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 UW-Madison in the Wisconsin School of Business as the Grants, Data, and Risk Management Facilitator. She continues to research multiracial college students' racial identities and experiences, an extension of her doctoral dissertation work. She is passionate about working to end systemic inequities for all, especially in educational spaces. She has over a decade of experience in higher education spaces and over five years of grant management and grant writing experiences. Outside of work, you can find her with her three young sons, husband, and their dog out and about exploring. You might find her also connecting with local mothers in offering support around breastfeeding and parenting self-care. Authrene attended Alverno College for her doctoral program in Higher Education Administration, Michigan State University for her master’s program in Student Affairs and Administration and UW-La Crosse for her bachelor’s degree in Interpersonal Communication.

Angela Birrittella (she/her) is an Instructional Designer and Educator with 15 years of experience in higher education, training, and workforce development. She received her M.S.Ed from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse while spending her graduate assistantship in the Research and Resource Center for Campus Climate, working with students in social justice programming. Angela also served as the Retention Coordinator in the Office of Multicultural Student Services at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, where she advocated for services to move beyond a deficit framework. Most recently. Angela managed young adult workforce development programming across Southeast Minnesota, upskilling and training youth into living-wage employment. In addition, Angela is working to bring accessible social justice training online by creating justice-centered e-learning modules. You can find her work at AB4learning.com.

DeHaven (they/them) is a non-binary educator and youth development professional who has spent their career working with and for LGBTQ+ youth. The focus of DeHaven’s work has been to provide education to change hearts and minds with the goal of creating safer spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and adults to be their full selves. Currently, they work at a national non-profit creating mental health programs for middle schoolers, while being a part-time graduate student in counseling and school counseling. Outside of providing work and school, DeHaven lives in Virginia where they play with their bouncy pitbull and roam in nature as much as possible.