Contact us!
FORGE Conference
PO Box 1272
Milwaukee, WI 53201
414-559-2123
conference @ forge-forward.org
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Staff
FORGE Forward 2007 Conference is sponsored by FORGE – For Ourselves: Reworking Gender Expression – a 12-year-old, Milwaukee-based organization founded by michael munson and Bear Devitt. For more information on FORGE’s accomplishments, click here or to read FORGE's 2006 Annual report, click here.
The primary conference organizers are michael munson and Loree Cook-Daniels, who collectively have many years of conference organizing experience (click here for their conference credentials).
Here are staff pictures and bios (more are coming; to volunteer, click HERE):
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michael munson
Conference Co-Chair:
michael munson is a the co-founder of FORGE and a long time political activist combatting social injustice -- within the greater trans+/SOFFA community and as well as beyond it. He has been involved in both national and local LGBT, queer, and trans politics/organizing for over 20 years, including four heartfelt years serving as programming chair (and other roles) for the True Spirit Conference.
While stuntingly shy, michael is passionate about doing his part to shape the world in ways that are more loving, respectful, gentle, and nurturing. He embodies (and is proud of) many traits that embarrass his 11 year old son -- geek, femme, driven, fat, queer, sensitive, introvert, spiritual, detail-oriented. He is blissfully in love with and continually creating life, love and change with his partner of over 6 years. |
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Loree Cook-Daniels
Conference Co-Chair
Loree Cook-Daniels has been an LGBT advocate and professional in aging for more than 30 years (do the math!). A writer, mother, partner, lover, and activist, she has also worn many hats within American Boyz, the Transgender Aging Network, and FORGE. She has filled numerous organizing roles for the True Spirit Conferences and various aging professionals’ conferences, including the 2001 National Policy Summit on Elder Abuse. She is looking forward to helping produce a memorable event that harmoniously blends together the many strands of the trans/SOFFA community and simultaneously greatly strengthens the ability of Midwestern (and other!) professionals’ and organizations’ abilities to provide transgender/SOFFA-sensitive services. |
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Sandi was asked to take on this responsibility because she is perceived as trustworthy, highly organized, and willing to make the tough calls when necessary. Some people also think she likes to boss
people around, but don't tell her volunteers that! She has long been an ally to the trans-gendered community, and fails to fit into any standard orientation boxes herself. She has worked for the likes of professional sports teams, institutes of higher education, peace and
justice organizations, and FEMA. (Don't tell her volunteers that one either!). She's leaving the flowers in bloom at her home on the eastern shore of North Carolina to come to Milwaukee so she can be available to handle any registration glitches you may encounter.
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Liz Hanson
Volunteer Co-Coordinator
Liz is a Service Learning Coordinator at Alverno College working to raise awareness of and participation in service learning and civic
engagement opportunities. She received her undergraduate degree in Social Science with a minor in Women's Studies from Webster University and her Master's degree in Women's Studies from the University of Oxford. Liz has been involved with various campus and community activism organized around women's and gender issues. This is her first time serving as a volunteer coordinator for a conference and is very much looking forward to the opportunity to be involved in such an amazing event.
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Jennifer Filz
Volunteer Co-Coordinator
Jenny is a Service Learning Coordinator at Alverno College working to raise awareness of and participation in service learning and civic engagement opportunities. Jenny received her Bachelors in Social Studies Education from Winona State University in 2005. She has been involved in many social causes throughout the years and is looking forward to working with the Forge Forward conference as a volunteer coordinator.
