Ruby Bebekian
INSTRUCTOR
Ruby Bebekian (she,her,hers) is the Education Program Manager at Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon (PPSO). Ruby has a BA in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University and is completing a Master of Counseling degree from Oregon State. Ruby began her career as AmeriCorps Economic Empowerment Associate where she provided job skills training to refugee youth and adults. This laid the foundation for her continued work in developing culturally inclusive youth empowerment programs in a variety of non-profit settings. She has worked in partnership with Northwest Youth Corps and Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest to develop inclusive outdoor education programs for femme-identified youth of color, and co-developed an award winning youth conservation program for indigenous teens living in Portland. In her role at PPSO, Ruby combines her passion for youth advocacy and education with her personal interest in sexuality and reproductive justice. She is a skilled facilitator who is excited to support new Educators on their professional development journeys!
Leslie Briner
TRAUMA SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Leslie serves as the Spark*ED trauma subject matter expert. She developed both the self-paced and instructor-led courses on Teaching from a Trauma Informed Lens. For over 20 years, Leslie Briner has served families experiencing homelessness, youth with developmental disabilities, youth in the foster care system and, since 2005, has worked with commercially sexually exploited (CSE) youth. She has designed, implemented and directed services for sexually exploited and trafficked youth and developed comprehensive training on the topics of sexual exploitation and trafficking. To date, she has trained over 8,000 people as well as providing substantial technical assistance and consultation on these issues across the country. Leslie operates Social Strategies, an education and consulting practice based in Seattle, Washington. She works as a consultant with YouthCare, Casey Family Programs, the Capacity Building Center for States, as well as being Associate Faculty at the University of Washington, School of Social Work where she earned her Master’s in Social Work (MSW) in 2010.
Anne Brosowsky-Roth
INSTRUCTOR AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Anne (she/hers) has been with Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (PPWI) for 30 years in patient services and community education. In her current role, she provides direct sex education to youth and adults, as well as research and support for staff as the librarian for the Maurice Ritz Resource Center. She coordinates the annual Safe Healthy Strong conference dedicated to providing information and best practices in sex ed and reproductive health. Anne is a member of the Spark*ED Collaborative Workgroup, an online resource for sex educators that provides innovative tools for inclusive sex education. She is a founding member of the Cedarburg Parents for Responsible HG&D, a volunteer-led group that provides comprehensive sex ed for middle and high school aged youth. She enjoys binge-watching foreign mysteries in her spare time and does not enjoy when her three children fail to use correct names for body parts because they know how much it irritates her.
Grace Alvaro Caligtan
INSTRUCTOR AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Grace (she/her and they/them) is a Spark*ED facilitator and Community Outreach Educator based in in Honolulu, Hawai’i. They partner with SPARK*ED to support youth serving colleagues to hone their culturally responsive and trauma informed sex ed skills. Their background as cultural arts producer, playwright, director and community organizer has allowed them to use theater interventions to address teen dating violence and range of topics impacting adolescent health. Additionally, their work as an early literacy teacher, full spectrum doula and midwife under supervision, has given them the honor of serving a wide range of pregnant and birthing people and Oahu families in various stages of child-bearing, child-raising, and caregiving. Grace serves as an adjunct Public Health faculty at Hawaii Pacific University, teaching Sexuality in Health and Society, and consults on local and national organizing efforts for reproductive justice with organizations such as the Joyful Heart Foundation, Soulforce, and PPFA’s Asian Pacific Islander and Desi (APIDA) Educator caucus. Grace received a BA from Mount Holyoke College in Politics with a focus on Social Critical Thought, and MA in Political Science from UH-Manoa. Painting, writing poetry, and outrigger paddling in Hawaii’s Pacific waters have kept them grounded and connected during these turning times.
