The Founders
Miles Erickson (He/Him) Co-Executive Director
Miles is a trans educator of ten years. He started his career teaching science and transitioned into college and career success. Outside of his day job he organized, lobbied, and generally made a fuss to make sure there were codified supports for trans kids in schools. Miles not only wants trans kids to grow up, he wants them to grow into joyful, community minded, and confident adults. However, he knows the school system is not equipped to do this. Thus, TransFarmation came into existence.
When not working, Miles enjoys puttering in the garden, woodworking, and listening to a good book.
Email Miles at miles@transfarmationcolorado.org
Ruby Sofia Lopez (She/Her/Ella) Co-Executive Director
Ruby is an eco-intersectionality-minded community leader and advocate with over 7 years experience serving systematically excluded communities. Originally from Chicago, Ruby was raised in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood to immigrant parents and got her start working with marginalized communities on the south-side of Chicago. She has since dedicated her life to serving BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities and believes in harnessing the healing powers of community, nature, solidarity, and art to address the pain of inequity facing these communities.
In her spare time Ruby can be found dancing, kickboxing, or tending to her many house plants and bonsai trees.
Email Ruby at ruby@transfarmationcolorado.org
Board of Directors
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Izzy Nuñez (They/She)
Board President
Izzy is a food justice advocate in Colorado Springs and a raging ecolesbian in their spare time. They believe our natural ecosystems are not only beautiful but also inherently queer and trans. They are excited to be a part of TransFarmation to see a world where more trans youth are connecting with this power, cultivating food and community with each other.
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Sam Long (He/Him)
Board Treasurer
Sam is a Chinese-American-Canadian transgender man and a high school science teacher in Denver. Outside of teaching, he has co-cultivated Gender Inclusive Biology: a website and professional development tool for science teachers to be more accurate and inclusive of gender expansive beings in our world. Sam is excited to serve on the board of TransFarmation and to help support gender-expansive young people as they enter adulthood.
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Niki Barouxis (They/He)
Board Member
Niki identifies as mixed-race and queer transmasculine, and currently works with a non-profit in bringing public-access edible forest gardens around the Denver metro area. Niki has worn many hats in the past; they have experience doing work with many communities in different roles, including regenerative farming, restorative justice in schools, and social work with unhoused communities. Outside of work, they are involved in co-directing a natural building collective to bring skills to local QTBIPOC folks. They are also are involved in indigenous solidarity work and community mutual aid. Niki is excited to serve on TransFarmation’s board to further activate their passion around food/environmental justice, skill building, and empowering young people!
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Maren Gauldin (She/Her)
Board Member
Maren is a parent, coach, advocate, community-tender, dancer and partner who envisions a world where all are able to discover and fulfill their depths of the potential. In addition to her many years of work in coaching and organizational development, Maren brings experience working as the Assistant Director at a residential gap year program serving young adults and supporting them in a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. A long time non-profit leader and a proud momma of a rainbow child, in her role on the board of TransFarmation, Maren marries her background in transformative education and her fierce passion for supporting trans youth and young adults.
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LeeLee James (She/Her)
Board Member
LeeLee is channeling her engineering education, dance training, and resourcefulness through queer, femme, and Black identities into a wild and wonderful expression of her STEAM art through her YouTube series Twirling Tech Goddess. As a computer science major at the University of Colorado Boulder, James believes that greater access to technological information, skills, and experiences for those who have been historically marginalized is of the utmost importance in creating an equitable future for all. She is also the proud Mother of the Colorado Chapter of the pioneering and iconic Royal House of LaBeija, and hopes to stimulate greater interest in STEM to the QTBIPOC folks within the ballroom community. Learn more through her channel, youtube.com/@TwirlingTechGoddess and/or support her work through her patreon at patreon.com/TwirlingTechGoddess.
Photo credit: LeeLee James by Drummond West
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Rae Jones (They/Them)
Board Member
Rae is a queer nonbinary teacher in Denver Public Schools and fierce advocate for trans staff and students in education. They also bring experience from four years as a farmer growing CSA vegetables, taking care of sheep, goats, chickens, and cows, and processing firewood. Rae is passionate about being outside, local botany, exploring science in our everyday lives, growing and preserving food, ending transphobia in education, and empowering young adults to be the amazing and unique individuals they are in the world.