Staff
Ciora Thomas, Founder
Ciora Thomas is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native and Executive Director of SisTers PGH.
Ciora founded the nonprofit in 2013 because of her own struggles as a teenage homeless sex worker surviving within a cis-tem that feeds off of trans youth homelessness, drug addiction, and transphobia. She saw no real opportunities for herself or others to thrive independently as a Black trans adolescent.
SisTers PGH advocates for social and economic justice for TGNC (transgender and gender-nonconforming) BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) within Allegheny County and operates Pittsburgh’s only trans-owned community center. Here TGNC people can obtain tangible resources like rent and utility support, medical and mental health referrals, self-affirming groups, and a chance to enroll in the many other programs SisTers PGH offers. These include, but are not limited to, the TGNC Youth Collective, which provides a platform and resource for trans youth to organize and find fellowship, and Project T, a groundbreaking temporary housing initiative that helps TGNC people transition from unstable environments and unsupportive communities to finding avenues to support themselves while connecting with the trans community via SisTers PGH and its programming.
For over a decade, Ciora has been committed to bridging the gaps between transgender and cisgender communities while building equity and direct mutual aid platforms for trans people. She has developed a model of leadership that exemplifies the need for self-sustaining Black trans-led organizations in the region. She has traveled the country building partnerships, funding streams, and relationships that continue to broaden her leadership and the organization’s mission.
Ciora is also the founder and lead organizer of People’s Pride PGH, an alternative Pride event in Pittsburgh in protest of the former Delta Foundation of Pittsburgh, which racially segregated Pittsburgh Pride for over a decade. People’s Pride PGH was created in the spirit of Stonewall to center those most marginalized within the TLGBQ+ communities of Pittsburgh by highlighting the need for policy and legislation that defends and protects TLGBQ+ Pittsburghers and Pennsylvanians. Through this work, Ciora has garnished relationships with hundreds of organizations across the city, state, and country that are beneficial to the TLGBQ+ community of Pittsburgh. People’s Pride PGH has been featured on The Daily Show and is now an annual event.
Ciora sits in several seats locally and statewide, becoming the first Black trans woman to serve as Chair of the LGBTQIA Advisory Council of Pittsburgh and on the Pennsylvania Commission of LGBT Affairs. She was later reappointed as the Co-Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBT Affairs under Governor Tom Wolf’s Leadership.
Further, Ciora is the first Black Trans woman to sit on the board of PAAR (Pittsburgh Action Against Rape), where she is currently working to protect and uplift TLGBQ+ sexual and domestic assault survivors.
She has been honored with multiple awards and recognitions, including: Pittsburgh’s 40 Under 40; LEAD Now Pittsburgh; Outstanding Service recognition from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; NEXT: Housing; First Swissvale Borough Pride; Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania: Frontline Award; Pennsylvania Youth Congress: Generations Award; Strong Women Strong Girls: Strong Award; Vision Towards Peace: Forerunner Award; LGBT Center FAB: Movement Leadership Award, and many more.
Doréa Britton,
Project T Coordinator
Doréa (they/them) supports BIPOC TGNC siblings in the program with things such as home skills development, education (high school, college, certifications, or employment training), employment finding, money management, and finding affordable housing for when you’re ready and able to complete the program.
They work with each person’s goals to provide the support they need to reach their ability for thriving independence. Finding resources and options are their strengths, and using them to help siblings thrive brings them contentment.
Vee Matthews, Administrative Assistant
Vee Matthews is a native of Pittsburgh and an avid indoor cyclist. She brings with her 20 years of experience executive support, proposal coordination and facilities management.
Masika J. Shields, Trans Resource Center Office Administrator
Board of Directors
Celena Spain-Frank
Bishop Celena Spain-Frank joined the SisTersPGH advisory team in 2021, and shortly after, was asked to join the Leadership Team as a Board member. She is the first African-American of trans experience to be consecrated as a Bishop in the Episcopal-Apostolic Church. She is an International Anointed Preacher and Visionary whom God has used to birth the SEED Ministry in 2015. She seeks to bring God's Anointed and Appointed to the next level of success and achievement in Christ. A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Bishop Spain uses her own shortcomings and personal trials to reach transform the community. She holds multiple Certificates from Bible Broadcasting Network, Agape Bible Studies, World Bible School, and a graduate from the Graduate School of Episcopal Studies. She is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, has a Certificate in Domestic Violence from Florida State University, and a Bachelor’s in Theology. She seeks to Encourage, Equip, and Educate all those on the realness and acceptance of Sexuality, Sexual Identity, and Spirituality.
Louis Mitchell
Rev. Louis Mitchell is a pioneering "intentional man.” He is currently serving as the Senior Pastor of Rincon Congregational United Church of Christ in Tucson, Arizona. He is a co-founder, with Mx. Chris Paige, of Transfaith.
Rev. Mitchell is a proud father to his daughter, Kahlo (like the artist), and co-parent with her mother, Krysia L. Villon. He is supported by a team of trusted friends and family (by birth and connection).
Louis has been in recovery for nearly four decades and has been involved in the fight for health, respect, and self-determination since the early 1980s, with deep engagement in political, mental health, recovery, and spiritual contexts.
He brings his own learned experiences, a broad range of resources, theories and studies, to offer a fresh, “on the ground”, open-hearted, holistic strategy to the work of individual and community healing, intersectional diversity planning and commitment to personal and community agency and solvency. He is a confirmed believer in the restorative power of truth telling in the voices of those whose stories are often told about them rather than with them.
His teaching and trainings have been sought by government agencies, universities, churches, denominational bodies and businesses around the country.
