Conference

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Alex Miller (she/her) is a 37 year old transgender woman who has loved punk rock since she was 16. It all started when she was building WW2 airplane models in her parents unfinished basement - trust me she was really cool in high school - and put on Pennywise's Full Circle for the first time. She was blown away and never turned back.

This seminar explores the root causes of activist burnout and offers practical tools to sustain long-term engagement without sacrificing personal well-being. At its core, burnout often stems from investing emotional energy and hope into outcomes that are largely outside of our control—such as national elections or even local policy decisions. When those efforts do not yield the desired results, it can lead to frustration, exhaustion, and 

Alex was always political. In college, she worked with various drug reform policy groups and helped organize "Know Your Rights" training. She was also involved in political groups ranging from "Students for Liberty" to "Students for a Democratic Society."

After college, life slowed down as she got married and had kids. She was still social and even cofounded (a now defunct) Alliance of the Libertarian Left chapter in Austin, TX. After she came out, she got heavily involved in LGBT non profit volunteering at community centers and donating web work (what she does professionally).

Elizabeth Deters (she/her) passion for creating spaces of welcome for all people has led me to a career where she has the privilege of working to support people and communities that have been pushed to the side and overlooked. Her allyship has been a cornerstone of this journey—personally and professionally–guiding her to listen first, center queer voices, and advocate with compassion.

She is  excited to be part of PFLAG Charlotte and the imperative work the organization is doing through education for allies, advocating for equality, and support for families to create a more equitable Charlotte community and beyond.

Kayla Earley (she/he/they) is a Charlotte-native with a passion for public health. She has worked in HIV since 2014. She attended Lenoir-Rhyne University for both her Bachelor of Science in Community Health and Master of Public Health. She currently serves as an External Affairs Community Liaison Manager for ViiV Healthcare, where her role is to listen to communities, activate a response, amplify voices, and sustain resources in areas most impacted by HIV.

Susan Book (she/her) is a public school advocate and co-administrator for Save Our Schools NC. She co-hosts the podcast Advocacy Bites. Susan currently leads the engagement team with the Every Child NC Coalition.  She is also an avid writer, blogger, and speaker on issues like education and Disability Rights. First and foremost, she is a public school parent to an autistic son and fights for him and others like him to receive a sound basic education.

Anne Kinsey, M.Div (they/them) is a poet, author, and trauma recovery professional whose work centers intersectionality, social transformation, and healing from systemic harm. With a background in anti-trafficking leadership, activism, and direct client care, they bring intellectual rigor and deep relational attunement to their work across spheres.

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Anne is the author of Mosaic Hearts: Poems on Being a Queer and Interracial Family in the South (2025) and Find Your F*cking Fire: Poems on Embracing Anger for Social Change (2025). Their work appears in the anthology, Love Is for All of Us, as well as other literary publications. They are also a Co-Founder and Editor for Balsam Spring Publishing. For more than two decades, they have worked in writing and editorial roles across independent and established platforms.

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As Founder and Executive Director of Love Powered Life, a nonprofit serving trans and queer survivors of human trafficking, Anne integrates neurofeedback, heart rate variability biofeedback, and writing-as-healing practices into their work. They have also provided consulting support to major anti-trafficking organizations and federal initiatives within the United States.

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Outside of publishing, Anne can often be found hiking wooded trails, laughing in the kitchen with their spouse and three teenagers, or in late-night conversations about tarot and collective liberation. Their faithful service dog maintains a strict security protocol against squirrels, skunks, and suspicious nighttime leaf activity.

Joshua Jernigan (he/him/his) is a transgender and queer rights activist living in the greater Charlotte metropolitan area where he and his husband are raising their family together. He started the Gender Education Network, an organization helping transgender and gender diverse youth under 12, and is passionate about ensuring every child has a safe and loving home to nurture their growing identities.  Joshua has extensive experience in early childhood education both in traditional classroom settings and remotely. He has previously taught classes on numerous topics ranging from sign language instruction to racial and gender identities to queer history and creative writing.  Joshua is passionate about accurate and accessible history. He has worked hard to protect and illuminate many aspects of our historical records that have been actively suppressed by those aiming to promote self-serving narratives. This passion has led to him giving several speeches about accurate queer history and why it’s important that this information be available for all individuals.  When not helping kids or educating in some way, Joshua enjoys hiking, camping, and just hanging out with his family. He has authored a children’s book, and is working on additional writing projects currently. He and his husband also recently founded Wild Pride Productions, a media company with many awesome projects planned for the near future.

Cristal Robinson, JD/MBA, (they/them/she) is a disability and civil rights attorney who leads Robinson Law, a national virtual practice fighting for disability and queer liberation, economic equity, and the power of community-based organizations. As a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation—an honor held by only 1% of attorneys—they use their platform to challenge exclusion, dismantle barriers, and push institutions toward real accountability.

Cristal’s advocacy is shaped by lived experience as a late-identified autistic professional and as a parent homeschooling an autistic teen alongside their spouse of 32 years. Their work is unapologetically intersectional, rooted in the belief that access is a human right and that systems must be built with—not just for—marginalized communities. Cristal speaks with the urgency of someone who knows the stakes: inclusion isn’t optional, equity isn’t theoretical, and justice requires action.

Beckie Moriello (she/her) is a nationally recognized and board-certified immigration specialist and supervising attorney at the Raleigh Immigration Law Firm. She is bilingual, and regularly gives presentations in Spanish to community groups on developments in immigration law. Moriello is also a regular speaker at AILA conferences and other CLEs, including at a conference with 3,000+ immigration attorney attendees. 

Michael Evola is a proven public servant, serving as one of the youngest Council Members and Chair for two state, governor-appointed, councils, advocating to ensure North Carolina has the services and resources needed to eliminate barriers and provide full accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Initially appointed by Governor Roy Cooper and then reappointed by Governor Josh Stein, Michael has served as a Council Member on the North Carolina Council for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing since July 2021 and on the North Carolina Statewide Independent Living Council since February 2024.

Judith Brown (she/her) is the founder and executive director of Project 70Forward, a nonprofit organization with the mission to support and advance the lives of people with disabilities in Charlotte, NC. Project 70Forward serves the community in many different aspects such as Foodie4Access program; pop-up neighborhood food distribution and community resources events, the Highest Love Hygiene Pantry, and a Prescription Drug Assistance Program for uninsured residents. 

Judith also represents the disability community locally and across the state on important issues, such as housing, food security, and economic mobility. Most recently she has become a founding member and helped lead the launch of REV UP North Carolina, a Non-Partisan, statewide coalition working to ensure and empower people with disabilities and our allies to be more involved in the electoral process.

Learn more about the Project 70Forward and REVUP NC.