• TGNCNBI Task Force's Final Report – 8/15/22
  
• Department of Correction's response – 11/14/22

• September 2024 Minutes
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• October 30, 2019 Quarterly Meeting

Natalie has been with NYCDS since January of 2020. She has testified quite a few times at City Council Committee on Criminal Justice and Board of Correction hearings over the past year and a half. She has also participated in some Jails Action Coalition and HALT actions.

Rachel Lynn Golden, PhD (they/them is a Clinical Psychologist whose work centers gender-affirming and inclusive practices with gender and sexuality expansive individuals and their families, and those who are incarcerated. Dr. Golden developed the New York State Transgender Identity Program at the NYS OMH that provided gender-affirming mental health care to individuals incarcerated within the NYS Department of Corrections. Dr. Golden has served on the New York City TGNCNBI People in Custody Task Force since 2022 and provides training nationally and internationally on gender and sexuality expansiveness and affirmation in legal, academic, custodial, and medical settings. Dr. Golden is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Golden Psychology, a private practice in New York City that provides comprehensive, individual, family and relationship therapy. Through the Golden Psychology Justice project, they also provide expert witness evaluation and services. In addition, Dr. Golden co-leads a team in developing grant-funded, evidence-based research studies through Flourish, a collaborative research initiative.

Matt currently serves as a Policy & Programs Analyst at Economic Mobility & Opportunity Commission on Gender Equity

As a member of the Policy Team, Michael's work encompasses a wide array of tasks, including contributing to agency rules, legal guidance, and informational materials and participating in public-facing events to foster awareness of, and compliance with, the New York City Human Rights Law. Prior to joining the Policy Team in 2022, Michael spent approximately three and a half years in the Commission's Law Enforcement Bureau investigating complaints of discrimination in New York City, and before that he worked for a Hudson Valley legal non-profit in area of mortgage foreclosure defense.

Jennifer's work at NDS focuses on bail and decarceration in addition to direct client representation. She previously worked with the ACLU Racial Justice Program and Office of the Appellate Defender.

For decades, she advocated to keep people in the City jails and State prisons safe from sexual abuse and harassment, and to house people respectfully and consistently with their gender identity. She was one of the leading voices in pressuring NYC DOC to open and maintain the Transgender Housing Unit, and for it to be moved to the women's jail. She filed a complaint with the NYC Human Rights Commission on behalf of a transgender woman who was discriminated against while in DOC custody. She brought substantial litigation challenging the New York State prison systems' policies and procedures that enable the sexual abuse of women by male correctional staff. Dori has long been involved in work around the Prison Rape Elimination Act, having served on the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission's Standards Development Expert Committee and having submitted congressional testimony concerning the proposed PREA standards.

With over 15 years of experience, Adana has a proven track record of developing and executing innovative strategies that drive gender equity across New York City's diverse agencies and sectors. Her expertise spans education, organizational development, intercultural collaboration, leadership development, and advocacy. Adana's career reflects her commitment to creating inclusive environments that empower communities. At CGE, she plays a critical role in fostering cross-sector partnerships that challenge inequities and deliver measurable progress. Prior to her current role, Adana led as the Director of School Operations at a Brooklyn middle school, where she spearheaded the school's COVID-19 response during the peak of the Omicron variant, ensuring the health and safety of the entire community. Her passion for global collaboration was ignited as Director of Programs at One to World, an international nonprofit where she designed transformative global education programs for New Yorkers, international students, and Fulbright scholars. A seasoned DEI consultant, Adana has also worked with various organizations to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. Starting her journey with community-based organizations, she has held key roles like Curriculum and Outcomes Specialist at Global Kids, Curriculum Developer in Cape Town, South Africa, and Director of After School for an all-girls program in the Bronx. Adana holds a Master's in International Affairs from The New School and a Bachelor's in Political Science from Saint Francis College. Adana's dynamic leadership extends beyond her professional roles—she's a proud mother, partner, and New Yorker with rich Caribbean roots. Passionate about travel, community gardens, and health equity, she leads social justice-based cooking classes inspired by the African diaspora and advocates for women's healthcare stories to be heard and shared.

Shéár is a Black and Indigenous nonbinary trans femme, creative visionary, published researcher, and social justice advocate. Since the age of thirteen, Shéár has been a leading voice of youth activism and has become one of the most politically influential youth leaders in America. They've previously served President Biden as the 2018 Biden Fellow for LGBTQ Equality at the Biden Foundation in Washington, D.C. and advocated for an equitable New York City as a Policy Associate at the Office of the New York City Public Advocate. They're credited for co-founding the nation's first and only Trans Wellness Center in Los Angeles, California through a one-million dollar annual grant awarded by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; successfully lobbying for the repeal of the Walking While Trans Ban in California and New York; advocating for the passage of New York State's Raise the Age for Homeless Youth Act; and for contributing to a National PREA Resource Center policy for TGNC young people in juvenile detention. Shéár has also served as a Policy Associate and Organizer at the ACLU.