Engaging and witty, he brings his whole self to each endeavor and appreciates the opportunity to guide and witness growth and wholeness!
Some key accomplishments include:
Contributor, “Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families”, Peggy Gillespie (released May 2023) – May 2, 2023
Profiled in the documentaries: Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen (2008, Zeigler & Lora), Gender Journeys: More than a Pronoun (2016, Luke Allen) and More than T (2017, Silas Howard)
2022 The I Am Human Foundation Lifetime Service Award
2017 International Jose Julio Sarria Civil Rights Award from the Imperial Court of Western Massachusetts
2015 Claire Skiffington Vanguard Award from the Transgender Law Center for his long-time advocacy for the disenfranchised
2011 Haystack Award from the Massachusetts Conference of the UCC for his work in Social Justice and Social Ministry.
President’s Award from the Wells College students for his 2015 Residency on Intentional Inclusion and Building Diversity
Recognized as a part of the 2014 edition of the Trans 100
Named as one of the ten leading Black Religious leaders Advancing LGBTQ Justice by BelieveOutLoud
Honored by Black Trans Advocacy with a Foundation Award in 2013. Established in his name, the "Louis Mitchell Foundation Award for Empowerment" acknowledges those who increase spiritual, political, or social strength through service, personal encouragement, and availability to the Black Trans Community.
Profiled in the LGBT Religious Archives Network gallery
Provided keynote addresses for the 2011 Transgender Religious Leaders Summit, the 2012 Inaugural Black Transmen, Inc. Conference, the 2012 Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference, and the 2017 First Event Conference.
Served as a founding member and East Coast Regional Minister of TransSaints, a ministry of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (TFAM)
Served as the founding Officer for Religious Affairs for the Transgender People of Color Coalition (TPOCC)
Served as a member of the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention at both the regional (Pioneer Valley) and the statewide (Massachusetts) level.
Co-founded Recovering the Promise Ministries in Springfield, MA
Worked with clients and staff at Morris Home, a transgender-specific residential recovery house in Philadelphia, PA
Served as founding executive director of the Oshun women’s drop-in center (San Francisco, CA)
First “out” trans-identified board member of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (now The Task Force) and a founding member of Lesbians and Gays of African Descent for Democratic Action (LGADDA)
Mo’Nique Campbell
Personally, Mo’Nique is a wife, sister, aunt and great aunt to two hand fulls of nieces and nephews who she adores and will talk about endlessly if you will listen. She values family and close connections to those she loves. Introduced to Emergency Medicine at the age of 14 and becoming the primary caretaker of her wheelchair bound mother she dedicated her life to community and service. Professionally, Mo’Nique has spent the better of 2 decades holding many frontline roles in the field of Public Health and Social Services.
Inspired and driven by her introduction to emergency medicine she continued her education to provide direct services as a Medical Assistant, Medical-Transcriptionist, Health Educator, Residential Counselor, Sexual Health & STD Prevention Tester and Counselor, Prenatal Health Educator to all birthing persons, Facilitator, and currently resides as the Site Operations Manager for the Taimon Booton Navigation Center. A program housed by San Francisco Community Health Center while persuing her goal of becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Her overarching goal and personal mission is to affect change in public policy and provide direct mental health services to communities in need. She also proudly serves on the Board of Directors for the Lower Polk Community Benefits District in San Francisco, California and Sisters PGH in Southwest Pennsylvania.
As a Health Educator, Gender and Health expert she has spoken on and at various panels, institutions, conferences to mention a few; Sacramento State University, UC Davis, Santa Clara University, United States Conference on HIV & AIDS, A Shot in The Arm Podcast, UCSF School of Medicine and as of recent a CDC trained behavioral intervention facilitator of the TWIST (Trans Women Involved in Strategies for Transformation) intervention.
Marissa Miller
Marissa Miller is a nationally recognized advocate for human rights, social justice, health equity, and LGBTQ equality. Marissa has worked for the last 15 years on the local, state, and national levels to improve access to treatment and care for transgender people and people living with HIV, and to erase stigma and discrimination through education, policy, advocacy, and visibility.
Marissa is now working to create change. Globally, she is the Founder of TransSolutions LLC. TransSolutions LLC is designed to create a Global Culture of safety for the transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming communities through policy, safety networks, web-developed concepts, certifications, and devices.
Marissa Miller has worked over the last 15 years with some of the nation’s most influential national agencies working to End the HIV epidemic including: AIDS United, NMAC, CDC, HRSA, NIH and a former Board Member for Positively Trans (T+) Transgender Law Center. Through her work with the CDC Marissa served on the team that created the first intervention specifically designed for Transwomen, TWIST. Marissa currently serves as the Senior Strategic Director for the National Trans Visibility March, an annual event that brings together over five thousand constituents from across the U.S.
Marissa brings a great deal of expertise serving transgender and gender non-conforming communities, specifically in the areas of: infrastructure building, program development, evaluation and leadership development. Marissa, with Center for Disease Control, Atlanta Georgia, alongside other Trans Woman of Color created the very first intervention specifically designed for Transwoman TWIST.
Lourée S. Collins
Lourée S. Collins (she/her), born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, is a traveling healthcare professional who enjoys the beach and attending drag pageants. She’s a feminist and an LGBTQIA rights activist who strives daily to empower all men, women, and everyone and everything in between.
We are grateful for the prior service of:
Brittani D. Murray, Board Treasurer
Drew medvid, Lead Project Coordinator Brothers PGH
Stephanie Alona Helen, Lead Progra Coordinator TGNC Youth Collective
Celeste Scott, Housing Chair