A Connected Community: Empowering LGBTQ+ Teens Online

Jackson Alder (they/them) is the Senior Digital Strategist at PFLAG National, the nation's largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. Passionate about using their skills to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Jackson manages PFLAG's social media presence, email marketing, and online communities. Prior to PFLAG, Jackson was the Director of Communications at United Way of Larimer County and has worked at Otterbox, Shutterstock, and StickerMule before that. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Jackson attended Savannah College of Art and Design and the University of North Florida, and has a bachelor in fine arts degree in photography. They currently live in Northern Colorado with their partner and menagerie of pets. In their downtime, they enjoy fostering kittens, reading, and leisurely day hiking.

Deborah S. Levine is the Chief Program Officer at CenterLink, the Community of LGBTQ Centers. She has spent virtually her entire career in the nonprofit world. She began at CenterLink as the Director of YouthLink, working with staff of youth programs at LGBTQ centers across the country to ensure that best practices and current research were applied to best meet the health and developmental needs of youth, before becoming the Chief Program Officer supporting YouthLink, HealthLink, and ActionLink. Immediately prior to her work with CenterLink, Deborah spent a decade working at Planned Parenthood Federation of America as the Director of Online Health Education. Prior to her stint at the national Planned Parenthood, Deborah worked at a local Planned Parenthood providing professional development for youth serving professionals and managing a peer education program. Earlier in her career, she taught high school American history. Deborah obtained a bachelor's degree in cultural anthropology and minored in women’s studies as well as a master's degree in social work and a Master of Arts in teaching.

Wren (they/them) is the Executive Director of the Sam & Devorah Foundation for Trans Youth. They were raised in the woods in a rural Southern working class family and received a Ph.D. in American history with a focus on gender studies before deciding to focus on social justice movements full-time. When they’re not building the queer collectivist world that they want to live in, they enjoy practicing jiu jitsu moves with their gender creative superhero nine-year-old, healing their settler colonialist lineage through somatics and parts work, learning how to play the drums, and skiing with their niblings.

Christopher Wood is an entrepreneur in every sense of the word; author, speaker, adjunct professor, Executive Director & co-founder of two national non-profits, President & Founder of one regional non-profit, and COO of a small international business with B2B and B2C customers.

In 2012, Mr. Wood co-founded a new non-profit, the LGBT Technology Partnership which focuses on advocacy for LGBT individuals and communities as it relates to technology and the policies that govern it. Through Mr. Wood’s leadership, the organization has met with and continues to work with several Fortune top 20 technology, social media, and nonprofit organizations. The organization has also met with several government agencies including the White House and the Federal Communications Commission.

In 2014, Mr. Wood led the launch of another non-profit to work with the LGBT Technology Institute. The Institute is a tax-exempt not-for-profit organization conducting cutting-edge research at the intersection of LGBT communities and technology and creates resources, tools, and programs to support LGBT communities.

In 2017, Mr. Wood was appointed to the Federal Communications Commission's Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment for a two-year term. Mr. Wood was appointed for a second term in 2019 and has served the committee for a total of four years.

In 2015, Mr. Wood started another company with his husband, Redwood & Co. Serving as the Chief Operating Officer, together with several employees, Mr. Wood and his husband have grown their business from a small retail storefront to an international B2B and B2C business selling home fragrance, bath & body, and home décor. They are currently distributed in over 150 locations across the U.S. and have a flagship store in Staunton, VA.

In 2018, Mr. Wood noticed a serious lack of LGBTQ+ services available in the Shenandoah Valley of Central Virginia. In July 2018, he founded the Shenandoah LGBTQ Center and Staunton Pride. To date, he has led the organization as the Founder and past President and has grown it into an organization with over 5 committees working from Winchester, VA to Roanoke, VA serving the LGBTQ+ community with the support they need the most.

Previously, Mr. Wood served as a consultant to national LGBT organizations on various projects including transgender economic development programs. In this capacity, Mr. Wood provided project planning and strategic guidance to groups developing programs around jobs, legal programs, intake processes, localized statistics, and employer/employee training opportunities. His work has assisted several transgender communities across many US cities to move transgender assistance programs to the next level.

Prior to that, Mr. Wood worked at Discovery Communications creating social media and strategic marketing campaigns directed toward rural and LGBT communities. As part of his strategic campaigns, he was responsible for directing outreach programs at various LGBT Pride festivals across the country. From this work and previous experience, Mr. Wood brings a keen understanding of the needs of local LGBT organizations and how best to connect with them.

Mr. Wood has also owned a successful marketing consulting practice with clients such as the Washington Blade and Blackbarn Media to name a few. Mr. Wood joined his client, the Washington Blade, an LGBT newspaper, as the full-time marketing manager. In that capacity, Mr. Wood worked on creating strategic partnerships with various local and national LGBT organizations for advertising, events, and outreach.

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Jonathon Bridgeman is the Administrator & Events Specialist at the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI). He manages FOSI's finances and website, supports office operations, and contributes to FOSI's events and communications practices. Throughout his career, Jonathon has developed a passion for equity in education — a passion he has pursued with experience in the public sector and the non-profit sector. Prior to his time at FOSI, Jonathon worked in DC Public Schools' central offices, executing logistics for professional development events for teachers, principals, and other school leaders.

Jonathon studied English at the University of Mary Washington, with a concentration in creative writing. He had a significant extracurricular interest in theatre, and was the President of the Eta Eta chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the theatre honor fraternity.