Shelby Young (she, her, hers)
I was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. My mom is an Arizona native and grew up on the border of Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Mexico, but I never expected to reside in Arizona myself. I graduated from the University of Arizona to become a Microbiologist with an emphasis in Virology. Outside of school is where I started my activism. I joined the Black Student Union my freshman year to advocate for equitable education for Black students. After three years, I served as the Co-Executive Director for the Coalition of Black Organizations, overseeing 14 Black-led organizations. For the last two years, I've worked with AZC4C, Arizona Coalition for Change, where I focused on amplifying Black voter turnout, social justice issues, and equity through policies to ensure all voices are represented at the table. Now I am their Tucson Campaign Manager focused on providing programs focused on community organizing and legislation/policy-learning for young activists in AZ.

Stephanie A. Earl (she, her, hers)
My life’s journey is a journey that started as a curious young child, exposed to trauma. Yet I have found resiliency and courage from those experiences and love to share that with others. I appreciate the simplicity of an average life and the complexity of deep thought. I tend to look at my life from the perspective of the roles I have evolved in, i.e. mother, teacher, wife, and friend. In each of these roles my character/values and guiding principles remain constant. I find peace from the solitude of nature and I am passionate about reducing stigma towards mental health issues, helping people heal from addiction and trauma and contributing positivity to this world one small act at a time. Growing up in Phoenix, AZ I found joy by participating in sports and school. I have always been adventurous and love the outdoors. I am at my best when I am being creative and thinking of new ideas or when there is a bad situation and I am helping someone out. I find life (professional and personal) enjoyable when I can participate in meaningful activities, share ideas with others, and express thought provoking ideas. My connection to my family, (kids, husband and mother) are top priority. I think life and, most of its challenges stem from the quality or lack of quality in relationships with others so I strive to create positive interpersonal experiences. My roles as Workforce Development Administrator/Clinical Trainer for Arizona Complete Health, a subsidiary of Centene Corporation, and adjunct psychology faculty have enriched my life tremendously. Earning a Master’s degree in Adult Education and another in Psychology have provided a wonderful foundation to help me to serve others. My focus for this part of my journey is to develop a non-profit for the healing and education of individuals recovering from mental health/substance abuse, all while incorporating nature's principles of regeneration and sustainability.

Tami Staas (she, her, hers)
Tami Staas is an Arizona native, a professional educator, and a fierce advocate. She currently teaches third grade at Summit Academy, an International Baccalaureate school in the Mesa Public School system. In addition to being a classroom teacher, she is also the president of Arizona Trans Youth and Parent Organization (Aztypo). In her role with Aztypo, she has been advocating and educating in the greater Phoenix area on behalf of transgender and gender variant youth and their families for over a decade. Tami often finds herself providing guidance to teachers, counselors, and administrators on best practices for trans and gender variant youth in the classroom and around the school. Tami is passionate about educating the community on how to best serve transgender and gender variant youth. Over the years, she has worked with various agencies in the greater Phoenix area to foster and create inclusive practices in public spaces such as schools (both elementary and high school), hospitals, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, and community spaces. Tami serves as the committee chair of the LGBTQ+ subcommittee of the Equity and Inclusive Practices committee at the Arizona State Board of Education and as the co-chair of both the Educational committee and the LGBTQ+ Families committee with the Equality Arizona coalition group. She has created and presented trainings on topics such as raising a trans child and creating gender inclusive classrooms to groups such as the Arizona Psychological Association, the Mesa Education Association, the Arizona State Legislature, and many more. In addition to her education and activist work, Tami is the mother of two children: one who identifies as a trans man and the other who identifies as non-binary. By sharing her family’s journey, Tami has been able to provide guidance, resources, and support to many families and educators in and out of Arizona.

Triné Nelson (she, her, hers)
Triné Nelson, originally from Utah, has lived in the East Valley for thirteen years. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Utah State University in Human Development and a Master's degree in Learning Design and Technology from ASU. Triné has built a career working in, and around education. She began by helping youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems to obtain job skills training in preparation for them to enter the workforce in 2003. Since that time, her understanding of the integral relationship between education and community involvement has only grown and she now works as a curriculum manager at ASU. Triné is an active community volunteer, focusing her time on strengthening public education and schools in her community. Triné believes that by providing supportive educational environments to our youth, we build a foundation that allows for the development of skills that will serve students and their community well beyond high school.