People

Katherine Acey | Executive Director | bio
kacey@astraeafoundation.org

Namita Chad | Program Officer and Grants Administrator
nchad@astraeafoundation.org

Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghene | Grants Assistant | bio
yetaghene@astraeafoundation.org

Kimberly Datz | Director of Development | bio
kdatz@astraeafoundation.org

Ariel Federow | Development Associate | bio
afederow@astraeafoundation.org

Miles Goff | Program Associate | bio
mgoff@astraeafoundation.org

Melissa Hoskins | Communications Officer | bio
mhoskins@astraeafoundation.org

Jazmine Irizarry | Director of Administration | bio
jirizarry@astraeafoundation.org

Mai Kiang | Director of Programs | bio
mkiang@astraeafoundation.org

Joy Michael | Junior Accountant bio
jmichael@astraeafoundation.org

Wendi Muse | Executive Assistant bio
wmuse@astraeafoundation.org

Dulce Reyes | Program Officer, International Fund for Sexual Minorities | bio
dreyes@astraeafoundation.org

Adam Shaw-Vardi | Webmaster
asvardi@astraeafoundation.org

Alexandra Teixeira | Philanthropic Partnership Officer | bio
ateixeira@astraeafoundation.org

Shomi Terceros | Administrative Assistant | bio
sterceros@astraeafoundation.org

Tata Traore-Rogers | Deputy Director | bio
ttrogers@astraeafoundation.org

Katherine Acey | Executive Director

Katherine is a highly respected activist, best known for her expertise and commitment to LGBTQ and social justice feminist philanthropy. Her creative and inclusive vision of movements has been instrumental in setting a standard for a more progressive, diverse and community-based definition of philanthropy.

In 1987, after serving on Astraea's Board of Directors for four years, Katherine was hired as its Executive Director—the organization's first paid staff person. Under her stewardship, Astraea has enjoyed tremendous growth. The staff now numbers eighteen, and Astraea has a national board and global advisory committee. The Foundation's Grants program has been expanded to fund local, regional and international organizations as well as cultural and media work. In 1990, Astraea established the nation's first Lesbian Writers Fund and in 1996, Astraea created The International Fund for Sexual Minorities—the only fund of its kind. In 2006, Astraea launched its U.S. Movement Building Initiative with a focus on support to people of color LGBT organizations.

From 1982 to 1987, Katherine served as the Associate Director of the North Star Fund in New York City, overseeing its grants programs and fundraising. She has been involved in the Women's Funding Network since its inception, serving as both board member and chair. She is also a founding member and past chair of the Funders for Lesbian and Gay Issues and has served as a board or advisory member to countless organizations including: Women in the Arts, the Center for Anti-Violence Education, New York Women Against Rape, MADRE and Women Make Movies. Katherine is past chair of the National Executive Committee of the Palestine Solidarity Committee, and was a member of the Arab Women's Gathering Organizing Committee. She currently serves on the Human Rights Watch LGBT Program Advisory Committee and is on the Steering Committee of the Global Philanthropy Project: Expanding Resources for LGBT People.

For her leadership in building a multi-cultural women's funding movement, Katherine was honored by the Women's Funding Network. Among her other honors are the Cross Cultural Black Women's Studies Institute for International Women's Leadership Award, the NYC National Organization for Women Susan B. Anthony Award, the Women & Philanthropy LEAD Award, and the FEX Vision Award for achievements in social justice.

Katherine has traveled extensively in the U.S. and globally speaking on issues of philanthropy, sexual orientation, race and class. Internationally, she has participated in numerous women's and LGBTI delegations and convenings in Africa, Asia, Latin American, the Middle East and Europe.

Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghene | Grants Assistant

Fly is a Nigerian dyke performance activist, poet, dancer, essayist, playwright and actress who was born with a mouth full of dynamite and sugarcane. Fly uses her poetry to chisel a verbal sculpture of her soul for listeners while addressing issues of race, class, gender, sexuality, war, imperialism, love, self esteem and family. Fly has self-published three collections of poetry, performed in over 25 U.S. cities and is currently working on her multi-media one woman show. She holds a B.A. from Oberlin College in African American Studies and is currently an active and passionate member of the Safe OUTside the System Collective, a working group of the Audre Lorde Project which works to challenge violence against LGBTSTGNC people of color.