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Key Volunteers |
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Jay Botsford
Youth Coordinator / Advisor
Jay Botsford is a Youth Development Coordinator with Project Q, the youth development program of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center. For over two years as first an intern and now as staff, Jay has worked to increase transgender awareness and inclusion at Project Q and in the Milwaukee community at large. Not only has he implemented a transgender education curriculum at Project Q, but also, thanks to a Queer Youth Fund grant, this successful program will soon be disseminated throughout the country to make other groups serving LGBTQ youth inclusive of and safe for trans-identified youth. He also has helped to organize and the last two years of the Young Womyns Empowerment Conference, and worked to make that space open to and safe for all woman- and transgender-identified individuals, and has presented at several conferences on youth and transgender topics, including the NYAC 2005 national conference. Last year, he was named Youth Leader of the Year by the Rainbow Alliance for Youth of Wisconsin. Jay hopes that his work will create greater understanding and acceptance and inclusion of transgender-identified persons and SOFFAs in the LGB community and movement, as well as the community at large. This is the first transgender-focused conference Jay will be helping to organize, and he looks forward to a successful and inclusive event. |
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Dane and Jay Mueller
Buddy Coordinators
Dane: Dane has been in the ftm community for 11 years, 6 years post transition and 5 years making up his mind whether to transition or not. He has been to many ftm conferences but clearly remembers the first one where he was so nervous that he had to leave the first keynote speaker early to go back to his room because his stomach was so tied into knots. The knots did finally go away and he did enjoy the conference, learned a lot, met great people, and went back to every True-Spirit conference after that. Dane and his friend Jay have gotten together and formed the Buddy-Buddy program which was created to make it easier for conference goers to meet people to talk to and share experiences Dane is also going to do the bottom surgery show and tell on Saturday. He's a bit nervous about dropping his drawers and sharing "Mr. Willie" with a room full of onlookers. To alleviate his discomfort, Dane plans to become a ventriloquist and have Mr. Willie do his own question and answer session......
Jay Mueller (bio coming soon) |
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ASL Team Coordinator
Suzette Garay is an educator and consultant in special education, ASL linguistics, and interpreting. She is currently a consultant in assessing and evaluating interpreters. She also works with several educational programs related to teaching sign language, interpreting, diversity and special education. She has taught distance education courses and workshops in ASL linguistics, special education, and disability issues throughout the Midwest and at the national level.
Dr. Garay's Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in special education with a research focus on transition and learning disabilities related to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. She has two M.A. degrees from Gallaudet University in Developmental and School Psychology. In addition to her degrees, she also has a Professional Development |
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Joe Ippolito
Crisis Team Coordinator
Joe Ippolito is a 36-year-old, Female to Male transsexual (FTM), living in Philadelphia. Joe is a 6th year doctoral candidate in Psychology at Chestnut Hill College and a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in Pennsylvania. In July 2006, Joe started his final internship at Northwestern Human Services (NHS). In addition, he is finishing his doctoral dissertation, which looks at re-socialization issues in Female-to-Male (FTMs) Transsexuals. Joe works part-time as a therapist for the Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia's only LGBT Health and Wellness Center, and has a small private therapy practice located in Center City. Joe is Treasurer and Provider Day Co-chair for the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference (THC) and Co-Chair for the American Psychological Association (APA) Division 44’s Committee on Transgender and Intersex Issues. Joe also works as a consultant and trainer, conducting professional trainings, workshops and discussions on transgender issues at the local, state and national level. Some of the agencies and organizations Joe has consulted for include; AIDS Delaware, University of Delaware, Connected Health Solutions, Whitman Walker Center, American Psychological Association, Philadelphia. |
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Jules Rosskam
AV Coordinator
Jules Rosskam is the founder of MamSir Productions and has worked in video production and post-production for 7 years. From 2002-2005 Rosskam acted as the Executive Producer and Senior Editor for Dyke TV and works as a freelance editor for corporate and non-profit organizations nationally. Rosskam has worked for numerous production and film distribution companies, including Frameline, Richter Productions, Curious Pictures and PBS, and has independently made four short films and one feature documentary, "transparent". In November 2004 Curve Magazine featured Rosskam as one of ten emerging filmmakers to look out for, and Rosskam's work as a filmmaker was highlighted in Velvet Park Magazine, After Ellen.com, TransNation, the Village Voice and other feature publications. Rosskam is currently persuing a MFA in film, video and new media at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.
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Ethan Thomas Young
Accessibilities Coordinator
Ethan Thomas Young is a 47 year old, transmasculine, African-American with cerebral palsy. He has been medically transitioning since 1999 and continues to explore gender, race, and physical challenges in both his personal and professional life. He is currently a student in Human Services and plans to continue his education to obtain bachelor's and Masters' degrees in counseling. Ethan is also a co-founder of La Fraternitie du Loup Garou which is a Leather/Levi organization for individuals who were assigned female at birth but live on the masculine end of the gender spectrum. Ethan's ultimate goal in life is to live, love, and access all the places he dreams about. Ethan's ultimate goal in life is to live, love, and access all the places he dreams about.
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