Andy is an associate minister with Saint Paul United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. He is an advocate and activist as well as a scholar, musician, and peacemaker. 

Andy was ordained in 2011 with his primary calling to lead the church in the areas of Word, Service, Justice and Compassionate Ministries. He has served on the Executive Committee for the Order of Deacons, as well as teams of the annual conference such as the Committee on Persons Living in Poverty, the Advocacy Team, and the Refugee/Resettlement Team. He was part of the inaugural Racial Justice and Healing Academy cohort in North Georgia.

Andy served with Urban Action (later to be renamed Action Ministries), working out of the former United Methodist Center on Ralph McGill. He also worked at MUST Ministries, where he first volunteered as a teenager in the Safe Night Of Rest (SNOR) night shelter during high school. For 12 years, he provided leadership for programs serving persons living in homelessness as well as individuals and families in financial crisis. He directed programs that helped provide those in need with food, clothing, shelter, education and employment assistance, and free health care. After his time with MUST, Andy served several years as the Executive Director of Rockdale Emergency Relief in Conyers. Andy also served for a year as a VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America, often commonly known as "the domestic Peace Corps).

Andy uses he/him pronouns. 

A Chicago native and multidisciplinary artist, Camille Williams has been creating art in various forms for over two decades. Her work spans poetry, music, visual arts, performance, and activism, often exploring themes of social justice, identity, and the experiences of marginalized communities.

Williams' artistic journey began in her South Shore neighborhood, where her culturally rich upbringing laid the foundation for her creative expression. She honed her skills as a student at Bryn Mawr Elementary and Morgan Park High School, where she joined a chorus of notable alumni including Michelle Obama and Mae Jemison.

After attending the University of Illinois at Chicago on a full athletic scholarship, Williams embarked on a successful career in corporate accounting. However, her artistic calling continued to beckon, and she began actively pursuing her creative passions.

In 2005, Williams co-founded Spoken Existence Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering marginalized black women. Under the Spoken Existence umbrella, she formed AquaMoon, an activist-performance duo that utilized Hip Hop Feminism to raise awareness and promote dialogue on issues affecting women of color.

AquaMoon's choreopoems, including "Love Does Not Hurt" and "AquaBeats and Moon Verses Vol. I," garnered critical acclaim and led to performances and workshops at conferences, high schools, and universities worldwide. The duo also organized "Women in the Arts" events, showcasing talented women in singing, poetry, emceeing, and visual arts.

Williams' artistic pursuits expanded beyond AquaMoon, encompassing acting, music, and visual arts. She formed an all-women's band, performing at venues across Chicago and serving as the house band for the "Women in the Arts" events. In 2007, Williams released her debut solo project, "Butta to Fly: A Collection of Poetry, Art, and Music."

In 2011, Williams relocated to Atlanta, where she continued her artistic endeavors. She joined Mpower Productions, securing a supporting role in their Christmas movie "First Noelle." She also composed scores for the film and their stage production, "Only God Can Judge Me," and later landing a feature role in the short film "Shattered Serenity."

Williams' artistic output during this period included painting, music composition, and preparation for her next venture, a solo art exhibit in 2013. The exhibit, featuring 30 new paintings, a live performance, and her second book of poetry, "Cold Sweat," received critical acclaim.

Williams' poetry was also featured in the anthologies "Java Monkey's Speaks" and "Poetic Hustle, Vol II." She continued to expand her artistic horizons, participating in various projects in Atlanta, including roles in the web series "Between Women" and "Sunny Reign," and feature performances at Charis Books, the Hammond House W.E.B. Dubois celebration, GeorgiaWAND's Mother's Day for Peace event, the Facing Race opening reception, and the WomenNow conference in Durban, South Africa.

In 2015, Williams held her second solo art exhibit and performance, "After the Sun," which showcased a 35-piece visual art display and a live performance of soul, hip hop, and poetry in Atlanta and Chicago.