Kimberly Datz | Director of Development

Kimberly has over 11 years of experience as a development professional and volunteer, with deep knowledge of major giving programs and volunteer and board engagement. She is a strategic, results-oriented fundraiser with a proven track record in building development programs and long-term relationships with high net worth individuals. Valued for her high level of professionalism and strong communications skills, she enjoys mentoring and coaching. Kimberly began her career in development as a political fundraising consultant, raising funds for presidential, senatorial and congressional campaigns. Since then she has worked with both local and national organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, Planned Parenthood, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and City Harvest. Kimberly is an active member of the Special Programs Committee and co-chairs the Sponsorship Committee of Women in Development. She is also a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement.

Ariel Federow | Development Associate

Ariel Federow is an activist and artist whose work has taken several forms: community fundraising, membership organizing, and social justice theater and arts work. Originally from Seattle, she performs around New York City, and has worked extensively with Jews for Racial and Economic Justice to create theater that addresses issues of inequity and liberation. Ariel is also a member of an informal network that raises funds for grassroots nonprofits by throwing house parties and public events. She holds a BA in English and Dance from the University of Washington.

 

Miles Goff | Program Associate

Miles is a queer transman born and raised in rural Vermont, one of six kids. He received a BA in Critical Social Thought from Mount Holyoke College in 2004, focusing his independent work on power and resistance in the service sector of the economy. Most recently coming from Americans for Safe Access as well as various caffeine-pushing gigs, Miles is excited to be working at Astraea. In his spare time, he likes to ride his bike, read and try to make the world a better place. Miles feels lucky to have been able to work with the Challenging White Supremacy Workshop, the Movement Strategy Center, Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and the Audre Lorde Project on various projects over the last two years.

Melissa Hoskins | Communications Officer

Melissa Hoskins is an organizer and communications devotee who works primarily in LGBTI, racial, and environmental justice. She holds a BA from Oberlin College in Women's Studies and Creative Writing, where she was a student leader in the Women's and American Indian movements, serving as a co-chair of the American Indian Council. Prior to joining Astraea, she was a program coordinator for the Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado. Currently, Melissa is a member of the North East Two-Spirit Society, a community building and advocacy group for LGBTI First Nations peoples. She also helps to advance Two-Spirit issues and visibility as a member of the First Nations Collective of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Jazmine Irizarry | Director of Administration

Prior to joining Astraea, Jaz was the office manager of a physical therapy practice in Long Beach, California. Earlier, she had served as a physical therapy assistant at Bellwood General Hospital, and as the office manager for a manufacturing company. Upon arriving east, Jaz began her work with Astraea—initially as the organization's first administrative assistant in 1996. Over the years, Jaz has worn many hats at the Foundation, and recently became Astraea's Director of Administration. In her spare time, Jaz likes to visit book and music stores, travel, and spend time with her family and friends.

 

Mai KIANG | Director of Programs

Mai is a culture activist, born and raised under martial-law in Taiwan. Prior to serving as Director of Programs, Mai joined Astraea's staff as the Associate Director of Grantmaking and is a past member of Astraea's U.S. Community Funding Panel, a two-term board member and a former board chair. Throughout her career, Mai has worked extensively with grassroots queer, feminist of color, and progressive media groups. She most enjoys bringing communities together to provide a space for sharing and dialogue across disciplines, focuses and strategies.

Mai arrived in New York in 1991 to join the staff of Women Make Movies, an independent feminist film distributor, and helped bring about feminist film exhibitions and productions locally and internationally. Later she joined Impact Visuals, a leftist photo cooperative where she was elected to multiple terms as the chief steward to the Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers' Union. Mai was also a part of the management team that administered an archive of a million social-issue photographs by over nine hundred photojournalists worldwide. Before joining Astraea's staff in late 2007, she was the Special Events Manager at New York University.

Mai is the co-founder and co-chair of the Institute for Tongzhi Studies, a New York-based group that supports queer artists and scholars in Chinese communities worldwide. She is also the co-convener of the 2007 Lala Institute, the first multi-region Mandarin-speaking LBT leadership camp held in mainland China.

Joy Michael | Junior Accountant

Joy was born on the island of St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands. Growing up in a family of ten, she graduated with honors in the summer of 2006 from Monroe College, earning a BA in Accounting. While completing her studies, Joy shared her love of math as a tutor at the Boys and Girls Club and Jefferson Elementary School in New Rochelle, NY. In her spare time she enjoys reading, swimming, listening to music and traveling. Her next goal is to become a Certified Public Accountant. Joy believes in equal rights for all and that no person should be discriminated against based on their race, religion, gender, or sexuality.

