Chase Glenn is the Executive Director of the Alliance For Full Acceptance (AFFA), and a highly regarded public speaker, workshop facilitator, and LGBTQ+ community advocate, boasting over 15 years of experience in advocating for LGBTQ-identified children, youth, and adults. Drawing from both professional training and personal experience as a transgender man, Chase delivers impactful education on the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as best practices for fostering inclusive and affirming spaces. Originally from Illinois, Chase has resided in South Carolina since 2006. He holds a B.A. in Religion from Belmont University and an M.A. in Counseling from Webster University. He is a Furman University Diversity Leaders Initiative Riley Fellow, class of 2018, and an Aspen Institute Liberty Fellow, Class of 2023.

Fran is the Executive Director at Equality Federation, the national strategic partner to state-based organizations working to win equality in the communities we call home. She has been with the Federation since 2012 and has worked on the ground with our partners to build strong organizations, develop tailored strategies, and create data-driven solutions to meet the needs of our movement.

Fran’s career has focused on building a strong progressive movement that changes the way we approach some of our most pressing social problems: poverty, homelessness, education, economic inequality, and discrimination. She is especially proud to have served as Regional Field Director for Mainers United for Marriage, the successful 2012 campaign to win marriage for same-sex couples in Maine.

M. Greg Green is an author, diversity & inclusion facilitator, Community Health Worker, and community advocate that uses his years of experience as a police officer and firefighter to facilitate and humanize access to public resources while shifting the corporate culture for his communities. As an advocate, corporate trainer, and entrepreneur, he currently serves as the Executive Director of Transgender Awareness Alliance, CEO of Miskonception LLC, is on the Board of Directors for The Citadel's African American Alumni Association and is a 2024 Clyburn Fellow.

Greg is a skilled and engaging speaker on transformative public service, trans visibility and awareness in the corporate world, and intersectionality within the LGBTQ+ community. He has spoken in Washington DC with the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Dorn VA Hospital, Federal Correctional Institution in Edgefield, SC, Federation of Families Summer Summit, The International Conference on Stigma, and many other engagements and keynotes.

Luca is a non-binary provider that serves clients in Georgia. They have both lived and professional experience at the intersection of gender and neurodiversity. Luca graduated with their MSW in 2017 from UGA, has been teaching and training since 2011, and working in mental health since 2013. Luca works in a solo practice providing individual, group, and family therapy as well as occasional in-home services.

Chandler Massengale, a versatile professional in the fields of social work, therapy, advocacy, and a valued member of the WAF family, is recognized for taking on various roles. Their journey commenced as a Registered Behavioral Technician, engaging in Applied Behavior Analysis with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. This early experience ignited a keen interest in comprehending behavior and recognizing the unique strengths and needs of individuals. Above all, Chandler is dedicated to social justice, service, and upholding integrity in their role as a social worker. Proudly graduated from the College of Charleston with a B.A. in Psychology in 2017, she went on to earn her master's degree in Social Work from Louisiana State University in 2020. Chandler employs an eclectic therapeutic approach, drawing inspiration from the Systems Perspective and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Her practice is characterized by a sex-positive, LGBTQIA+ affirming, feminist, and client-centered approach, focusing on the intersection of neurodiversity and queerness. At We Are Family, she owns the Mental Health Assistance Program. A program that provides accessible mental health services for LGBTQI+ youth in South Carolina by connecting them with affirming and knowledgeable therapists for free. Since its creation in 2020, the program has provided over 2,000 hours of free therapy sessions for over 190 youth with a growing network of affirming therapists. Chandler also includes care for the parents of LGBTQI+ youth by co-facilitating a parent support group and play therapy group for elementary aged young people with another affirming therapist in Charleston, SC.

Cecilia Teresa Hardacker, MSN, RN, CNL (she/ella) is the Director of Education at Howard Brown’s Center for Education, Research and Advocacy. Cec is responsible for disseminating LGBTQ+ best practices to multi-disciplinary teams across the U.S.; her favorite is nursing education. In the 13+ years Cec has been at Howard Brown, she has contributed to national consortia in LGBTQ+ cultural competency education, conducted bladder health research in SGM populations, and has co-edited/authored a book on the care of transgender and gender diverse elders. Cec provides numerous curricula, including Health Education About LGBT Elders, or HEALE, the CORE Four curriculum, and recently, partnered with Ohio State University to develop a graduate level course in LGBTQ Health best practices for national distribution. She is originally from San Benito, Texas, identifies as a Chicana dyke artist, has been married for 30 years in September, has 2 pit bulls and a 22-year-old cat.

Mike is the Director of Public Health Policy at Equality Federation. In this role, they work with member organizations to leverage their advocacy capacity to influence state and federal policy while ensuring effective implementation of those policies.

They have spent the last 10 years rooted in LGBTQ political and community organizing ranging from LGBTQ policy work with state and local elected officials in Texas to HIV/AIDS advocacy fighting HIV Criminalization laws and for adequate public health funding and culturally competent prevention services.

Mike is very proud of their role as former President of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus, growing the organization to be one of the most diverse and largest membership-driven LGBTQ civil rights organizations in the South, which held local elected officials accountable to the LGBTQ community while helping elect pro-LGBTQ candidates.

Dr. Annie Andrews is a pediatrician and mom, who has dedicated her career to fighting for a brighter future for all children. After working as a pediatrician at children's hospitals for 15 years, she decided to run for Congress to give children a voice in Washington, D.C.. She was the Democratic nominee in South Carolina’s first congressional district in 2022.

She is the CEO and Founder of Their Future. Our Vote., a national non-profit advocacy organization dedicated to advancing a Kids First Agenda, and Their Future PAC, the first ever Political Action Committee working to elect a Kids First Majority to the US House of Representatives.

Annie is currently a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she cares for children and adolescents at Children’s National Hospital.

She is a contributor for The Arena, South Carolina's only progressive media company. She is a gun violence prevention researcher and community advocate working to reduce the frequency of pediatric firearm injuries. She is also a Senior Advisor to Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action.