Laura Gardiner
INSTRUCTOR AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Laura (she/her) is an Education Program Manager at Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky. She helps lead and provides training and technical assistance for IN·clued, an LGBTQ-inclusive sexual health education program that is being delivered across the United States. She is passionate about supporting queer and trans youth to have the knowledge and skills to access services they need and deserve, and the opportunity to be seen for who they are. Prior to working in the field of sex education, Laura worked at the Los Angeles LGBT Center where she managed a voter persuasion canvassing program focusing on issues such as same-sex marriage, transgender-inclusive non-discrimination laws, and abortion access. She received her BA in Diplomacy and World Affairs from Occidental College. In her free time, Laura loves FaceTiming with her four nephews and going to classic rock concerts.
Tracy Flynn
CONSULTANT AND COACH
Tracy Flynn has over 25 years of experience in management and leadership positions in local and national health, welfare, and education institutions. Her mission is to provide training and coaching to build healthy individuals, organizations, and communities. Her expertise includes anti-bias and inclusion, community engagement, coaching, facilitation, leadership and management training. She works with teams, program managers, and executives on program implementation and as a work/life coach.
Previous positions include National Training Director with the National CASA Association (a nonprofit providing training, grants, and advocacy within child welfare), Director of Training with Planned Parenthood of Western Washington, and Health Curriculum Specialist with Seattle Public Schools.
Ms. Flynn currently works as an independent consultant and coach with numerous clients including the Port of Seattle, Puyallup Public Schools, School’s Out Washington, LGBTQ Executive Directors, The Dave Thomas Foundation, Arcus Foundation, and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s All Children – All Families and Welcoming Schools projects. She can be reached via her website: www.tracyflynnconsulting.org
Brittany Huffman
INSTRUCTOR
Brittany Huffman is the Manager of Youth Programming & Education at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE). Based in Providence, Rhode Island, Brittany oversees PPSNE’s youth programs, Students Teaching about Responsible Sexuality (STARS), and Beyond the Birds & Bees, a new virtual workshop series. Brittany provides trainings on a variety of sexual health topics for professionals who work with youth, sexual health education programming in communities throughout Rhode Island, and supports peer-led sex education. Prior to joining PPSNE, Brittany was the Education Program Manager for NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley, an organization providing out of school programing to youth in Woonsocket, RI. Brittany holds a B.S. in Community Health & Wellness from Rhode Island College and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).
Tim McLeod
INSTRUCTOR
Tim (he/him) has 25 years of experience as a sexual health educator in Washington state. His primary work has focused on peer education, family programs, teacher training, and consultation for non-profits in numerous countries around the world. Tim also participates and directs applied theatre performances related to social justice issues and liberatory work. He is an affiliate instructor for the University of Washington Master of Social Work program, a former member of OSPI’s Dream Team (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) where he focused on addressing student achievement gaps, participated as a review team member for the HIV Sexual Health Standards Alignment and Review, and board member for the Exemplary Sexual Health Advisory Group. Tim is a recipient of the “Big Apple Award” in 2019 for Excellence in Education. As a husband and father, Tim holds a passionate interest in the well-being of our next generation.
Forever Moon
INSTRUCTOR AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Forever (they/them) is a Capacity Building Specialist at Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky (PPGNHAIK). They are a black non-binary queer human who has been engaging in some type of sexuality education work since they were seventeen. They are passionate about working with and for youth and committed to doing work that is rooted in social justice and intersectional lenses. Forever taught sexuality topics in local schools, community organizations, and conferences for five years based in Olympia, Washington. They have worked on delivering and currently train educators in an LGBTQ+ centered sex education curriculum and other topics of equity and accessibility. They are a big nerd who is usually wearing all black and listening to a podcast with coffee in hand.
Lacy Moran
INSTRUCTOR, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Lacy (she/her) has worked in sexual health education for 11 years as a Community Educator, Trainer, Manager and Director supporting the work of direct sexual education across several States. With a BA in Human Development, she has a passion for providing engaging and relevant sex education to all ages and supporting educators and facilitators to build skills to be rock star sex educators. Having worked in both rural and urban settings, Lacy understands the complexities of each community and the importance of tailoring lessons to an audience while creating a safe and encouraging learning environment. Outside of her work in sexual health, you can find Lacy in the woods of the Pacific Northwest with her two energetic kiddos.
