Doen Lee, M.Ed
Mentorship Program Manager
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Doen (she/her) is from Fremont, California, and spent her childhood living in both Taiwan and California. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has worked in community college, residential high school, and non-profit settings since then. She is passionate about community-based learning, student development, and educational equity. Doen believes that no matter who you are, we are all an interconnected web of knowledge, relationships, and resources. Having experienced the importance of caring adults and a community that surrounds you with care and love, Doen hopes to inspire intergenerational connections that uplift queer youth and are transformational for all. In her free time, she enjoys bouldering, cooking and baking, visiting local cafes, and spending time with friends.
Billie Mari Grant
Outreach Coordinator
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It’s has been said Billie (she/her) runs on giggles and glitter. It’s this joy and creativity that she brings to her work here at Joy as Resistance as well as throughout her hometown of Denver, Colorado. She joins our team with nearly three decades of organizing experience, 18 years of education experience and several certifications in sexual health, DECR (diversity, equity and cultural responsibility) work and movement building with legislative literacy. Not only is her labor passion-driven but she lives a passion-driven life. Billie believes kitchens and cars are wonderful dancefloors, taking time to write a postcard is better than sending a text and it is always the right time for a milkshake. Her deep commitment to community stewardship is actualized through her volunteer work with the community fridges, denver zine library and girls rock camps worldwide. The TLDR: likes include interdependence, dark academia, really lil’ things and bubbles. With her dislikes being willful ignorance, traveling, mushrooms and unexpected hikes proposed as walks.
Beatriz Chong, LPCC
Clinician
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Beatriz (they/she) is excited about the opportunity to support youth in exploring their passions and their connections to themselves and the world around them!
Beatriz grew up in a large Chinese-Venezuelan family in Florida, got their master’s in counseling in Wisconsin, and has been living in Colorado for a year.
Their experiences with youth include teaching swim lessons, wilderness therapy, higher education, and now therapy. They are grateful for the opportunities they have had to learn from the wisdom each individual holds, the beauty in diversity of learning styles, and Beatriz has especially enjoyed witnessing people connect with their pathways towards joy. B takes a person-centered approach and works to hold an awareness of how oppressive systems and our intersectional cultural strengths impact our experiences, therapeutic relationship, and inform our meaning-making processes.
Outside of work, B enjoys yoga, camping, arts and crafts, and caring for their plants and their cat.
Elliott Weil
Mentorship Program Coordinator
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Elliott (he/him) is a queer, transmasculine, and neurodivergent community organizer and advocate from rural New Hampshire. Elliott has an educational background in sociology, women's & gender studies, outdoor recreation, and art history. Now based out of Denver, Elliott has worked for years in the intersections of liberation through community work - grassroots organizing, labor advocacy, social work and prevention programming, political advocacy, mutual aid, and queer nonprofit work. Elliott's passion for community-centered care, and commitment to equity, accessibility, and collaborative uplift inform his efforts across all spheres of relationships and work.
Above all else, Elliott loves spending time with his goofy dog Remy, his partners and community, caring for plants, cooking good food, and building communities of radical queer joy and collaboration.
Jamie Billings, MSW-SWC
Clinician
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Jamie (she/they) is honored to be collaborating with young people as they explore their identities, cultivate self-compassion, and embrace their authenticity!
Born and raised in Metro Denver, Jamie studied theater and education in New York and London and earned her Masters in Social Work from MSU Denver.
With over a decade of experience working with youth and a background in community organizing, Jamie is deeply committed to centering the experiences of those most impacted, bringing anti-oppressive practices and healing-centered engagement to their work at Joy.
Some of their previous experiences with youth include teaching theater and podcasting to high schoolers in Denver, supporting youth experiencing houselessness, and providing mentorship personally and professionally. Jamie believes young people deserve the space, tools, and autonomy to be the experts of their own experiences.Jamie started as an MSW intern at Joy as Resistance and is now a full-time clinician!
Her approach is grounded in collaboration, creativity, and curiosity, always centering each client’s unique experience with compassion and an intersectional lens. Jamie believes in the power of art, collective liberation, and honoring the balance of joy and grief in the human experience.
Jamie finds joy in impromptu dance parties, soft-serve ice cream, caring for her senior dog, hearing paranormal stories, nerding out (especially about Dimension 20 on Dropout TV), supporting local queer artists, playing and writing music, and doing mundane and exceptional things with her loved ones.
