Carlo Velayo (he/him) is an award-winning, independent producer who uses storytelling to inspire narrative change. Carlo has produced two scripted feature films, Isabel Sandoval's “Lingua Franca” (2019, Venice Days) and Jessica M. Thompson's “The Light of the Moon” (2017, SXSW Audience Award Winner)… As a recent transplant to Atlanta, Carlo is proud to be an exploratory committee member on the long-overdue Atlanta LGBTQ+ community center. He also serves on the advisory board of the LGBTQ+ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Kelly Banks is a proud Black trans woman, entrepreneur, and advocate committed to uplifting marginalized voices and building community. With years of experience in both the culinary arts and community engagement, Kelly brings creativity, resilience, and leadership to everything she does. She is the founder of 2CakeGirls Bakery, a growing business known for its luxury desserts, and her work has been featured in Ebony Magazine.

Nehemiah D. Frank is the founder, editor-in-chief, and publisher of The Black Wall Street Times, a Black-owned news publication based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, covering local, state, and national news. He is a founding union member of the National Parents Union, based in Boston, and serves on the advisory board of the LGBTQ Institute at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta.

Jason Arnold (he/him) began his advocacy of the LGBTQ+ community during his college years when he since he snuck away from his hometown to drive an hour to visit Lodestar Books in Little 5 points, Birmingham, Al. He started his activism in 1991 working at the forefront of the HIV/AIDS crisis first as a volunteer and later volunteer coordinator for ASK, Inc. (AIDS Support through Knowledge) where he remained for the duration of his undergraduate degree completed in 1996.

Nat M. Esparza (they/them) is a writer, chaplain-in-training, and digital strategist dedicated to amplifying queer, disabled, and neurodivergent voices. They currently serve as the Regional Administrator for the Southern Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), where they support congregations and communities in fostering inclusive, justice-driven spiritual leadership.

Peter Williams is the COO of Engineering and Technology team at Allspring Global Investments (formerly Wells Fargo Asset Management). In this role, he is responsible for overall business management for the 300+ employees and contractors of the ET organization along with key relationships with partners across Finance, Marketing & Communications and Human Resources.

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.

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. 

LGBTQ Institute Scholar and Goizueta Foundation Term Associate Professor of Organization & Management

LGBTQ Institute Scholar and Assistant Professor of Management, Vanderbilt University, Owen Graduate School of Management

Principal Investigator and Study Co-Director, LGBTQ Institute Scholar, & Professor of Organization & Management; Professor of Sociology (by courtesy)

LGBTQ Institute Scholar and third-year doctoral student in the Counselor Education and Practice program at Georgia State University

Samuel Landis (they/them) is the senior designer at The National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Before coming to The Center, they have experienced working in marketing and design agencies, non-profits, and higher education. They received their BFA from Savannah College of Art in Design. As a designer, artist, and advocate, Samuel is driven by a desire to connect people to stories that matter and create art that shares the beauty of being human.

Dr. Eric R. Wright is Professor of Sociology and Public Health at Georgia State University and a Second Century Initiative (2CI) Faculty in the Atlanta Census Research Data – Health Policy and Risky Behaviors Cluster. He holds a BA in sociology from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon and an MA and PhD in sociology from Indiana University Bloomington. 

Chelsea Holley is a graduate student in the Department of Sociology at Georgia State University with a specialization in Race and Urban studies. Her research interests include intersectional theoretical perspectives, racialized experiences in higher education, and black masculinity. 

Rachael McCrosky is currently enrolled in the Doctoral program in the Sociology Department at Georgia State University. She came to GSU from the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida where she received her Master’s in Applied Sociology.

Jeff Lentz is currently pursing his Ph.D. in sociology and graduate certificate in gerontology at Georgia State University. Research interests include gender, sexuality, aging, social stratification, deviance, and qualitative research methodology. 

Tatianna Lewis is currently pursuing a Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies major with a minor in Chemistry at Georgia State University. As a Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies major, my area of concentration is in Sexuality.

Brittany Taylor is a queer femme Ph.D. student in the Sociology department at Georgia State University. At my core, I am first and foremost an activist. Being deeply immersed in my community is what guides all of my research capabilities.

Matthew J.P. Colón-Diaz is a second year doctoral student of sociology at Georgia State University. He came to Georgia State in August 2014, after receiving his MA in sociology from University at Buffalo, SUNY and BA in psychology and sociology from Case Western Reserve University. In addition to LGBT health, Matthew’s research interests include masculinities, mental health, and disability. 

Morgan J. Fuoco is a public health sociologist and will be graduating in May with a Master of Arts degree and Graduate Certificate. My concentration is in statistics and methodology.

Calvin Tendai Pegus is currently an undergraduate senior, studying within the discipline of African American studies. Calvin’s ultimate goal is to procure a Master’s degree in Public Health with an emphasis on Infectious Diseases and Community Outreach. 

Emma Thurman is an undergrad sociology major at Georgia State University concentrating on gender and sexuality studies. 

Rudi Hermawan is a graduate student majoring in health promotion and behavior at School of Public Health Georgia State University. Previously, he has worked as a community empowerment officer at Governmental Public Organization in Indonesia for five years. 

Ana LaBoy was born and raised in the suburbs of Atlanta. Graduating from Georgia State University with a degree in Political Science, she continued on to graduate school at Georgia State in sociology. As a graduate student, she is interested in both Social Movement Theory and LGBT Health Issues and Disparities.

Joshua Simpkins grew up in rural southwest Virginia, before moving to suburban Orlando, Florida in 2007, and urban Atlanta, Georgia in 2015. They received his Bachelors in Sociology and Masters in Applied Sociology at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, and is currently enrolled in the Doctoral program in the Department of Sociology at Georgia State University.