Heather was with the Board for 5 years as of October 2022 and specializes in the Board's Elimination of Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment standards. Heather was tasked with convening the TGNCNBI Task Force and is currently BOC's representative in the group. Prior to joining the BOC, Heather was an LGBTQ+ Affairs Intern at the Allegheny County Department of Human Services in Pittsburgh, PA where she helped support the efforts to improve cultural responsiveness and service provision to the LGBTQ+ community. Heather received her Master of Social Work from The University of Pittsburgh and her B.A. degrees in Sociology and Criminology & Law from the University of Florida.

Sophie is an Afro-Latina women of Transgender experience raised in the City of New York, born in the Dominican Republic, born a natural leader, driven to make a change in the world, her passion is advising on local law changes & city programming funding that affect TGNCNBI folks and her goal in doing so, is to shine a light in a systemic/social problem that in due time affect us all, in addition to brightening solution in hopes to make the necessary changes to protect and fairly represent the underrepresented and marginalized TGNCNBI community. While advocacy for her community is very important, she is always open to learning about the issues others around her and her community may be experiencing and advancing those interests, as well. Although she maintains a professional and stoic exterior, she still manages to remain very warm to everyone.

She has helped to issue new rules about discrimination based on gender identity and worked with city and external partners to improve city policies on issues of gender identity, including with respect to housing of people in DOC custody. Before joining the Commission, Zoey worked in the Office of the Attorney General of the State of New York. She is a graduate of NYU School of Law and a former clerk for the Honorable Michael H. Dolinger, U.S.M.J.

She is on the Beyond Rosie's, Close Rikers and Free NY Campaigns, is a Just Leadership USA 2018 Leading with Conviction alumna, and a Board Member with the Women's Community Justice Association. She received the Julio Medina Freedom Fighter Award in 2016, and was a 2018 NY Nonprofit Media 40 Under 40 Rising Star. Kandra earned an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice from LaGuardia Community College, and a Bachelor's Degree in Humanities and Justice (summa cum laude) from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. She is pursuing a Master's Degree in Public Policy and Administration and is scheduled to graduate in June, 2020.

At BDS, she coordinates a team advocating for the rights and welfare of individuals held in the custody of the NYC Department of Correction. She is an active member of various coalitions dedicated to ending the use of solitary confinement in New York state and addressing the impacts of incarceration on those with serious mental health needs, and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Kelsey is a graduate of the Silberman School of Social Worker at Hunter College, where she focused on Community Organizing, Planning and Development.

In 2017, Osborne created the LGBT component to serve LGBTQ individuals. Grace has been an important asset to this work with great experience, dedication, and love for her LGBTQ community. Grace works to ensure that LGBTQ people are able to progress in climates not always open for inclusion. Grace has spoken at The National Trans Day of Visibility March 9-28-19, where she spoke open the importance of "Visibility" of Trans folks in the work force, as a post incarcerated Black woman of Trans experience. HIV and Homelessness. Grace continues to speak at NYS and National forums, panels and conferences on incarceration, health and inclusion.

Princess Janae Place is to here to help people of trans experience maximize their full potential as they transition from homelessness to independent living. We also assist with housing for people who have been previously in custody. Princess Janae Place fulfills our mission by offering a safe space for people of trans experience to connect with the community, access gender-affirming support, as well as engage in educational and recreational activities. Princess Janae Place serves as a critical referral source for our members to secure housing navigation, substance use and mental health resources, legal assistance, job training/placement, and health care.

Mik is a transgender man who has worked as staff attorney at Prisoners' Legal Services of New York and as the Director of Prisoner Justice at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP). Mik currently is the staff attorney for the Rikers Island Civil Re-Entry Project at the Legal Aid Society. In addition to providing civil legal services weekly at RMSC and EMTC he has taught a weekly Know Your Rights class in the Transgender Housing Unit (THU) since it opened in 2015. Mik has also taught CLEs across the US on working with transgender and non-binary people as colleagues and in prison and jail contexts and has authored or co-authored six publications on transgender, non-binary, and/or intersex people and their rights in prison and jail contexts. Mik is a member of the New York City Jails Action Coalition and the New York Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement.

Deborah founded the LGBTQ Defense Project, where she represents LGBTQI people in criminal cases and related legal matters, in addition to working on policies impacting the LGBTQI community. She conducts trainings to improve the representation of LGBTQI people by direct service providers and improve their treatment in legal systems, jails, prisons, and detention centers. Deborah brings a decade of experience in community organizing, policy making, and direct legal services in a broad range of social justice issues with a focus on policing, mass incarceration, and gender and sexuality.