Her artistic journey continued in 2017 with the co-writing of her fourth choreopoem, "When Sisters Sing," and the release of the EPs "The camil.williams experience" and "The Heart Playlist." She also featured on Narada El Sol's album "Audio Art," and created the albums cover art.

In 2018, Williams participated in the Artsxchange Scattered Dreams art exhibit and transitioned from corporate life into a successful career as a barber, becoming one of Atlanta's top barbers.

With her 2024 solo exhibit on the horizon, Williams is poised to unveil her "Sometimes I Feel" series and complete her first limited series, "The One." Her artistic journey continues to evolve, reflecting her resilience, creativity, and unwavering commitment to use each of her God-given talents.

Lasalle is a Mixed Media Artist, Coordinator, Curator, and Muralist based in Atlanta, Georgia. Through his passions for art and design, he has provided creative art events, bright artworks, and supplied thought-provoking murals. As a black queer artist, he explores the concept of life through storytelling and depth of his identity. Lasalle received his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts from Valdosta State University and plans to further his education. Currently, Atlanta is where he calls home building his portfolio and helping local communities.

A Deep Center Block by Block and Slam Team alumnus, Shakir is known for his hilarious and heartfelt performances and his collaboration with the Savannah VOICE Festival, where he produced a song featured on Savannah Morning News. As an African-American trans man and artist, Shakir not only has much to offer but is at a point in his creative journey where he’s yearning to merge art with advocacy. His vision is to ensure that those in Savannah and the greater Georgia community feel like they have a voice and are supported through their individuality, intersectionality, and adversities to heal, grow, and flourish.

Lexi Markham (they/them) is a Sophomore at Paideia School in Atlanta, Georgia. In their free time, they love to write poetry, read, and be outside. In 2024 they joined VOX ATL Youth Poet Laureate Ambassador Program. Lexi helped cofound a Trans Club at their high school, as well as an Environmental Club in their elementary school. They first engaged in LGBTQ+ Institute programs in March 2023 when they shared poetry at YOU(th) Belong … On The Stage at OUT Front Theater and has volunteered at Compassion-Con and other LGBTQ+ Institute events. They hope to inspire others to fight for LGBTQ+ rights, embrace love, and exist authentically.

Treasure Von-Holland (she/they) is a junior at Southwest DeKalb High School in DeKalb County, Georgia. She has aspirations to attend Duke University and desires to study genetics and psychology. Additionally, she is a poet, and among competing starters for her school's literary team, specifically in argumentative essay writing. They volunteer over the summer through a program called Los Niños Primero, which helps Spanish-speaking kids get ahead in elementary education. She is also on the Youth Advisory Board for the LGBTQ Institute’s YOU(th) Belong program at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Before becoming a Georgia REALTOR©, Chuma Hicks-Reese has been a poet, spoken word performance artist, author, and publisher under the pseudonym Chuma Whahid Rasul. 

A fixture on the New York City spoken word scene in the late 1990s, he started the now defunct Pauline Publishing, and in 1998, published his first book of poems, The Third Eye of a Butterfly.  In 1998, he subsequently published alifepoeminprogress by Tantra.  He, along with his poetry partner, Fisiwe, now known as Aafroqween, made an appearance with a crescendo crafted duet called Heaven on the 2005 poetry compilation album entitled Les Nubians Presents Echoes, Chapter One: Nubian Voyager after performing with Les Nubians while on tour.  That compilation went on to become a published anthology in the year 2006 entitled Nubian Voyager: Poetry and Music from the Urban Edge. 

After moving to Atlanta in 2005, he founded ChumaSpirit Books, and in 2006, published his second book of poetry entitled The Affectation – Overcoming Shame and Removing the Mask.  In 2007, he later published lovewords: poetry from a place called love by Fisiwe, who, as previously mentioned, is now Aafroqween.   Although he hung up his publishing hat, Chuma is still a lover of the arts and will occasionally recite poetry. 

