TransOhio’s Board of Directors

  • James Knapp

    James Knapp, Chair (he, him, his) was born and raised in Northeastern Ohio. James has been a member of the TransOhio Board of Directors since 2013. A lifelong activist, James first got involved in trans* advocacy in 2002, when he spoke to the Akron Public School Board concerning its policy on gender-variant individuals, dress codes, and bullying. Since that time, he has been involved with a number of student, local, state, and national organizations. He continues to speak and educate others on the complex issues facing the LGBTQ communities, focusing on concerns specific to transgender and gender-variant individuals. He has spoken to students, teachers, guidance counselors, social workers, medical professionals, and attorneys, both at private training and conferences. James has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy from The University of Akron and a Juris Doctor from Cooley Law School.

  • Dara Adkison

    Dara Adkison (they/them) is the Executive Director of TransOhio, a parent and a nonbinary genderqueer trans-masculine person. They previously served on the TransOhio Board of Directors for two years, where they helped grow and develop the programs TransOhio offers to the community. Their advocacy saw them testifying at the Ohio statehouse so frequently that many thought they lived in Columbus, rather than their home in Cleveland. Before joining TransOhio, they were President of the Cleveland Stonewall Democrats, founder of the Rural Lorain Precinct Association, and a former candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives, running in 2020 as the first out LGBTQIA+ candidate at any level in Huron and Lorain counties. They have been involved with local, state, and national organizations through their legislative advocacy, public speaking, testimony, and educational efforts, helping provide community resources for the past decade.  

  • Ginger Williams

    Ginger Williams (she, her, hers) has been involved with trans advocacy for over 10 years and a Board Member with TransOhio since 2016.

    Ginger has an interest in trans history and a passion for volunteerism for its associated sense of community, socialization and self-worth. She has been involved in planning for job fairs, pride events and the Trans & Ally Symposium. She has presented at state-wide and local conferences on trans advocacy and history.

    Ginger is from Cleveland and holds degrees in engineering from Youngstown State and Case Western Reserve Universities.

  • Micah

    Micah (he/they) is a social worker, organizer, and legislative advocate in Central Ohio working towards a future where transgender and gender expansive people can thrive. He is involved in TGNCI legislative advocacy and narrative strategies on a local, state, and national level.

  • Ari

    Ari (she/her) is a trans woman currently living in Central Ohio. Originally from a scientific background, she decided to put her energy towards activism after seeing the mass introduction of anti-human rights legislation across the country. In her free time, Ari loves playing video games, tinkering with computers, and exploring nature.

  • Carson

    Carson (they/he) is a proud Ohio native, current southwest Ohio resident and TransOhio board member. They have been involved in LGBTQ+ and trans advocacy at the institutional, local, state, and national levels with a particular focus on health policy and education. Carson is an activist and a lifelong student with the ultimate goal of serving trans patients and fighting for a better healthcare system for all.

  • Harley Rubin

    Harley Rubin (he/him) is a healthcare social worker and community advocate in Cleveland, Ohio. He is fat, transmasculine, genderqueer, bisexual, and Jewish, and he leads the Community Team at Cleveland Jewish Collective. His mission is to provide competent, inclusive healthcare for the transgender population, through direct practice, education, and policy advocacy.

  • Diane Brennan

    Diane Brennan, Treasurer (she, her, hers) (more information coming soon)

    You can email Diane at: Diane@transohio.org

Board Members Emeritus

Sarah (AS) Green, Secretary (they, them, theirs) is an activist and comedian/storyteller. Originally from Chicago, Sarah has lived in Columbus for the past 10 plus years. A founding member of Cbus2Ferguson, Sarah has been active in the community for three years advocating for transgender and non binary communities as well as people of color.You can email Sarah at: SarahG@transohio.org