The NYC Unity Project is an interagency initiative, launched in September 2017 by First Lady Chirlane McCray, focused on supporting and empowering LGBTQ communities in NYC through innovative, citywide policy change and program development. Before joining the Mayor's Office, Ashe was the Legislative and Policy Director of the Law, Rights and Religion Project at Columbia Law School and LGBT Policy Analyst at the Center For American Progress (CAP) in Washington DC. Prior to CAP, Ashe was an Equal Justice Works Fellow at New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) where they started the LGBTQ Health and Economic Justice Initiative, a project focused on providing free legal services to low-income LGBTQ New Yorkers. They are a graduate of Cornell University and Cornell Law School and co-author and co-editor of Intersecting Injustice: A National Call to Action Addressing LGBTQ Poverty and Economic Justice for All (2018) published by the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Kimberly is dedicated to empowering the leadership and political voices of marginalized trans communities filling many different leadership roles that focus on growing the self-advocacy skills and political education and sustainability of TGNCI community members of color facing poverty, violence, and discrimination. Kimberly supports the mission of ending mass incarceration within the intersections of Woman, Race and Gender and building community resources without the expansion of new jails. Kimberly also serves as board member to the Anti -Violence Project who's mission is to end all forms of gender based violence. Kimberly firmly believes that in order for TGNCI communities to contribute to the work of our liberation, they must be free from violence and discrimination. Kimberly continues the powerful work of advocating, supporting, and uplifting the voices of our communities in the broader work for social justice and long-term systemic change.

Andrea, along with her colleague, Heather Burgess, led the Board's work to convene this task force. At the Board of Correction, Andrea works to ensure the Department of Correction's and Correctional Health Service's compliance with PREA standards for safer jails. Prior to her time at the Board, Andrea trained and supervised a team of counterterrorism analysts to proactively create and build existing terrorism cases at the New York County District Attorney's Office. Andrea is currently pursuing her PhD in Criminal Justice: Policy, Oversight, and Administration at John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY Graduate Center in which her research is focused on understanding the use and impact of technology in prison. Andrea holds a B.A. in an Individualized Major (Counterterrorism and Religion) from New York University and an M.S. in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Elizabeth works to ensure that all people in custody who hold an LGBTQ identity are respected, affirmed and provided programming and supportive services that are responsive to their identities. Elizabeth comes to the task force with years of LGBTQ specific program, policy and curriculum development, community coordination and direct service work. Prior to her role at the DOC, Elizabeth worked at the Mayor's Office To End Domestic and Gender Based Violence. Within that role Elizabeth provided LGBTQ Gender Based Violence education and policy analysis to agencies around NYC.

She works to strengthen the safety net for survivors and ensure inclusion and access through the development and implementation of policy initiatives. She is a social worker by training, and an advocate and educator by nature. Saloni is passionate about anti-violence and anti-poverty work and has dedicated her career to addressing intersecting issues of power, privilege, and oppression, and to promoting social justice for the most vulnerable in our communities. Prior to her work at ENDGBV, Saloni worked as the Deputy Director of Economic Empowerment Programs at Sanctuary for Families . She received her Master's in Social Work from New York University, and Bachelor's degrees in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Chicago.

Briana is an advocate whose work has largely centered on issues affecting TGNC communities. She works on campaigns that focus on improved healthcare, housing, and employment outcomes for TGNC communities, as well as work to decriminalize sex work and advocate for the rights of those who trade sex.

In this role, she has helped craft legislation and policy focused on improving the lives of people who are incarcerated and charged with crimes. Prior to joining the New York City Council, Alana spent four years as a public defender and trial attorney at New York County Defender Services, where she represented hundreds of people charged with felonies and misdemeanors. During that time, she represented both cis and TGNCNBI clients and gained intimate knowledge of the particular challenges that TGNCNBI folks face when they are held in DOC custody. Alana majored in political science with a concentration in education at Columbia University and earned her Law Degree at Brooklyn Law School. She is eager to join the Board of Correction taskforce and to work together with directly-impacted members of the LGBTQIA+ community to improve policies that affect people in the custody of the Department of Correction who are transgender, gender non-conforming, gender non-binary, and intersex.

Chase's work includes impact litigation, as well as legislative and administrative advocacy, on behalf of LGBTQ people and people living with HIV across the United States. Prior to joining the ACLU, Chase was an Equal Justice Works fellow and the Director of Prisoner Justice Initiatives at the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, where he represented transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in confinement settings. In 2012, Chase co-founded the Lorena Borjas Community Fund, an organization that provides direct bail/bond assistance to LGBTQ immigrants in criminal and immigration cases. Chase is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law and Grinnell College.