Keynote & Presenter Information
Keynote Speaker: Michelle Enfield
Michelle Enfield is Red Running Into The Water People clan, born for the Black Streak Wood People clan; this is how is she is Diné and Nadleeh from the Navajo Nation. Michelle has worked for underserved populations in many capacities, beginning with serving homeless LGBTQ Hollywood youth in 2008. Currently Michelle is a Research Assistant with the Maroon Society and is also a consultant working with many local and national entities. Michelle has presented on two spirit history and etymology and provides speeches at many local, county, state and national meetings, trainings, and conferences.
Master of Ceremonies: Michael Woodward
C. Michael Woodward, MPH (he/him) is the Community Health Development Specialist in the Transgender Medicine Department at Borrego Health Systems in Southern California. He’s also the founder of lgbtQ&A Inclusion Consulting, former director of the international Gender Odyssey conference, and adjunct faculty instructor at Tacoma Community College. Michael represented Mayor Robert Walkup on the City of Tucson Commission on GLBT Issues for five years and is a founding member of The University of Arizona President’s LGBT Advisory Council, where he helped to develop the nation’s first trans-inclusive public university restroom access policy. In 2014, he received the Skip Shrader “Spirit of Activism” Award from Equality Arizona. Michael has published myriad books, articles, and blogs on a variety of non-fiction topics, most notably contributing the title essay to the FTM anthology, “Manning Up: Transsexual Men on Finding Brotherhood, Family, and Themselves” (Transgress Press, 2014). By night, Michael is a singer and entertainer, and former lead singer of the classic rock cover band, Too Much Information.
Breakout Presenters (in alphabetical order)
- Luckie Alexander
- Stephanie Battaglino
- Gabrielle Casasola
- Dannie Ceseña
- Dylan Colt & Shannon McCleerey-Hooper
- Jaden Fields
- Justino Flores
- Summer Davidson Gomez
- Rachael Rose Luckey
- Landon Martin
- Abel Martinez
- Laura Meeks
- Alexis Paige
Luckie Alexander
Luckie Alexander, the founder of Invisible Men, is a trans man who is an advocate exacting change that builds bridges within the LGBTQI community and creates resources and support around transmasculine folks and trans parents. He is the Community Outreach Liaison for Alpha Omega Nu Fraternity Inc, a fraternity for trans men, member of Los Angeles County Transgender Advisory Council, CHIPTS CAB Member, HIV Commissioner and a proud member & Historian of the Brown Boi Project. He received the title of Mr. Quest 2018, a community advocacy award with APAIT.
Stephanie Battaglino
As the founder and owner of Follow Your Heart, LLC (www.followyourheartllc.com) Stephanie is an internationally recognized speaker, workshop presenter, trainer, and workplace diversity & inclusion consultant focused on creating transgender inclusive workplaces by helping organizations move from “policy to practice” with respect to their workplace transition guidelines, corporate diversity & inclusion policies, and evolving the narrative with regard to the rapidly expanding nature of gender identity and gender expression in the workplace.
She currently sits on the Board of PFLAG National and has served on the Boards of the following organizations: the LGBT Community Center of New York and the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF). She is also a past member of the Transgender Advisory Committee of Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. As a retired Corporate Vice President at New York Life Insurance Company, Stephanie has 40 years of management and leadership experience in marketing, advertising and communications in Corporate America.
Stephanie holds a BA in Communication from the University of Delaware and an MBA in Marketing from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is also a graduate of the prestigious UCLA Anderson School of Management’s LGBT Leadership Institute. She resides in Palm Desert, CA with her wife, Mari and their cats, Aengus and Fionna.
Gabrielle Casasola
Gabrielle Casasola, has been with the American Lung Association since interning in 2016. As the Advocacy Specialist for the Tri-County South Region since 2018, she has been able to focus her efforts on advocating to reduce tobacco related health disparities within the LGBTQ community. Gabrielle has helped community members advocate for stronger tobacco control policies and most recently assisted the the Imperial Valley Pride to adopt and implement a smoke-free event policy.
Dannie Ceseña
Dannie Ceseña, CA LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network Program Coordinator, joined Health Access in 2018. Dannie has worked with non-profits for over 10 years in program development and advocacy. He is passionate about LGBT Healthcare and is a World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) member. Prior to joining Health Access, Dannie strengthened the Trans*itions Health and Wellness Program while creating the LGBT Health Department at the LGBT Center Orange County. He has trained major hospitals and community clinics on LGBT healthcare disparities with recommendations on fixing the system, guest lectured at area universities and medical schools, and provided pro bono legal services with a volunteer legal team.