Mollie Overby
CAPACITY BUILDING SPECIALIST, INSTRUCTOR, SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Mollie (they/them) is a Spark*ED facilitator and Capacity Building Specialist. They facilitated the Teen Council program where they helped teens build their peer education and advocacy skills to use in their communities. Mollie is passionate about trans specific sex ed and access to healthcare and enjoys having conversations with youth and their parenting adults. They received a MPH in Community Oriented Public Health Practice from the University of Washington in 2016 and a BS in Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies from the University of Wisconsin- Madison in 2011. Mollie worked in global health in Wisconsin and has worked with the Q Card Project and the Northwest Network of Bi, Trans, Lesbian, and Gay Survivors of Abuse. Mollie comes from a small town in Wisconsin where their family farms dairy and has a small apple business. Outside of sexual health Mollie likes to talk dogs, camping, gardening/agriculture, and visionary fiction and scifi.
Diane Pike
INSTRUCTOR AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Diane (she/her) is an Education Program Manager for the Indiana Proud And Connected Teens (IN-PACT) project, a sex education program designed to improve the behavioral, social, emotional, and sexual health-related outcomes for youth in high at-risk situations, primarily youth in foster care, adjudicated youth, and LGBTQ youth. To date IN-Pact facilitators have reached over 1,000 youth in Indiana’s juvenile correction facilities with evidence-based sex education programming. Diane enjoys working to identify and implement changes to Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky’s training, policies, and procedures to better serve LGBTQ patients and staff members. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Indiana University with a minor in Human Sexuality. In her spare time, Diane can be found hiking with her dogs, spoiling her nieces and nephews, and seeing musicals with her partner.
Kayla Potts
INSTRUCTOR
Kayla (she/her) is a Capacity Building Specialist at Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky (PPGNHAIK). She supports educators who run peer education programs across the U.S. She began work in this field via Teen Council, delivering comprehensive, medically-accurate sex education to her peers. This experience opened Kayla’s eyes to the power of knowledge in helping young people make healthy, informed decisions for themselves. She is passionate about supporting educators to deliver sex education that is inclusive, responsive, and free of shame. In her free time, Kayla can be found exploring the outdoors with her partner and dog or enjoying a book and coffee in a local shop.
Nadya Schober
INSTRUCTOR AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Nadya (she/her) is the Peer Education Institute Program Manager at Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky (PPGNHAIK). She loves supporting new and veteran educators to build their sex education tool kits. A confusing and embarrassing experience of being scolded for asking a question about sex in her high school health class motivated Nadya to join her local Teen Council peer-led sex-ed group. Through Teen Council, Nadya learned to deliver high-quality, medically-accurate, and age-appropriate presentations about sexual health to her peers. After receiving a bachelor’s degree from The Evergreen State College, Nadya spent seven years providing sex education in classrooms and facilitating a Teen Council program in a rural community in Washington State. As a trainer, Nadya brings warmth, structure, and high expectations, and coaches educators to bring the same to their work with young people. When not at work, Nadya enjoys pretending to be a back-up dancer for Beyoncé in the comfort her living room with her two energetic children.
Elizabeth Schroeder
LGBTQ+ SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Elizabeth Schroeder, Ed.D., M.S.W. (she/her) is an award-winning educator, trainer, program consultant and author specializing in LGBTQ+-affirming best practices, nonprofit management, grant sustainability planning and strategic planning processes. She has spent her entire career working in the non-profit sector, providing consultation to and education and training for schools and organizations in the US and countries around the world for over 30 years. Key to Dr. Schroeder’s work is decentering white, cisgender, heterosexual voices and privilege, while supporting organizations and schools in becoming fully inclusive and affirming of all identities. She is the former executive director of Answer, a national sexuality education organization based at Rutgers University, and former Board chair of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. Dr. Schroeder has also served as the associate vice president of education and training at Planned Parenthood of New York City, and the manager of education and special projects at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Dr. Schroeder is a frequently sought-out spokesperson in the news media, having appeared on BBC’s “The Why Factor,” several NPR affiliates, and in The New York Times, CNN Online, and The Huffington Post, among others. She holds a Doctorate of Education from Widener University and a Master of Social Work from New York University. For more information, please visit www.drschroe.com.
