Aishah Shahidah Simmons
Contributor
Aishah Shahidah Simmons is a Black feminist lesbian award-winning documentary filmmaker of the groundbreaking 2006-released Ford Foundation-funded film, NO! The Rape Documentary, and the editor of the 2020 Lambda Literary Award-winning anthology, Love WITH Accountability: Digging Up the Roots of Child Sexual Abuse. Simmons’s long term-cultural work, activism, and scholarship are informed by her lived experiences as a child sexual abuse survivor, adult rape survivor, and Buddhist committed to preventing, disrupting, and ending the inhumane pandemic of sexual violence, humanely. She has presented her work and lectured extensively across North America, and in numerous countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. Simmons is on Twitter, @AfroLez, and #LoveWITHAccountability® and on Instagram, @lovewithaccountability
Andrea Glik, LMSW
Contributor
Andrea Glik, LMSW is a somatic trauma therapist, writer, and educator. Andrea specializes in treating trauma, nervous system dysregulation, and PTSD, prioritizing women, survivors, and queer & trans folks. She utilizes neurobiological, body-based and feminist therapy practices to help clients come home to themselves. Andrea can also be found on Instagram @somaticwitch and at andreaglik.com
Aredvi Azad
Contributor
Aredvi Azad is a sex and relationship educator and certified coach focusing on the intersection of childhood trauma and adult relationships. They are a queer and genderfluid immigrant writing and producing educational material for nearly a decade. Aredvi is the business manager and co-partner at The HEAL Project at heal2end.org.
Follow Ignacio and Aredvi on social media: @heal2end
Ayanna De’Vante Spencer
Contributor/Author of 'me too.' Framework
Ayanna De’Vante Spencer is a doctoral candidate in philosophy at Michigan State University from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As a Black feminist epistemologist, Ms. Spencer’s research examines structural epistemological challenges for survivors of sexual violence to argue that survivors face epistemic oppression beyond disbelief and insufficient public uptake. In particular, she centers on the experiences of Black, cisgender, and transgender girl survivors in the U.S. context to highlight sexual violence as structural violence. Moreover, she is passionate about political education, youth leadership and organizing, and community power for gender and racial justice. Contact: spenc315@msu.edu.
Biany Pérez, LSW, M.Ed
Contributor
Biany Pérez, LSW, M.Ed (she/her) is a licensed social worker, trauma therapist, educator, and full-spectrum doula. Biany specializes in treating trauma, PTSD, and anxiety for women and femmes, people of color, and LGBTQ+ folks, using psychodynamic, body-centered, and feminist practices to help clients access their inner wisdom, and heal and grow through life’s many challenges. Biany lives in Philadelphia with her partner and three children. You can learn more about her at www.bianyperez.com.
Billye J. Jones, LCSW
Contributor
Billye J. Jones, LCSW is an experienced clinician, supervisor, field instructor, administrator, program developer, and relationship builder. Billye incorporates her passion of child sexual abuse treatment, prevention, and developing trauma-informed programs in her multiple roles. She has performed extensive work with sexually abused children and adults as well as sexually reactive and aggressive youth. Billye has a Master of Social Work degree from New York University. She attained a Post Master’s Certificate in Clinical Practice from NYU, an Advanced Certificate Program in Non- profit management from New York Medical College/Fordham University.
Candice Crawford
Operations and Finance Associate
Candice Crawford serves as the Operations and Finance Associate for Me Too Movement. She has dedicated her career to public service working to innovate solutions for operational efficiency and revenue growth and management. She has served in leadership capacities within the organizations where she has led strategic and capacity building processes, as well as assisted with fundraising efforts that has garnered grant funding and other resources.
Candice continues to engage in community service efforts related to education, workforce, and community development by serving on boards and advisory groups such as Teach for America of Metro Atlanta, Families First, Atlanta Beltline 67, and MAFDET. Additionally, she is a member of LEAD Atlanta Class of 2019.
Candice graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Spelman College. She also earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from City University of New York-Baruch School of Public Affairs where she was a recipient the National Urban Fellows Public Service Fellowship.
Candice Marie Benbow
Contributor
Candice Marie Benbow is a writer and public theologian whose work focuses on women’s healing and wholeness. Her essays can be found at various outlets including ESSENCE, Glamour, Vice, and MadameNoire. Her first book, RED LIP THEOLOGY, will be released by Convergent Books in 2022.
Dani Ayers
Chief Operations Officer
Photo by Constance Mensh Photography
Dani Ayers is an organizational development and board strategy executive. Her work has been in service to uncovering and understanding organizational dynamics, the various levers that push and pull an organization’s health and viability. As Chief Operations Officer, she is responsible for ‘me too.’ Movement’s infrastructure, leading day-to-day operations, and heading up finance, human resources, and development. Dani has fifteen years of broad nonprofit industry experience, spanning small, grassroots organizations, to large multi-billion dollar enterprises, both consulting and on staff. She enjoys developing internal culture and leading organizations through change and growth. Dani maintains commitment to the multi-layered work of racial and social justice, gender equity, and education — and deeply values managing the health of ‘me too.’s organizational foundation. She takes pride in serving the Movement to interrupt and eradicate sexual violence and is honored to be part of an incredibly talented, thoughtful, growing team.
Denise Beek
Chief Communications Officer
Photo by Constance Mensh Photography
Denise Beek is a communications strategist who has worked in the nonprofit sector for over a decade. She is a Caribbean-American performance writer, improv artist, and board member of the BlackStar Film Festival. As Chief Communications Officer for ‘me too.’, she oversees external communications, engages with its stakeholders, and creates strategies to raise the visibility of the organization and center survivors. She works primarily to change the way people talk about sexual violence, this movement’s work, and survivorship. Denise’s professional trajectory is undergirded by her passion for gender equity and racial justice. Her experience is a mix of arts administration, cultural production and community engagement at organizations like the Painted Bride Art Center, the Black Lily Film & Music Festival, and the Union Square Awards. From 2013-2018, she served as Communications Director for the Leeway Foundation, a regional grantmaker that supports women, trans, and gender nonconforming artists in Greater Philadelphia.
Dr. Elena Ruíz
Principal Researcher, Gender-Based Violence
Dr. Ruíz is a research specialist on gender-based violence and structural oppression. She currently holds a faculty appointment at Michigan State University and has held visiting fellowships at Harvard University, The Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a former Woodrow Wilson fellow. A scholar-advocate with nearly two decades of experience in anti-violence research, Dr. Ruíz has worked with human trafficking task forces, defense attorneys, legislative staffers, and survivor advocacy organizations to address structural violence-based institutional practices and biases that asymmetrically impact Indigenous communities and communities of color, especially surrounding sexual violence. Her current work focuses on understanding the impact of structural impunity towards gender-based violence on survivor’s lives across the lifespan.
Dr. Michael Frazier
Contributor
Dr. Michael Frazier is a trainer with BEAM and provides mental health workshops, helping to facilitate trainings on gender, identity, and holistic health with a focus on wellness and self-care. Since 2000, Michael has worked as a therapist in multiple clinical settings ranging from private practice to intensive hospitals. Recognized and awarded as an innovative therapist and social service worker in the community. In addition to his work at BEAM, Dr. Michael is the Lead Therapist and first Black C.A.R.E. Certified, SOULva Specialist in the world, at the VANDA HOUSE, a wellness center and lighthouse, to raise the awareness to a mindful, conscious lifestyle that serves your highest good & helps you create joy.themselves and for others while interrupting intergenerational trauma.