Dannie has been awarded Community Icon of the Year by Orange County Pride, Pro Bono Community Partner of the Year by UC Irvine School of Law, Courage Award by Orange County Hispanic Bar Association and the Diversity Spirit Achievement Award by City Career Fair. He is a graduate of CSU Long Beach with Bachelor Degrees in English and Political Science, and is a graduate of National University with a Master Degree in Public Health. On his spare time, he enjoys hiking and traveling with his wife and dog.
Dylan Colt & Shannon McCleerey-Hooper
Dylan Colt is a Senior Peer Support Specialist for Riverside University Health System-Behavioral Health (RUHS-BH), where he mentors and trains Peer Support line staff in Western Regional clinics and programs. He is a Department expert on transgender foundational trainings and supporting the LGBTQAIN2 community. He uses his lived experiences to connect with, and orient providers, and other community stakeholders to culturally responsive service environments for members of the transgender community. He is partnered with the RUHS-BH Consumer Affairs Program Manager, Shannon McCleerey-Hooper, who shares her lived experiences as a mother of a transgender child. They work together to bring awareness, acceptance and hope for people of the trans community.
Jaden Fields
Jaden Fields is an LA-based trans community activist and poet whose work has ranged from serving on the city of Los Angeles’ Transgender Advisory Council starting in 2016 to providing trans-inclusive HIV education to co-founding Toolbox, a transmasculine support group. A former health educator for APAIT, he is currently a patient advocate at Saint John’s Well Child and Family Center. Jaden was recently honored by the city of Los Angeles for his community work.
Justino Flores
Justino Flores (24) is a lab manager for the Laboratory of Aging Neurocognitive Imaging at the University of California Riverside. Former Program Director of the San Bernardino LGBTQ center. He identifies as a Gay Latino man and in his free time loves to be a foodie, go to the gym, and hang out with friends.
Summer Davidson Gomez
Summer Davidson Gomez is the founder of Reach OUT, a training and consultation company whose mission is to work together to create safe spaces. She is currently the Project Coordinator at Penny Lane Centers’ Embracing Identity program. Embracing Identities works to increase support for LGBTQI2-S Transitional Age Youth through trainings, support groups, and resource linkages. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Summer has worked extensively with children, teens, and families. Her own experiences, combined with raising her son as a part of an LGBTQ+ couple, have made Summer passionate about raising the standard of services and advocacy for our LGBTQ+ youth.
Rachael Rose Luckey
Rachael Rose is one of only 19 openly transgender elected public officials in the country. She is the first transgender person to become President of her Los Angeles City Neighborhood Council (RVNC.org), the first transgender person to become an officer with the Stonewall Democratic Club, and one of 3 openly transgender women to graduate from the Emerge CA training program. She has extensive training in community organizing and political activism.
Landon Martin
Landon Martin is a licensed clinical social worker and gender specialist. He has more than 20 years experience working in child welfare and forensics. He owns his own training/ consultation business and has recently started his own private practice.
Abel Martinez
Abel Martinez is a Regional Program Coordinator, organizing the participation of Lambda Legal’s Western Regional Office in community events, conferences and pride celebrations. He is committed to intersectional social justice movements led by trans, non-binary, and queer people of color.
Laura Meeks
Laura is a unique individual and a captivating speaker. She captures her life experiences and shares them with grace and humor.
Laura’s first career was as a USAF B-52 Pilot. In her second career she helped create a multimillion dollar consulting and software company. Now she delights people as a spiritual life coach and speaker. She uses her transition from a macho male pilot to outspoken female coach to connect audiences to her concepts!
Laura made her transition in 2005. She has been married to Annie for 33 yrs and has 3 children and 1 grand daughter. Laura is able to connect to most anyone in her audience with her understanding of what it means to go after challenging goals, how to face setbacks and how to truly embrace change. If you want to connect with someone who knows change, Laura is your gal.
Alexis Paige
Alexis Paige is a Paralegal at Lambda Legal. As a Paralegal, Paige supports Lambda Legal attorneys on an array of matters, including, but not limited to, discrimination affecting transgender adults and youths, people living with HIV, the rights of same gender couples, and regularly assists transgender service members and transgender and non-binary youths in schools. She has also gives presentations, participates in panels, and speaks at rallies on behalf of Lambda Legal. Alexis Paige is an honoree of the 2015 Trans 100 and a 2015 Gay & Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest’s Queer Hero.