Erica Castro, MSW
Joyful Spaces Manager
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Erica (they/them) brings 10 years of youth service to this work, including 5 years of teaching high school students in the Denver area and 2 years in research centering LGBTQIA2+ youth.
Erica came to us as an MSW intern and stayed with us upon graduation to support our Joyful Spaces program where they bring their passion for implementing their favorite author, adrienne maree brown's, framework into practice.
Erica is intentional about taking an intersectional approach to equipping youth-serving professionals with the tools to best equitably serve the students of our community, and prioritizes anti-oppressive practices and liberation in all that they do.
Erica experiences joy through machine tattooing, boxing, reality tv (bravo network), 90's nostalgia, & consuming literally any content on ghosts, jungles, and caves.
Janei Maynard
Co-Executive Director of Vision and Strategy
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Born and raised in the Denver metro area, Janei is a passionate advocate who has dedicated her life to uplifting the communities from which she came.
Drawing from both her lived experience as a Black Filipina queer cisgender woman and her Stanford education—with degrees in Media Studies and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity—she brings a unique perspective to her leadership roles.
As Executive Director of Vision & Strategy at Joy as Resistance, Janei advances programs nurturing mental wellness for LGBTQ+ youth, while simultaneously opening doors for Black and Brown youth to discover themselves through hip hop and dance education as Executive Director of 5th Element Center for Dance. In Colorado’s vibrant hip hop scene, she seamlessly integrates her identities as artist, performer, writer, and cultural organizer—striving to build sanctuaries where Black, Brown, and queer communities can truly thrive rather than merely survive.
When not immersed in her community work, Janei finds balance by hosting lively game nights with her closest friends, losing herself in dance sessions, and cherishing moments with the fur companions who share her life, especially her 3-year-old dog Zola.
Raven Brown, LCSW-CYT
Clinical Program Manager
& Clinician
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Raven (they/she) is a therapist, artist, folk herbalist, and embodiment practice-lover who brings a mix of creativity, community care, and clinical expertise to their work at Joy as Resistance. As a queer, Afro-Indigenous, Two-Spirit, and poly person, they know how important it is to have spaces where all parts of you feel seen and valued.
Their approach to therapy is relational, trauma-aware, and rooted in liberation and restorative justice—helping folks feel affirmed in their identities, autonomy, and spirituality while navigating life’s challenges.
Raven sees therapy as a co-creative process—one where healing happens through curiosity, connection, and even a little (gentle) discomfort.
Outside of sessions, you can find them dancing, biking, practicing yoga, crafting, or hanging out with their friends and elder dog. No matter where they are, Raven is all about holding space for the full spectrum of human experience and supporting others in reconnecting with their most authentic, empowered selves.
Rafa Veintimilla
Co-Executive Director of Finance and Operations
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After graduating from Arizona State University with a Sociology degree, Rafa (he/him) never intended on a future as a Finance and Operations leader. During his service year with Mile High Youth Corps Rafa realized that his combination of mathematical gifts and people facilitation skills could do a lot of good in the non-profit world. Rafa developed his financial expertise one transaction at a time learning more finance functions than he cares to unpack outside of therapy.
As if the nightmares from working in finance weren’t enough, Rafa earned his bookkeeping and accounting skills at multi-entity nonprofits like Conservation Colorado working at the local, state, and national levels. Rafa is excited to put his finance skills to good use again at Joy as Resistance, and even more excited to unbox his operations skills from his student government, youth corps, and cross-country moving days.
Rafa was born in Quito, Ecuador and his family settled in Denver because the mountains remind them of home. To unwind, Rafa spends his time napping with his cat Sunny, exploring Hip Hop with his cat Sunny, and planning the revolution with his cat Sunny.
Shaleen Morales
Board Vice Chair
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Shaleen (she/they) is an immigration attorney, abolitionist and queer Latina serving incarcerated folks. Shaleen's commitment to serving the community is inspired by the wisdom and strength of past and future clients, and those working towards the dismantling of the racist U.S. criminal legal and immigration system. Free them all! In her spare time, Shaleen likes feeding her soul by hiking and paddle boarding, and spending time with her cat, Bella.