With a background in big law as a legal secretary, word processor, and some cross-career paralegal work, his attention to detail regarding writing and editing contracts served him well as a professional writer when it came to publishing.  That skill set now translates into his successful career as a real estate agent specializing in residential, commercial and international sales. 

Auen is a member of the Georgia Youth Advocacy Fellowship at the LGBTQ+ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

A versatile filmmaker, videographer, and creative producer, Auen’s work explores the intersection of identity, culture, and storytelling. With a keen eye for visual detail and a passion for amplifying underrepresented voices, Auen crafts narratives that celebrate the complexity and beauty of marginalized communities.

As the founder of In The Eye Productions, Auen leads a media production company dedicated to telling bold, authentic stories across film, music, and digital content. Through her work, she collaborates with artists, brands, and organizations to create engaging narratives that resonate with diverse audiences. She collaborated with ZEAL Co-Operative and In The Eye Productions as a videographer in 2024, capturing high-quality footage for films, documentaries, and advertisements. Her expertise in managing all stages of production, from pre-production to post-production, helped bring these projects to life with authenticity and depth.

In 2024, Auen served as Creative Director and Production Assistant at A Conversation Worldwide (ACW), where she played a pivotal role in overseeing creative direction, managing logistics, and shaping visual storytelling. She organized shoots, tracked project progress, and ensured the alignment of all deliverables with the creative vision of the projects.

Auen’s work in music video production was further refined during her time at Concord Music Publishing Group (2023), where she assisted with Multicam edits using Adobe Premiere Pro and collaborated closely with artists and directors on video shoots. In 2024, she filmed a live music video for artist TONII as part of the NPR Tiny Desk Competition, and her edit was featured on the competition's promotional reel, showcasing her skill in creating intimate, cinematic performance visuals.

As a filmmaker, Auen wrote, directed, and produced Shea Butter Anointing (2024), a silent short film that celebrates the beauty and essence of Black transgender women through a poignant nighttime routine. This film is part of a larger multimedia art exhibition titled To Infinity to Infinity, which explores the experiences of Black women, Black trans women, and

non-binary people. The exhibit delves into themes such as femininity, desirability, respectability politics, and queerness, aiming to challenge societal norms while honoring the inherent beauty and authenticity of Black femmes.

Her creative direction extends to Unrequited Love (2022), where Auen served as Creative Director and Producer, shaping the film’s visual identity, overseeing script development, and ensuring that the project’s vision was realized from concept to completion.

In addition to her filmmaking work, Auen is developing Scenes: The Series, a collaborative platform designed to elevate Black queer filmmakers. The platform focuses on cross-collaboration and resource-sharing, creating opportunities for creators to strengthen their presence in the industry and build a supportive, interconnected network.

Auen’s commitment to storytelling is supported by her extensive education, which includes completing the Venice Arts: Center for Photography & Film Production program (2024), where she gained hands-on experience in film production. She also trained at Apple Creative Studios (2021), focusing on music production and industry strategy, and is an Adobe Certified Professional in Digital Visual Editing using Adobe Premiere Pro (2024 – 2027). Additionally, Jada studied Digital Media Studies and Communications at Santa Monica College.

Tim’m West is an educator, youth advocate, poet, hip-hop artist, and author of several books. Tim’m has been a Culture Connections Team Member with The National Center for Civil and Human Rights since 2020 and came onboard as Executive Director of the LGBTQ+ Institute in January of 2023.  As the Institute’s Executive Director, they are focused on the mission of advancing LGBTQ+ equity in America through research, education, and strategic action.  

Prior to joining The Center, Tim’m led Teach for America’s national LGBTQ+ Community Initiative (also called TFA Prism), advancing safer and braver classrooms for LGBTQ+ educators and students preK-12. He was previously Director of Youth Services at Chicago’s Center on Halsted, served on the inaugural faculty at Oakland School for the Arts, taught English and coached basketball at Cesar Chavez Public High School for Public Policy. Tim’m has a B.A. from Duke, and M.A.s from The New School for Social Research and Stanford University. 

Betsy Collins, MD, MPH, is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biochemistry at University of Texas at Austin and then went on to complete a combined degree at The Ohio State University in Medicine and a Masters of Public Health with a focus on Policy and Management. It was at Ohio State where she met her wife. Eventually, they both moved to Atlanta where her wife completed a fellowship at the CDC in the Epidemic Intelligence Service program and Dr. Collins started at Emory University to complete a residency program in Gynecology and Obstetrics.

During her residency, Dr. Collins focused on care for the underserved as well as very high acuity patients from around the state of Georgia. She then stayed on as an Assistant Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics with the Generalist Division at Emory University Hospital Midtown (EUHM) where she still continues to take care of patients as well as teach both medical students and residents. Dr. Collins currently has a part-time clinical practice in OB/GYN at EUHM. Her clinical interests are preventative medicine, healthy living through life changes, family planning and reproductive justice/ advocacy, decreasing birther morbidity and mortality, breast/chestfeeding and post-partum care. She is an advocate for the LGBTQIA patient population and continues to see a growing transgender patient base. She provides full scope Obstetrics and Gynecologic care including delivering babies, preventative health services, gynecologic care, and surgery.

In addition to her teaching and clinical practice, Dr. Collins is a very active public health advocate. She is a steering committee member at the Georgia Clinicians for Gun Safety (GC4GC), a newly formed group of concerned healthcare providers to reduce firearm injury and death in our state. She also is very active in reproductive justice advocacy, especially supporting Georgia citizens in the right to make decisions for their own bodies and to live safe and healthy lives-whatever is best for themselves and their families. Finally, she is a staunch advocate for access to affordable, high-quality health care for every person.

Dr. Collins and her wife live in Atlanta and have two children that attend Atlanta Public Schools. They have loved becoming involved in their community through local neighborhood organizations, school programs, parks, PTA and other events. They are both avid bicycle commuters and walkers and support alternative transportation options. She loves to see her patients in and around the area and enjoys catching up, hearing about their families and building community.

Current Chair Roshelle "Darlene" Hudson; Ms. Hudson’s careers over the past 30 years include two professions: Health Educator with the State Health Department in her home state of Arkansas, and currently as a Social Worker with children in foster care in Atlanta, Georgia where she relocated in 1998. Her community activist work has been as long as her professional career. She was a co-founder of the Bayard Rustin/Audre Lorde Breakfast in 2002 and continues to lead that project. She also serves on Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottom’s Mayor’s Advisory Board on the homeless youth committee 

Previously, Ms. Hudson was Vice Chair and later Chair of the Governance Board of Directors for Destiny Achievers Academy 2016-2018, a charter school established to serve as a second chance school for marginalized youth.  She co-chaired for 5 years (2007 -2012) the annual State of Black Gay America Summit and held numerous other volunteer positions beginning in the mid-1990s to early 2000s, including: Executive Director for In the Life Atlanta for four years, member of Board of Directors for the Atlanta Gay and Lesbian Center, executive council member of the Georgia Community Planning Group, and the Ryan White Council. In 1992 Ms. Hudson founded and directed for 10 years Arkansas’s first Black gay organization, Brotha’s and Sista’s, which addressed AIDS awareness and social change issues.

Ms. Hudson received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Central Arkansas in the field of Health Education in 1985. In 2011 she obtained her Master of Social Work degree (MSW) and graduated with honors from the Whitney M. Young Jr., School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University.

Ms. Hudson has presented at national conferences and conducted trainings in South Africa in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention, advocacy, capacity building, and self-empowerment. She is a published author, charter member of the Alpha Epsilon Lambda graduate honor society and was inducted into the Zeta Kappa Chapter of Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society. She has been a recipient of many awards and honors including; Gentle Woman of Service award in 2017 from the Gentlemen’s Foundation of Atlanta, the Community Service award from Georgia Equality 2012, and a Resolution from the state of Georgia recognizing her work in Georgia, a distinguished honor. She is also a proud member of The Vision Church of Atlanta. Ms. Hudson loves family, fishing, dancing to house music, grilling, and cooking for family and friends in her home.

