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.