Eunice Kwon
Board Chair
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Eunice (she/her) is an idealistic dreamer, poet, and storyteller. In the professional sphere, Eunice shows up as a trauma therapist, DEI practitioner, and nonprofit consultant, fueled by the fierce belief that we can all be and do better. Eunice has over a decade of experience in mental health and change management, supporting individual healing and growth while also transforming organizational culture. Eunice’s approach to her work is rooted in community-based healing and collective liberation and is informed by anti-oppressive frameworks and her own lived experience as a neurodivergent queer Asian femme. Outside of work, you can find Eunice writing in the park, roller skating with her pals, or snuggling on the couch with her cat, Kevin Milo.
Oliver Lewis
Board Treasurer
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Oliver (he/they) is passionate about equitable access to quality mental healthcare and the responsibility we all have to give our youth the tools they need to thrive. As a queer, trans-masculine, gender expansive human, he celebrates the role mental healthcare has played in his survival, while also recognizing the huge difference an organization such as Joy would have made in his childhood. Oliver is usually found with their cat, MB, and enjoys coffee, dog-watching, tattoos, and most things word-related (reading, writing, crossword puzzles). He works in non-profit finance and continues to gather tools to actualize his vision of creating a non-profit hotel in the Denver area. Oliver was born and raised in western Colorado, where their parents still live.
Jaelyn Coates
Board Secretary
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Jaelyn (she/her) originally began her career in education, where she spent her time both supporting first generation college students navigate the university, and holding universities accountable to becoming a more accessible, inclusive space for all students and staff. Overtime, she transitioned to doing organization culture and justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion work. Her passion for doing equity works comes from her own personal experiences navigating the world as a Queer, Black woman and a desire to do her part to create a better world for the next generation.
Sarah Graham
Board Member
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Sarah (she/her) is an innovative instructional designer and the founder of Lessons-in- Liberation™, a curriculum development company centered on social justice and transformative education. With nearly two decades of experience in K-12 education as a special educator, and instructional coach, and Special Education Director Sarah’s work amplifies marginalized voices, focusing on gender, sexuality, ability, and race.
As a proud Big, Bald, Black, Queer Lady, Sarah is committed to disrupting traditional learning spaces by crafting curricula that challenge biases and inspire personal growth. Through Lessons-in-Liberation™, she strives to create educational experiences that empower students and educators alike to become changemakers. When Sarah isn’t leading revolutionary shifts in education, she enjoys poetry, art, live music, and road trips that fuel her passion for creativity and liberation.
Halah Mohammed
Board Member
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Halah (They/Halah) is a writer, advisor, and instructional designer. Hailing from Brooklyn, New York City, they are a loud advocate for the arts, education, and social empowerment. Halah has spent the majority of their professional career in education as a K-12 instructor and advisor in higher education. They founded Halah’s Instructional Design Lab Consultancy (HIDL) and Go Ask Halah to support artists, careerists, and organizations in developing systematic projects and workplace solutions and opportunities. Halah approaches life and work from a place of play, compassion, and curiosity.
Leah Weisgal
Board Member
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Leah (they/them) is a registered nurse, passionate about expanding access to preventative and holistic health care. With a background in public health, community organizing, and outdoor education, Leah believes in the power of connecting people to community, resources, and their environments as valuable tools in promoting health equity. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate, Leah amplifies the needs of transgender youth navigating the foster care and criminal legal systems. Committed to decarceration and harm reduction, they also firmly hold the belief that everyone deserves health care! They find balance with their life in the city by adventuring in the backcountry with their dogs.
Alex Floyd
Board Member
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Alex (they/them) is a passionate, neurodiverse, nonbinary human who is passionate about interconnected liberation, community work, and a great cup of tea. Professionally they have a master’s degree in social work and spent about 8 years working clinically as a therapist specializing in complex trauma. Frustrated with the upstream barriers for clients they switched into macro level advocacy work as the Health Equity Director for One Colorado.
In their free time Alex loves spending time with their partner Raven and their two dogs, camping when they have time or snuggled up on the couch reading a good book.
Kaye Taavialma
Tanya Greathouse
Darren Smith
Gabe Fischer
Sabrina Allie
Casey Bodine
Amy Skinner
Tania Chairez
Diane Santorico
Syah B.
Special thanks to our
founding and previous board members: