Laura Abellera (she/they) is a facilitator and consultant drawing from her professional, educational, and lived experiences as a community organizer and teacher. She received her M.S.Ed. from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL) while spending her graduate assistantship in the Research and Resource Center for Campus Climate. She also received her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago, focusing on civil rights, public interest, and legislative research. Laura has undergraduate teaching experience in the area of Race, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. She has experience with organizational harm response and intervention, as well as community organizing, political education, and arts-based student leadership programming. She also received her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago, focusing on civil rights, public interest, and legislative research. Laura has undergraduate teaching experience in the area of Race, Gender, & Sexuality Studies.

Laura currently works as a justice and equity consultant with Goodenough Consulting and Social Responsibility Speaks. She brings her identities as a queer, multi-racial, Filipina daughter and sister into spaces to better facilitate collective and shared learning experiences. She is passionate about cultivating strong systems of community care and social transformation rooted in liberation, healing, and joyful relationships. Outside of paid work, Laura is involved with local grassroots initiatives that focus on criminal legal system reform, multiracial movement organizing, housing and tenants’ rights, and spending lots of time at her favorite local independent bookstore (Pearl Street Books in La Crosse, go check them out!).

AJ Clauss (they/them) earned a Master of Business Administration with a focus on Ethical Leadership from Viterbo University and a Master of Science in Education specializing in College Student Development and Administration from UW-La Crosse.

Currently, AJ serves as the Equity & Inclusion Leader at Western Technical College, where they play a pivotal role in co-leading the DAT (Diversity Advocacy Team) to address hate/bias incidents and facilitating Equity Leaders, a grassroots social justice collective among coworkers. They actively contribute to strategic JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) planning. Previously, AJ held the position of Programming Coordinator at the Research & Resource Center for Campus Climate and served as a co-advisor to various programs including SEEDs (social justice peer education), ATP (Awareness through Performance), and the Native American Student Association at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Their experience in higher education also encompasses roles in Residence Life at Carroll College and Georgetown University. Additionally, AJ has demonstrated leadership within the Kwik Trip organization.

AJ has presented extensively at regional and national conferences on topics such as Knowing Your "Why": Leading with Purpose, White Privilege in the LGBTQ Community, Equitable Decision Making, Sexual Assault Prevention, Native American Retention, and Mentoring & Career Success in Women from Lower Socioeconomic Status.

Beyond their professional accomplishments, AJ's true passion lies in fostering meaningful connections, particularly within Indigenous and marginalized communities. Their unwavering commitment is to empower, support, and validate the truths of those they serve.

Authrene Blass (she/hers) is committed to social justice, equity, and inclusion. She currently works full time at Western Technical College and is also a full time doctoral student in the Higher Education Leadership program at Alverno College. She is currently researching multiracial college students' racial identities and experiences for her dissertation. She is passionate about working to end systemic inequities for all, especially in education spaces. Outside of work and school, you can find her with her two young sons, husband, and their dog out and about exploring.