Shawna is an artist and pastor. They are the first called and installed pastor of Friendship Presbyterian Church and have been doing ministry with the creative and justice-seeking folks here since 2011. In 2019 Friendship launched a not for profit called Friendship Community Place to create a community center space and Shawna serves as the Executive Director. Shawna is a 2009 grad from McCormick Theological Seminary where they currently serve as Affiliate Faculty, they are an organizer and facilitator at Crossroads Antiracism and Training and serve on the Board of Directors at The Night Ministry in Chicago.

Sierra is a certified yoga teacher through Room to Breathe’s 200 hour trauma-informed, psych sensitive training. As a mover/maker, yoga and dance are their essential tools for healing and processing. They enjoy guiding playful practices to help folks feel more at ease in their bodies. They seek to create inclusive and diverse spaces for all to feel welcome.

Adam is a psychotherapist who has spent most of his life studying human behavior, connection, and storytelling. He received his BFA in acting from The University of the Arts before training as a psychotherapist at Bryn Mawr College. He draws on his diverse educational background to provide support for members of the queer community as they navigate the mental health challenges that can arise from growing up in a heteronormative world. 

Walter Watson Swift, MPH (he/him)

For more than 15 years, Walter has combined art and science to address complex social issues related to race, health, gender, and LGBTQIA equity. His research has included methamphetamine use in the gay community, using improvisational theatre games as an intervention for anxiety and depression and anxiety, and issues facing unhoused members of the Black transgender community. Walter is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago where he received his Master of Public Health degree. He is also a graduate of Chicago’s Second City Improvisational Theatre Conservatory. Walter (stage name Watson) is a seasoned actor and currently works at the University of Illinois Cancer Center. He is also a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultant with the Morten Group.

Amaranthe is a medical writer by day, creative writer by night. When she isn’t writing clinical trial protocols or novel manuscripts, she can be found composing original music, spending time with her wife and cat, or working on an essay for her sponsoring rabbi as part of her conversion to Judaism. Ask her about how she contributed to the design of the asexual flag.