Hiro Ortiz (she/he/they) is a TV/film actor and social justice advocate, originally from Japan. They pursue visibility through media, using their platform to normalize and affirm the existence of people like them in TV and film. Hiro also collaborates with various organizations to promote equity and amplify the voices of non-binary and gender-expansive communities. Through their work, Hiro aims to help individuals and communities thrive and reach their full potential.

Sam Landis (They/Them) is a design lead and creative strategist at Delta Air Lines and the co-founder and creative director of The Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project. 

With a decade of experience, I am a designer & art director who has worked across corporate, agency, nonprofit, higher education & startup environments. I specialize in experiential design, event branding, & multi-platform visual storytelling.

Currently, I am a full-time freelancer with a diverse client base, including an ongoing role as a design lead at Delta Air Lines, focusing on events & exhibit branding. Previously, I was the creative lead at The National Center for Civil & Human Rights, overseeing branding, exhibitions, & major campaigns.

Sam is the co-founder & creative director of The Atlanta LGBTQ+ History Project & the co-host/producer of Out Down South Podcast. They also serve as Advancement Chair on the board of Georgia Equality.  

As a designer, artist, and advocate, they are driven by a desire to champion human rights, connect people to stories that matter, and create art and design that emphasizes the beauty of being human. They currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia with their miniature schnauzer, Opal. 

Letitia Campbell is the Director of Contextual Education I and Assistant Professor in the Practice of Ethics and Society at Candler School of Theology at Emory University. She is a teacher and researcher with interests in religion, ethics, and the role of religion in movements for social change. A native Atlantan raised in Alabama, she has been shaped by Southern social movement traditions and continues to learn with queer, feminist, and progressive faith-based activists and communities.

Previously, Letitia was the Coordinator of Community and Strategic Partnerships for Emory University’s Master’s of Development Practice (MDP) program and a Lead Organizer for the Atlanta Table to Action Project. She has taught religious studies at several colleges and universities and as part of the Certificate for Theological Studies at Lee Arrendale State Prison in Alto, Georgia. She has also worked as a journalist.

Letitia holds a Ph.D. from Emory University, an M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, a B.A. in Political Science and Gender Studies from Davidson College, and a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Oxford University.

She is an inaugural board member for the LGBTQ Institute at The National Center for Civil and Human rights. Letitia is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Martha Caldwell, veteran educator and DEI consultant, draws on the power of story to make the psychological dimensions of identity visible. She has facilitated hundreds of conversations about race, sexuality, and gender experience with thousands of people. Her interactive teaching style enhances empathy, inspires innovative thinking, and catalyzes leadership development.  

Martha's articles have appeared in Independent Schools Magazine, Greater Good Magazine, Youth Today, Middle School Journal, and EdWeek. She is the co-author Gender and Sexuality: An Educator's Guide, Let’s Get Real: Exploring Race, Class, and Gender Identities, and Facilitating Conversations about Race. Yet as the parent of one trans and one nonbinary child, she is still on a steep learning curve.

Martha has a bachelor’s degree in religion and a master’s degree in education from Florida State University.

A Southwest Atlanta native, Nicholas Sapp is an educator and dancer who has been dancing for 19 years, spanning a range of street dance styles from popping, Hip Hop, and house. Nicholas studied Comparative Human Development, Cultural Studies and Critical Theory at University of Chicago and currently teaches dance in group fitness classes at Emory University where he also manages Student Programming and Student Center Operations. He has supported the LGBTQ+ Institute’s Executive Director, Tim’m West (also a long-time mentor and family friend), with workshops about Hip-Hop history and dance at area schools, with a specific focus on dance styles that emerged out of Atlanta. A young man on the cusp of Millennials and GenZ, Nicholas reflects on generational opportunities for cis-het Black men to be stronger allies for members of the LGBTQ+ community at a time when there seems to be a return to toxic masculinity, effeminophobia, and transphobia.