Wendi Muse | Executive Assistant

Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Wendi is a graduate of New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study where she created a concentration in “Legal and Cultural Studies of Oppressed and Marginalized Peoples.” Prior to joining Astraea, Wendi worked for an international corporate law firm and served as the Managing Editor of The Coup Magazine, an independent ‘zine with a focus on black women. She is also a former Special Correspondent for Racialicious, a blog about the intersection of race and pop culture. She recently returned from a year in Brazil, where she conducted research and taught English as a Second Language. Wendi is fluent in Portuguese and enjoys practicing yoga, dancing, and reading.

Dulce Reyes | Program Officer, International Fund for Sexual Minorities

Dulce Reyes has been a Program Officer with the International Fund of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice since 2005. In this role, Dulce is involved in supporting organizations by and for LGBTI communities outside the U.S. working for social justice. Prior to joining Astraea, Dulce—a first-generation immigrant from the Dominican Republic--was a member of the grantmaking committee at the North Star Fund, and had spent over a decade in social action, social service, and community building with and on behalf of various immigrant and people of color communities in New York City (including LGBT people, low-income women and youth, people with HIV/AIDS, and exploited workers). Dulce holds graduate degrees in sociology and sexuality studies from CUNY and the University of Amsterdam, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Grantmakers Without Borders, an association of small and midsize international funders seeking to increase and improve global philanthropy.

Alexandra Teixeira | Philanthropic Partnership Officer

Philanthropic Partnership Officer at Astraea since 2006, Alexandra has stewarded relationships with individual donor partners and offered leadership and management acumen in collaborative initiatives with philanthropic colleagues. Prior to joining Astraea, Alexandra gained nine years of experience in the fields of international women's funds, sexual rights and social change philanthropy. She developed strategies and tools for collaborative sexual rights advocacy within the United Nations as the global advocacy research and policy coordinator at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC). She also served on the NGO Task Force of the Secretary-General's Study on Violence Against Women; as an evaluation consultant to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); and as a program fellow at the Global Fund for Women. In addition to her work at Astraea, Alexandra serves on the board of the Third Wave Foundation and recently served on the board of Resource Generation. She is a native Portuguese speaker raised in an immigrant family in the U.S. with deep roots in her community of origin in rural northern Portugal. Alexandra holds a master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University.

Shomi Terceros | Administrative Assistant

Shomi Terceros is a feminist, queer activist, musician, writer, and visual artist. Previous to her work at Astraea, she was a Student Sexual Health Advocate and Outreach Coordinator at Rutgers University Department of Health Education. As a member of SHADES, a student-run theater troop, she addressed health and social issues affecting youth. As Program Associate for the National Latina Health Network, Shomi helped develop programs to raise awareness about health disparities affecting Latino communities in the United States. She has also been part of the Administrative team of the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center where she served New York City's LGBTI communities. Shomi holds a BA from Rutgers University in Communications and Women and Gender Studies.

Tata Traore-Rogers | Deputy Director

With a strong emphasis on women's self-determination, Tata has an extensive background in non-profit management and service delivery. Fluent in five languages and a former resident of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and France, Tata brings a unique intercultural perspective to her work. For the past eight years, Tata served as a Director for the Prevention Division of Harlem United Community AIDS Center. During her tenure there, she designed and managed innovative HIV prevention programs, including behavioral interventions focusing on risk-reduction and prevention support for immigrant communities, women of color, and LGBTQ populations. Additionally, she worked to improve service access for undocumented, immigrant women--increasing cultural competency and bridging gaps present within the HIV service landscape of New York City. Prior to Harlem United, Tata worked at Montefiore Hospital, Pathways to Housing and Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, where she provided support and assistance for clients seeking mental health, homelessness, domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse services.

In addition to her work at Astraea, Tata serves as an advisor to Sauti Yetu Center for African Women, an advocacy organization that works on women's rights within the global women's, human rights and social justice movements. She is also is a candidate for a Master of Public Health (Community Health) at Hunter College's Schools of the Health Professions. After obtaining her MPH, Tata plans to pursue a PhD in either Cultural or Clinical Psychology, marrying her strongest academic passions of language, culture and psychology. She lives in Brooklyn with her two young daughters, Saffronia and Leilani.