Kyleigh Hynes (she/her) is EV’s new Safe Schools Coordinator. Prior to this role, she served as an MSW intern at EV during the 2020-2021 academic year, where she helped plan and implement programs such as the Transgender Information and Empowerment Summit (TIES) and the Commonwealth Dinner, as well as participated in policy advocacy during the General Assembly session.

Kyleigh holds a Master of Social Work degree in Administration, Planning, and Policy Practice from Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as bachelor’s degrees in Human Development and Spanish from Virginia Tech, where she played the saxophone in the Marching Virginians. Before her time with Equality Virginia, she performed field work at the Bon Secours Richmond Care-A-Van, providing direct social work services to uninsured individuals and families.

Kyleigh is almost a lifelong Virginian, having grown up mostly in the Northern Virginia area, but having briefly lived in Alabama during elementary school. In her free time, she can be found tending to her houseplants and vegetable garden, cooking new recipes, and trying to find the best chai latte in Richmond!

You can send her a warm welcome at: [email protected].

Luis Martinez (he/him) is EV’s new Community Organizer. Originally from El Salvador, Luis is a native Spanish speaker and specializes in HIV advocacy within the Latinx community. His passion for defending the rights of people living with HIV started in 2009, when he was active in the San Salvador community and was responsible for coordinating awareness campaigns and social media content, as well as facilitating workshops to educate the public on HIV stigma and discrimination.

Since moving to Alexandria, he has deeply immersed himself in regional advocacy, and he regularly volunteers with Impacto, a group which focuses on providing support, resources, and connections to the Latinx LGBTQ community. In addition to his work in HIV advocacy, Luis is also a graphic designer, photographer, and experienced facilitator – so, he’s quickly become EV’s jack of all trades!

Luis describes himself as a very happy and passionate person, who always has a smile on his face. When he’s not working, you can find him behind a camera, spending time with animals, or simply enjoying nature. Luis looks forward to fostering meaningful relationships with community members statewide, so that EV can build a robust network of advocates across the Commonwealth.

You can send him a warm welcome at: [email protected].