Arykah Carter, Board Member (she, her, hers) is an activist in the Cincinnati community. She is a board member for TransOhio.org, a statewide advocacy and education group, and was instrumental in making TRANSSAINTS, a faith based trans organization and integral part of the Cincinnati Transgender Community. Arykah is currently working on organizing a Trans & Queer People of Color Collective (TQPCC) in Cincinnati. Arykah holds a B.S. from Western Michigan University, and an MBA from the Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University.You can email Arykah at: Arykah@transohio.org 

Lena Tenney, Board Member (they, them, theirs) joined the TransOhio Board of Directors in 2017. Lena is passionate about issues related to youth, education, and public policy. They are a co-founder of two grassroots community activist groups that have sought to ensure legal protections for and institutional inclusion of LGBTQ individuals. This advocacy work has resulted in successes such as the establishment of legal protections for LGBTQ residents in housing, employment, and public accommodations in the first city in Oklahoma to pass such legislation; the creation of the first ever LGBTQ Lounge at the University of Oklahoma; and the ability for transgender college students to obtain student ID cards that list their preferred name instead of their legal name.
Working as a facilitator and researcher at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University, Lena conducts anti-racism trainings throughout the state of Ohio and across the nation. They also serve as a member of the university's LGBTQ Student Success Taskforce and as the adviser for OSU's Gamma Rho Lambda, a national LGBTQ sorority.
Lena graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Masters of Education and a Masters of Public Administration. They also hold a Bachelors of Arts in Religious Studies and History from the University of Oklahoma. Prior to moving to Oklahoma for college, Lena lived in both Dayton and St. Marys, OH. Lena currently lives in Columbus, OH with their cat named Ruth Bader Ginspurr. In their free time, they bake homemade desserts and blog about dapper fashion. You can email Lena at: Lena@transohio.org  

Julie Boylen (she, her, hers) is currently on leave of absence (more information coming soon)You can email Julie at: Julie@transohio.org  

Jennifer Evans (she, her, hers) (more information coming soon)You can email Jen at: Jennifer@transohio.org  

Julio Jones (they, them, their) (more information coming soon)You can email Julio at: Julio@transohio.org  

Darius Stubbs, Working Group Coordinator (he, him, his) (more information coming soon)You can email Darius at: Darius@transohio.org 

Shane Morgan, Founder (he, him, his) While Shane is no longer on the Board of Directors of TransOhio, he is still dedicated to its mission and continues to be active in the community. He can often can be found facilitating transgender support groups in Central Ohio and speaking at conferences around the nation. Shane is a member of Equality Ohio and the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE).
Shane has presented at The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force's Creating Change Conference; Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio; Southern Comfort Conference; IDKE X; and other national and local conferences. He currently serves as a Steering Committee Member for Trans Advocacy Network (TAN). Shane has previously served as a Board Trustee at Stonewall Columbus, served as a Steering Committee member at the United Way of Central Ohio, a member of the Equality Ohio Public Policy Committee and as a Local Action Team leader.
In October 2010, Shane completed a Political Fellowship with the Center for Progressive Leadership. The Ohio Political Leaders Fellowship is a 9-month, part-time program that focuses on providing the long-term resources and skills necessary for emerging leaders to become powerful political advocates for their communities. Through training, coaching, project-based work and mentoring, the program gives up-and-coming leaders the skills and networks they need to advance progressive political change in their communities.
Shane presents on several topics: Inclusive policies in the Workplace; Sex-Segregated Spaces; Trans Homelessness & Shelters; Ally & Coalition Building; Trans & Queer Community organizing; Female-to-male transition; Domestic Violence & Safety; Coming Out at Work; Creating gender-safe & neutral spaces and Sex and sexuality. 

Now Accepting Applications to Join TransOhio Board of Directors!

If you are interested in joining our board, please email james@transohio.org with a letter of interest. TransOhio accepts applications from people of all walks of life all over the state of Ohio.

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If you have questions, please email us at: TransOhio@transohio.org,

And do please visit again soon!