Salome Chasnoff, Executive Director of Beyondmedia Education, is a video and installation artist, media activist and educator, whose work is dedicated to expanding media access for the diverse stories of women and girls. She has a masters degree in Theatre and Performance and a doctorate in Performance Studies with a certificate in Women's Studies from Northwestern University. She has been an arts educator for the past 20 years in university and community settings, and an artist-activist in the prison moratorium movement for 8 years. She has created more than 20 documentaries and other work on women's issues, and she is a single mother with three fabulous children.
Brenda Myers is a nationally known, sought-after speaker. She is an expert in the lifestyle of prostitution, having been a prostitute for 25 years. Brenda now uses her experience and knowledge to help change policies that affect women in prostitution. Her story has been presented in the Washington Post and the Chicago Sun-Times. She is the recipient of the Gracie Award and Judy Barr Topinka's Trailblazers Award for opening doors for women exiting prostitution. Brenda is a consultant for Alexander Associates, Nia Imani Youth, Inc. and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. She is also an organizer with Prostitution Alternatives Round Table (PART). Brenda is currently an HIV Case Manager for Access Community Health Network and a TV personality for daytime shows such as Maury Povich and Judge Hatchett. Brenda is a newlywed and a proud grandmother. Brenda strives to show women that they should not have to suffer the violence of prostitution when there are support services available.
Joy Morris-Hightower is a 43 year old African American transgender female, a 25-year survivor of AIDS/HIV and a local and national AIDS/HIV activist and advocate. Joy is also liaison from the Chicagoland Transgender Community where she's been advocating for the transgender community for the past 2 years on the local and national level. She's currently employed at Prologue, Inc., as the Outreach Supervisor/Case Manager for the NightMoves Mobile Street Outreach Unit specializing in transgender health. She serves on the NorthSide HIV/Health Coalition- NSHHC, Chicago Area HIV Planning Council Title One Needs Assessment Committee, AIDS Reach Alliance of Chicago- ARAC, and Haymarket's Community Advisory Board . She's been a group facilitator for various agencies throughout Chicago related to AIDS/HIV, substance abuse, health and LGBT issues. Joy is a recovering substance abuser and prostitute.
Beth Sullivan is a 24 year old, white, queer, tattooed, independent dominatrix who has been involved in sex work for over four years. She is in the process of finally finishing her college degree in Women and Gender Studies at DePaul University. Primarily, she focuses on the intersection between oppression and/or privilege with regards to race, gender, class, sexuality, ability, and education and how they operate in order to formulate analyses regarding issues around sex work, criminalization, and violence.
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