Kaden Sullivan
INSTRUCTOR AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Kaden (he/him) has been a sexual health trainer and educator for 20 years. He was a Capacity Building Specialist with Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands (PPGNHI), training educators and serving as a subject matter expert for online course development in sexual health and LGBTQ health. Kaden started as a sexual health educator in New York, then first joined PPGNHI in 2003 where he worked with youth in school and community settings, facilitated a teen council, and taught literally thousands of young people how to use condoms. In his work with adults, Kaden is a Master Trainer contracted with the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to deliver training on state supported curriculum. He also has extensive experience training and coaching educators on the implementation of a number of Evidence Based Programs (EBPs). Kaden especially loves to work with adults around building their foundational skills in sex education. Kaden holds a bachelors degree from New York University and completed the Universiteit van Amsterdam Summer Institute on Sexuality, Culture and Society, and is a Master of Social Work student at New Mexico State University. Outside of work, Kaden hangs with his kids and heads to the mountains whenever he can.
Carson Varnum
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT
Carson Varnum, M.Ed., (they/them) is a community educator with an expertise in sexual health, sexualities, peer education, and community development. They have over 10 years of experience in education with adolescents and adults, including developing inclusive programming and community-centered curricula. Carson specializes in building capacity in sex educators, creating sex education and leadership development programming for adolescents, and developing education that centers LGBQ and Trans/Gender Non-Conforming communities. They believe that great sex education can gives us the skills to navigate the hard, unscripted, and uncomfortable conversations we all have in life with grace and curiosity. Carson received a Master of Education in Human Sexuality from Widener University in 2012. They love camping, backpacking and hiking when they can get out, and cooking for friends and family when they stay in.
Isabella Weber
INSTRUCTOR
Isabella Weber, MPH (she/her) is the Vice President of Education & Training at Planned Parenthood of Delaware. Her focus is on developing and facilitating sex-positive, shame-free and inclusive sex education for teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Isabella is the lead author of You’re in Charge: A Customizable Sex and Relationship Education Program for Self-Advocates with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, published in 2020. In addition, she is a certified facilitator and trainer for the Our Whole Lives lifespan sexuality education program and is interested in the intersection of sexuality and faith. Isabella is a regular speaker at national conferences and has presented at the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), the American Public Health Association (APHA), and the National Sex Ed Conference. She holds a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan.
Mattie Wyszynski
CAPACITY BUILDING SPECIALIST
Mattie (she/her) joined Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky (PPGNHAIK) in 2022 as the Spark*ED Capacity Building Specialist, and has worked with other PP Affiliates since 2019. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology & Global Health and a Masters of Education & Curriculum from the University of Oregon. Mattie has a wide range of experience teaching in the classroom and delivering sex education, which have all allowed her to better serve youth in her community. She’s also passionate about political advocacy. Mattie taught 2nd grade, coordinated a high school peer education program, and also worked with groups of all ages to provide comprehensive sex ed. She recently discovered a new passion — cooking and hanging out in her garden — which allow her to do things closer to home with her dog when she’s not out hiking or surfing in the great outdoors.
Paige Mac Leod
CAPACITY BUILDING STRATEGIST
Paige (she/her) joined in 2017 as the Capacity Building Strategist, directing the Education Programs and Capacity Building at Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest, Hawai’i, Alaska, Indiana and Kentucky (PPGNHAIK). She brings her passion for providing needed services to youth in high at-risk situations into building community partners’ ability to deliver sex education. She directs the the Education department’s programs and capacity building work, including creation and delivery of Spark*ED. Paige has 25+ years of experience in the non-profit management and institutional development arena, having worked with multiple local organizations, local government agencies, BINGOs and bi-lateral agencies in the US, Caribbean, Latin America, Asia, the Pacific and Africa. She spent three years in Panama working for a local NGO, is fluent in Spanish, and is a skilled facilitator and trainer. Paige received a BS in Business Administration from Boston University. In her spare time, Paige can be found baking up a storm, hiking and kayaking, but not all at the same time.
If you’re interested in sponsoring a scholarship, let’s chat: [email protected].