Emmett Shelling is the executive director of Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT), an education and advocacy organization for trans Texans. Emmett is a South Korean immigrant by way of foreign adoption and a proud trans man. His focus on transgender equality for Texans is informed by the knowledge that many trans individuals face a myriad of disadvantages like race, disability, and income that result in compounding oppression and marginalization.

In addition to serving as the executive director of Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT), he is also a board member of Deeds Not Words and House of Tulip (HoT), a member of Transgender Law Center's (TLC) T4All national cohort, and currently serves as Co-Director for the TransFORWARD, a statewide trans powered research collective in Texas with Texas Health Institute, TENT, and Equality Texas. He was a 2020 Trans Justice Funding Project (TJFP) Grantmaking Fellow and was named a 2022 Pioneer on Time Magazine's annual list that recognizes the 100 Most Influential People of the world. Before entering into the social justice movement Emmett previously worked in corporate management after studying Business Management and Marketing in college.

After going through a devastating series of events he committed himself to invest deeper into the work towards collective liberation after taking on various levels of volunteer community organizing and engagement. After personally experiencing a devastating series of events, Emmett began regularly advocating for trans Texans. 

Richie Jackson is the author of the best-selling book Gay Like Me published by HarperCollins, an opinion columnist for The Advocate, and an award-winning Broadway, television, and film producer who produced the Tony Award-nominated Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song on Broadway and executive produced Showtime’s Nurse Jackie (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee for “Best Comedy Series”) for seven seasons.

As an alumnus of NYU, he endows a program at his alma mater to train the next generation of LGBTQ+ activists called the Richie Jackson LGBTQ+ Service Fellows. He and his husband, Jordan Roth, were honored with The Trevor Project’s Trevor Hero Award. They are the proud parents of two extraordinary sons.