Colleen is a longtime LGBTQ and social justice activist, who began her career in New York City at the height of the AIDS epidemic. She served as an Advertising Executive for the weekly gay and lesbian newsmagazine, OutWeek, and was a member of ACT UP NY, participating in actions including the renowned Day of Desperation to demand adequate government funding to fight AIDS.
 

Following the demise of OutWeek, Colleen and two partners launched the weekly LGBTQ magazine, QW, available on New York City newsstands and nationally by subscription. QW was critically acclaimed and was featured in the New York Times, USA Today, The Village Voice, New York Post, People Magazine, Gay Cable News, and the BBC.

After leaving QW, Colleen launched a successful marketing career in the New York advertising industry. As technology progressed, she turned her attention to online capabilities, and created integrated digital marketing solutions for clients ranging from small business to the Fortune 500. Colleen is currently the Director of Marketing and Communications for Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Northeast Ohio, where she specializes in marketing strategy, branding, storytelling, creative direction, digital and traditional media, and data-based decision making.
 

Colleen takes every chance she can to help educate and register voters, volunteer for Democratic and Progressive candidates and show up at rallies and protests. She relishes using her voice to fight for social justice and isn’t afraid of a little civil disobedience to rile things up. As a bisexual mom of a cisgender boy and lesbian daughter she is thrilled to devote her time and knowledge to Colors+ Youth Center.

Chase Morgan-Swaney (he/him) is a doctoral candidate in the Counselor Education and Supervision Ph.D. program and a part-time faculty member within the School of Counseling at The University of Akron. He holds a Master of Arts in Education (M.A.Ed.) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The University of Akron and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology from The Ohio State University. Chase is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in Ohio as well as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) through the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC).

Chase is clinically active at Arbor Sana Counseling & Wellness in Westlake, where he specializes in serving the mental health, wellness, education, and career needs of LGBTGEQIAP+ adolescents (ages 13-17) and adults. He has experience working with all ages living with an array of mental health and substance use concerns in a community mental health agency, a pediatric hospital, a university training clinic, and in group private practice. In his clinical work, Chase integrates relational-cultural therapy (RCT) with mindfulness-based, compassion-focused techniques through an LGBTGEQIAP+ affirmative lens. He conducts evaluations for gender-affirming procedures and writes letters of support in accordance with World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care, adult ADHD testing and evaluation, and individual and relational counseling.

Chase is actively involved in many national and state professional counseling organizations, including the Ohio Counseling Association (OCA) as Chair of the OCA Media, Public Relations, and Membership Committee. He is the Immediate Past President of the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities of Ohio (SAIGEO), a division of OCA and state branch of the national SAIGE. Chase serves as President-elect of the North Central Ohio Counseling Association (NCOCA), a regional chapter of OCA. At the national level, Chase serves on the SAIGE Conference Planning Committee and on the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Counseling Advisory Committee.

Within Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International (CSI), Chase has been the recipient of numerous awards, including outstanding master’s student, outstanding doctoral student, chapter fellow, outstanding service, and outstanding counseling practitioner. In 2021, he was the recipient of the OCA Graduate Student Award and was recognized as an ACES Emerging Leader. In addition to being a published scholar, Chase has 50+ national, state, local, and invited presentations. His presentations have covered a range of topics, though mostly focused on LGBTGEQIAP+ issues in counseling, clinical supervision, social justice, and advocacy.

Pete is a licensed professional clinical counselor and supervisor (LPCC-S), advocate, consultant, educator, and founder of Grow Well Cleveland LLC. He received a B.A. in Psychology and Master’s in Counseling (with emphasis in marriage and family therapy) from California State University-Fresno, followed by a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Kent State University. As a clinician Pete has worked in college counseling centers, community agencies, crisis centers, private practice, and inpatient behavioral health centers. These experiences allowed Pete to hone a holistic, systemic approach while developing unique nutritional, physical activity, and advocacy techniques for therapy borrowed from his other careers as an educator, personal trainer, and yoga instructor.

Particular modalities include exercise and yoga therapy in individual, dyad, and group settings. Pete’s practice is punctuated by the use of affirmative, feminist, existential, and wellness counseling for all clients but especially LGBTQ persons and others marginalized in society. Pete enjoys working with adolescent boys, athletes, couples, families, and many others at Grow Well Cleveland.
 
Pete was previously an assistant professor at Ursuline College in the Counseling & Art Therapy program where he taught assessment, theory, diversity, psychopathology, research methodology, service learning, and specialty courses on LGBTQ issues and wellness. Pete developed scholarly literature in these areas including a comprehensive set of competencies in working with the LGBTQ population as part of advocacy with the Association of LGBT Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC), a division of the American Counseling Association. Other publications and research interests include LGBTQ issues, social justice, advocacy, wellness, and technology in counseling.
 
Pete advocates locally, regionally and nationally for LGBTQ persons and other marginalized persons, military members/veterans, and professional counselors. He has presented at local, state, and national conferences on LGBTQ issues, advocacy, wellness, supervision, teaching, and other topics. In his spare time you will find Pete running the trails and riding the roads of the greater Cleveland parks.

