Lórien Castelle has been an activist and advocate for social justice issues focusing on gender based violence for over two decades. She joined the team at the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) in 1998 and has had the honor of working closely with communities and state coalitions across the country during her tenure. Ms. Castelle split her time between NYSCADV and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence from 2011- 2013 in order to launch a statewide prevention initiative in Pennsylvania. Ms. Castelle specializes in community and school-based based prevention strategies, including: teen dating violence prevention, promoting healthy relationship norms, developing youth activism and leadership, engaging men as allies, workplace violence prevention and community organizing. She has a strong background in organizational development and strategic planning which she applies to coalition building, prevention planning and supporting coordinated community response efforts.

Ms. Castelle works on many of NYSCADV’s special projects including promoting best practices for serving people who have been victimized and organizational capacity building with a particular lens on trauma-informed, survivor-driven approaches. Ms. Castelle serves on numerous national, statewide and regional committees and is a much sought after trainer, meeting facilitator and keynote speaker. As Director of Prevention for NYSCADV she has assisted communities in designing and launching local initiatives in and across school districts, college campuses and in the workplace with activities that promote social norms change and prevent domestic violence from happening in the first place. Ms. Castelle provides a wide range of coaching, support and training to domestic violence programs and allies throughout New York State and to coalitions and communities throughout the country.

Ineabelle Geena Cruz is an unapologetic and fierce activist, speaker and consultant. Ms. Cruz has spent the past two decades, addressing issues surrounding intimate partner violence, prevention and intervention, poverty, community and economic development. She is founder of ROC with Her where she has registered over 300 youth and eligible individuals to vote and raises awareness on civic engagement.

Rus Ervin Funk is a consultant specializing in working with organizations and communities to promote healthy masculinities; equity, diversity and justice; and violence
prevention. Rus is a long-time activist and community organizer focusing on anti-racism, and gender justice.
Among his organizing efforts, he is co-founder of DC Men Against Rape (now Men Can Stop Rape, Inc.), Men for Gender Justice, the Baltimore Alliance to End Child Sexual
Abuse, MensWork: eliminating violence against women, the Own It Initiative (a project of the Center for Women and Families), the Ohio Men’s Action Network, White Folks
Against Racism, among others.

Tim Hathaway is the Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse New York (PCANY), the only statewide organization that works solely to enhance state- and community-based prevention initiatives to build strong families. PCANY training and technical assistance efforts are geared to provide professionals and communities with knowledge, tools, and resources that increase use of the Protective Factors to help prevent child maltreatment. Their policy and advocacy work drives initiatives both at a state and local level designed to change systems that impact child maltreatment. Tim has over thirty years of experience working with children and families and the systems that serve them. For the past nine years he has been a part of Prevent Child Abuse network both in NY as well as North Dakota. Prior to this he was a part of the Federal Head Start Technical Assistance team, and directed Head Start, Early Head Start and Child Care programs in various states.

George Kilpatrick is the Men’s Outreach and Project Coordinator and certified educator at Vera House. Vera House is a comprehensive domestic violence and sexual assault agency, providing outreach to men in the prevention of domestic violence, sexual assault, and healthy masculinity. He conducts workshops and trainings nationally, and is a member of the Futures Without Violence Coaching Boys into Men National Advisory Council. Kilpatrick also facilitates the Vera House 12 Men Model where men engage and hold their peers accountable through conversations to redefine masculinity and healthy relationships.

Rowan Reyes, MSW, CYT (they/them) is a queer, non-binary trans activist, educator, visual artist and poet. Rowan’s mission is to (co)create transformative experiences to cultivate healing and fuel collective liberation. These experiential containers include interactive workshops, professional trainings, spiritual circles, and trauma-informed movement/embodiment classes. Whether barefoot on the mat or behind a podium, the unifying aim of Rowan’s work is to sow and nurture the seeds of anti-oppressive social change. For more info: mx.rowanreyes@gmail.com.

Starting Westchester County's First LGBTQ Youth Program in 1992, James has had a long commitment in exploring queer culture and its positive effects on the dominant heteronormative culture.

James is the recipient of the 2007 GLSEN Hudson Valley Leadership Award for his work with LGBTQ youth in both Rockland and Westchester Counties where he worked with numerous high schools and colleges on LGBTQ safety. He coordinated the Common Threads Youth Empowerment Retreat for several years in Rockland County where students and advisors as far as Rochester attended annually. He served on the planning committee at Pride Works, the annual conference held in Westchester County for high school students and their advisors.

Young also co-designed, facilitated and trained with PeaceWorks in Reading, PA, working with youth on various isms (i.e., sexism, racism, etc.) and learning more about intersectionality, power and inclusion.

As the faculty advisor for Rainbow Alliance at Monroe College, he assists students in raising funds for Ali Forney Center, an LGBTQ homeless shelter in NYC as well as builds community through campus activities.

Young is currently a volunteer and facilitator trainer at the Loft, the LGBTQ center in White Plains, faculty advisor for Rainbow Alliance at Monroe College in the Bronx campus, and serves on the Westchester County LGBTQ Advisory Board.

Young is excited to bring his talents and experience to Queery as he is eager to be part of the movement that brings about equality and celebration of diversity using critical thinking and questioning.