. It’s a place where people are seen, where volunteers become leaders, and where showing up truly matters.
And Katie? She’s not going anywhere.
“This is something I really care about,” she says. “I’m a lifer.”
Katie Vernon (right) with fellow HB Pride co-founders Izzy Bacallao (left), and Randy Renner (center) at the Hermosa Beach Pride Tower. Photographed by Monica Orozco, Southbay Magazine
✨ About Hermosa Beach Pride 🌈
Hermosa Beach Pride is a community-based organization dedicated to celebrating diversity, inclusion, and love in the South Bay. Through year-round events, partnerships, and advocacy, HB Pride works to create safe, visible, and joyful spaces for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies to connect and thrive.
