Jac sm Kee is a feminist activist working at the intersection of internet technologies, social justice, and collective power. Jac’s activism includes sexuality and gender justice, feminist movement building in a digital age, internet governance, open culture, and epistemic justice. Jac is located within these movements at hyperlocal, networked, and global levels.
Amongst stuff Jac is proud of being part of, is co-founding the Take Back the Tech! collaborative global campaign on ending online gender-based violence, and stewarding the collaborative development of the Feminist Principles of the Internet. Jac is a founding member of the Malaysia Design Archive, and is currently making it into reality with co-dreamers – Numun Fund – the first fund on feminist tech in the Larger World.
Erik Roldan (he/him) comes to Astraea after 20 years of working with and for LGBTQI+ communities in various capacities as a communications professional. Prior to joining Astraea, Erik helmed internal and external communications for Howard Brown Health, the midwest’s largest healthcare organization serving the queer community. He also worked as a Public Information Officer in the Midwest Regional Office for Lambda Legal, supporting marriage equality and transgender rights in state and federal courts. He has also worked as a DJ, radio host, and sound designer. Erik is deeply passionate about working collaboratively towards a future guided by justice and intersectional feminism. He lives in Chicago with his two tiny dogs, and has a passion for music, art, and fashion.
Dawn holds an MA in International Politics from American University and has spent the last 5 years using her grants management skills to further the missions of progressive nonprofits. She brings experience as a Spanish language interpreter and her dedication to intersectional queer liberation to all aspects of her work at Astraea. In her free time, Dawn enjoys camping, swimming, travel, and spending quality time with her cats and dogs.
Born and raised in Bed Stuy Brooklyn and on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Ayoka has spent her life fighting to improve the conditions for poor and working-class communities of color like the ones she was raised in. She has over 30 years of experience working with young people, organizations and communities to fight for social and community change. Ayoka has consulted and worked with a wide variety of local and national organizations including, Black Lives Matter Global Network, Causa Justa: Just Cause, Center for Young Women’s Development, Center for Third World Organizing/CTWO and the Black Organizing Project. Ayoka served as adjunct professor in the Metro Academy for Success program at San Francisco State University from 2017-2021. In May 2016, she completed a Masters of Divinity at Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. Currently, Ayoka serves as the Vice President of Operations for the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice. She lives with her son Khalil in West Philadelphia.
Kristin serves as the Vice President of Strategic Engagement at Astraea, where she leads development and communications. In this role, she collaborates across teams to mobilize resources and tell the stories of Astraea’s work and grantee partners.
Kristin comes (back) to Astraea as a non-profit executive with a passion for working at the intersection of social justice and philanthropy. In addition to her previous role managing Astraea’s individual giving, she has held positions at organizations across New York City including Arthritis Foundation, Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, and The New York Women’s Foundation. Most recently, she served as Managing Director of Development and Communications at City Year New York–an organization focused on education equity–overseeing fundraising, external engagement, and communications.
She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Communication Studies, with a focus on gender and intercultural communication, from Texas Tech University. She currently resides in Manhattan with her partner, Loren, and their two dogs and two cats.
Dana Zhang graduated from New York University with a Bachelor’s in Journalism in 2018, then she set out to find a place where she feels like she can help make a meaningful, tangible effect on the world around her. Driven by her love for creative pursuits that also align with acknowledging and addressing pertinent issues plaguing our socio political climate, Dana wanted to find ways to give back to the communities that inspire us and aspire to create better and more equitable lives for everyone. A fake New York-native because she has spent half her life in Staten Island, and so cannot give directions to anywhere by subway when asked, in her free time Dana loves watching gaming streams and writing fiction stories.
Julia Ehrt (she/her) is the Executive Director at ILGA World, assuming the role as of November 2021. She previously served as the organisation’s Director of Programs, developing ILGA World ‘s programmatic work and managing the Programmes team. She is a widely respected LGBTI activist and community leader.
Before joining ILGA World she was the Executive Director of Transgender Europe where she contributed significantly to how trans issues are perceived and debated today in Europe and beyond. She served as a founding Steering Committee member of the International Trans Fund (ITF) until 2019, is a board member of the Association for Womens’ Rights in Development (AWID) and a signatory to the Yogyakarta Principles plus 10.
Julia holds a PhD in mathematics and lives with her partner and child in Berlin and in Geneva.
Sarah has lived and worked in all four corners of the United States and has spent two decades working in public education. As a recently out bisexual, Sarah tries to shine a light of love and acceptance wherever she goes. She graduated with a bachelors in Marketing and Management from Western Governors University and is currently located in Dallas, attempting to dismantle the patriarchy whenever possible. Sarah is passionate about women’s rights, education reform, and LGBTQ+ equality. In her spare time, you’ll find her snuggled up with a book next to her plants and cat, or on a long nature hike with her dog and husband.
sanjar kurmanov is a native kazakh-kyrgyz trans activist with 10 years of experience in feminist LGBTQI rights activism, particularly specializing in trans rights. He was born Muslim and raised in the post-soviet Kyrgyzstan. In October 2021, Sanjar has moved to the US for love. Sanjar held several executive, decision-making and advisory roles: former director of Labrys Kyrgyzstan, member of a Grantmaking Panel at International Trans Fund, an interim Board member of Trans* Coalition in the CCAEE, the project manager at Transgender Europe and Com Com member at MamaCash. Living with multiple identities of being a Muslim, immigrant, Queer Central Asian and a trans person, my lived experience has been shaping the ongoing fight to end violence and discrimination against people with intersecting identities.
Tannia Esparza (she, her, ella | they, them, elle) is a Queer Xicanx Indigenx grateful to have found home in the high desert mountains in Tewa People’s Land in New Mexico and proud to come from a migrant family of brave, persistent matriarchs.
Tannia is a storyteller, facilitator, doula, healing centered coach and founder of GiraSol Descendants, a beloved community making project, offering storytelling as a practice for building the world we need and deeply desire. Tannia has been growing alongside social justice movements for over 18 years working at the intersections of reproductive, gender and racial justice, and Queer liberation.
Tannia loves to run by the river, in the red earth of deep canyons, and among the mountains whenever they can. She continues to do her best to move courageously toward her sacred purpose.