Ryan is a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) with experience working with adults of all ages from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. He earned a Master of Social Work from Cleveland State University. He has worked in outpatient community mental health centers, providing both case management and therapy. 
Ryan works with adults in individual therapy to address issues including depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, relationship issues, life adjustments, and substance abuse. He has experience working with those who have a co-occurring disorder (mental health and substance abuse). Ryan has provided individual therapy and group therapy for those in recovery, mainly groups for those in the pre-contemplation stage and the traditional IOP group.  Recently, Ryan became certified to run Helping Men Recover, a group that specializes in men who are in recovery with trauma related issues and how to understand these issues better.  
Ryan volunteers in many service capacities at his church, with homeless populations as well as facilitating food packing for needy families on Cleveland’s Westside.  Ryan also is a volunteer board member for a new LGBT Center for Cleveland area youth. Serving the LGBT population is also a specialty of Ryan’s. 
Ryan has provided services to those in emergency situations as well as short and long-term therapy and can see how impactful mental health and substance abuse treatment can be to those seeking services.  

Evie is passionate about preparing Cleveland’s next generation of leadership and helping to amplify their voices in a society where they are often silenced. She has been recognized for her work with young adults and the Northeast Ohio community.
She currently serves as the Assistant Director of the Women's Center at Cleveland State University.  She previously held positions as the Director of Look Up To Cleveland, at The LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland and The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, where her focus has been around issues of equity around race, ethnicity, (dis)ability, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression, as well as leadership development within a global context. She developed and delivered programs extensively throughout the United States around diversity and inclusion, including a large-scale LGBTQ Cultural Competence program in preparation for the 2014 Gay Games in Northeastern Ohio.
She has been named by The Plain Dealer as one of Cleveland’s Community Heroes for her work with young adults and received an LGBT Heritage Day Award from the City of Cleveland for her work in education and social services. She was named one of the top five most influential people in Northeast Ohio for LGBTQ advocacy by Cleveland Magazine, and Cisgender Ally of the Year by the Northeast Ohio Transgender community. 
Evie holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Notre Dame College, a master’s in psychology from Cleveland State University and graduate-level certification in diversity management. She is adjunct faculty in Women and Gender Studies at Cleveland State University. Evie is a proud and active resident of the Collinwood neighborhood in Cleveland.

Jehlani received a Bachelor’s in Sociology at Oberlin College. Passionate about community building and creating safe spaces for BIPOC and Queer communities since a young age, Jehlani is excited to be involved and advocating for the wellness of Queer and Trans youth with Colors+. During his Oberlin career, he became involved in and had leadership in various student community groups, such as Zami, Queer and Trans* Students of Color organization, La Alianza Latinx, the Latinx student union, ABUSUA, Black student union, etc. As a Mellon Mays Fellow, he studied the impacts of clothing, specifically using clothes as a language and a way to code-switch, have on queer students of color at predominately white institutions. Upon graduation in 2019, he was a recipient of the Norm Robertson LGBT Activism award.

Jehlani is a proud, South Side of Chicago native and so thrilled to have found community in his new home of Cleveland. Jehlani is a 2022 Foundations for Philanthropy Fellow under the Cleveland Foundation. Prior to his move to Cleveland, Jehlani taught English as a Foreign Language, focusing on conversational English and American culture, in rural China through the Oberlin Shansi Fellowship. Previously the Program Manager at Plexus LGBT & Allied Chamberof Commerce, Jehlani is ready and thrilled to learn more about the nonprofit  world alongside amazing, seasoned leaders!

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Jehlani  is a proud pet parent of two guinea pigs and two cats. In Jehlani’s free time, he is both a food and a game show fanatic. If it’s not “Family Feud”, he is most likely watching “Beat Bobby Flay” and studying the techniques of the chefs. While still being relatively new, please send all great food/restaurant recommendations his way, please!

Caitlin Cecil-Sykes is an activist and advocate for all things equality.  From Texas, but now residing with her family in Fairview Park, Ohio.  She has a bachelor’s degree in Film, TV, and Digital Media from TCU, which lead her to study representation of LGBTQ+ in film and media, sparking an interest in the fight for equal portrayals across the diversity spectrum.

Caitlin recently completed an MBA with an emphasis on strategic thinking and intends to use the acquired skillset to help people in her community succeed through education and wellness programming.  Caitlin additionally is a Certified Wellness coach and Barre instructor.  She currently works full time as a Senior Manager of Client Partnership in strategic digital marketing for an agency while teaching barre classes downtown Cleveland. 

In the last ten years, Caitlin has worked a combination of full time and volunteer efforts in fitness, nutrition, and marketing/brand strategy.  She managed all fitness and wellness programming for the JCC in Houston, Texas while also coaching multiple classes a week in the community. 

Caitlin coaches through a sober lens and is a great resource for those who are sober curious and want to learn more about wellness, health, and how sobriety can impact their lifestyle.  She values education, empowerment, positivity, and the power of diverse thinking.

Bio coming soon

Bio coming soon