Darian Aaron is an award-winning journalist. He is currently the Director of Local News: US South at GLAAD. He previously served as Communications Director of The Counter Narrative Project (CNP) and Editor-At-Large of The Reckoning. 

Dani Alexander-Burk (they|he) serves as a Regional Program Coordinator/Office Manager for Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Office, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Dani brings their knowledge of building strong internal processes and external community networks to the Institute's important work.

Alexandra Stephanie Audate (she/her) is the Deputy Director of Georgia Equality. Her career in human rights advocacy spans over a decade and consists of legislative lobbying, policy writing, and coalition building.

Jennifer Barnes-Balenciaga (she/her), newlywed, Mrs. McQueen, transitioned to Manhattan after being an 11-year resident of Atlanta. As the first LGBTQ+ liaison in Atlanta, Georgia as appointed by State Representative Park Cannon of District 58 in January 2018 and parted from the position in September 2022. During that time, Jennifer Barnes-Balenciaga has been a contributor to many Atlanta political and governmental legislation.

Kaden Borseth (he/him) is a trans-masculine identified advocate for LGBTQ social justice issues. Actively involved in the LGBTQ community since 2002 he served as President of the University of Northern Iowa's Pride group for three years, helping it grow into a thriving and active group. After graduating, he worked for several years as an Alumni Chair for Iowa Pride Network (IPN), an organization that educates and mentors middle school through college-aged LGBTQ youth. Kaden currently leads a support group for gender variant and transgender teens in Atlanta.

Letitia Campbell (she/her) is the Director of Contextual Education I and Assistant Profession in the Practice of Ethics and Society at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. A teacher, researcher, and administrator who is also a native Atlantan, she has taught religious studies at colleges and universities and as part of the Certificate for Theological Studies at Lee Arrendale State Prison. Letitia holds a Ph.D. from Emory University and is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She is an inaugural board member for the LGBTQ Institute at The National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Umut Dursun is a passionate and visionary leader who strives to create a positive and lasting impact for marginalized and underserved communities. Umut is the Executive Director of Harbor Camps, the first-ever summer camp established for transgender and non-binary/gender-nonconforming youth.

Morna Gerrard (she/her) is the archivist for Women’s/Gender and Sexuality Collections at Georgia State University. In this role, she collects, preserves, and makes available the records and oral histories of women and the LGBTQ+ communities in Atlanta, Georgia, and the South. A native of Scotland, Morna is a fellow and past president of the Society of Georgia Archivists, a long-time board member of the Georgia Archives Institute, and serves on the advisory board of the Historic Atlanta LGBTQ HPAC.

Jad-Évangelo Nasser/جاد ناصر is a Lebanese-born Business Strategist, Educator and Filmmaker (with partial Palestinian roots and cultural intersection with Haiti) who brings 10+ years of global experience in advertising, marketing, media production and higher education for a variety of international markets (Middle East, North Africa and North America).

Phil Nguyen is the Vice President of Innovation and Partnerships at Reading Partners, and Executive Managing Partner of EdChiefs. He joins the LGBTQ Institute with robust experience in the education-equity space, formerly serving as a School and Systems Administrator, EdTech Executive, Nonprofit Leader, and Social Entrepreneur.

Jenna Ortiz (she/her/hers/ella) is an equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) practitioner, coach, operational strategist, and systems guru. A management consultant focusing on EDI techniques for a better workplace, Jenna is a skillful facilitator who leads with empathy, vulnerability, and real-life experience.

Adah-Duval Pittman-Delancey (she/her) is a Georgia native raised in Miami, Florida, who was also a Criminology major and an alumnus of Florida State University. She is an integrated marketing and communications strategist. Her career experience spans brand management for consumer goods and social impact roles focused on issue advocacy and coalition building for collective action. 

Hillery Rink (he/him) serves as president of The Georgia LGBTQ Archives Project, where he focuses on outreach to LGBTQ groups and individuals in order to arrange presentations introducing The Archives Project and its work to their organizations and social networks. In addition, Hillery works at StoryCorps, conducts oral history interviews for Georgia State University’s Special Collections & Archives, and does event management at The Fox Theatre.

Dr. Michael Shutt (he/him) has over 20 years of experience providing strategic leadership in the LGBTQ movement. He currently serves as the Southern Regional Director of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization working to achieve full recognition of the civil rights of LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV. Michael is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Counseling and Human Development in the University of Georgia’s College of Education and is a member of the Georgia Equality Board of Director.

Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D. is a human rights advocate. He has been working in the LGBT and HIV-AIDS communities since 1988. He earned his Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Communication at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Michael has been a university teacher, campus minister, hospice chaplain, tennis coach, and a humanitarian relief worker in Zimbabwe. Michael directs the Global Faith and Justice Project through the Horizons Foundation, San Francisco, California.

Errol “E.R.” Anderson (he/him) is the Executive Director of Charis Circle, the nonprofit programming arm of Charis Books and More, the South’s oldest independent feminist bookstore. In his day-to-day work, E.R. supports emerging and established writers and facilitates community education groups, which use writing, listening, and collective action as a tool for justice and self-knowledge. He is a semi-regular guest professor in Agnes Scott College’s Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies Department.

Atlanta Phoenix Award winner, GA House of Reps Commendation recipient, Trans Human Rights Advocate, Certified Peer Counselor, former Atlanta Citizen Review Board Chairwoman, and published author Tracee McDaniel is motivated by a strong desire to ensure that all Trans, Gender Non-Conforming and Non-Binary people also receive justice, civil and human rights protections. Tracee established 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt Juxtaposed Center for Transformation, Inc. in 2007 to use as a vehicle for spreading the good news about Trans, Gender Non-Conforming and Non-Binary people, while also celebrating our resiliency being here since the beginning of time.

Dee Dee Chamblee is the founder and executive director of LaGender, Inc, an advocacy organization and resource group for trans women of color. A survivor of HIV, Dee Dee has been a tireless advocate, helping create a safer, healthier world for transgender Atlantans. In 2019, she received the Atlanta Phoenix award from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, and became the first Black trans woman invited to the White House, where President Barack Obama named her a Champion of Change for her activism.

Ryan is an innovative strategist who has served as a consultant for state, national, and global businesses and organizations seeking to advance equity and social impact. He has successfully launched programs and campaigns across the country with partners like the U.S. Department of Education, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Child Trends, the National Institute of Justice, and The White House. His current strategy and implementation consulting to independent, civic, and business clients include the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the Atlanta Braves, and the American Medical Association Foundation, among others.

Holiday Simmons is the Director of Community Education and Advocacy located in the Southern Regional Office of Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and people with HIV. With a background in social work, education, performing arts, and activism, Simmons has worked with youth in foster care, taught GED, managed education initiatives and facilitated numerous creative writing and spoken word workshops with groups of youth, LGBT people, women and Africana and Latino communities both in the United States and abroad.

Eric R. Wright is a Distinguished University Professor of Sociology and Public Health and Chair of the Sociology Department at Georgia State University. As a medical sociologist, his research interests center on social and public policy responses to mental health and illness, substance use and addictions, and sexual health and sexual behavior. He has extensive experience in working with community organizations as well as local and state government to better understand community needs and improve the effectiveness of social-, health-, and healthcare-related programs and policies.