Shilo George
Shilo George, MS (she/they) a Southern Cheyenne-Arapaho and Irish/Scottish international speaker and owner of Łush Kumtux Tumtum Consulting, which means “a great awakening of the heart and spirit” in the Chinuk Wawa trade language. Her consulting work covers trauma informed practices and how those practices align with and support anti-racist and anti-oppression work within organizations and communities. Shilo believes it’s imperative that organizations and institutions must become aware and be accountable for the barriers and harm that are relentlessly perpetuating against targeted communities. Then creatively and courageously rethink policies, practices, and procedures to create truly welcoming, just, and healing spaces, programs, and organizational cultures. She received her BSc in Art Practices in 2012 and an MSc in Educational Leadership and Policy with a Specialization in Post-Secondary and Adult Continuing Education in 2017, both from Portland State University.
Tigress Osborn
Tigress Osborn (she/her) is the Chair of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). Founded in 1969 in the US, NAAFA is the world’s oldest documented fat rights advocacy organization. As leader of the most diverse board in NAAFA’s 54-year history, Tigress has championed an intersectional approach to fighting anti-fatness through education, advocacy, and support, with work featured in USA Today, Huffington Post, and Newsweek, and heard on BBC AntiSocial and ABC News. Tigress founded Full Figure Entertainment in 2008 in Oakland, CA, and co-founded the PHX Fat Force in AZ in 2019. Tigress is a Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) consultant and educator whose clients have ranged from major tech companies to small non-profits. She is a two-time women’s college graduate with a BA in Black Studies from Smith College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. Follow Tigress @iofthetigress on your favorite social media.
Dr Joy Cox
Joy is an organizational communication scholar and social justice advocate using her skill set in research and leadership to foster social change through the promotion of REAL diversity and inclusion initiatives. A McNair Scholar alum, Joy is a first-generation college student, being the first in her family to receive a Master’s degree and Ph.D. With over 10 years of experience in qualitative and quantitative research, much of her work has focused on matters of intersectionality addressing race, body size, accessibility, and “health” within the context of body acceptance and fat liberation. Joy has utilized methods in interviewing, surveys, experiments, participant observations, focus groups, and photovoice. She has led research projects in academia as well in industry providing meaningful insights across cross-functional teams. In 2020, Joy published her first memoir and love letter to the fat Black community entitled, “Fat Girls in Black Bodies: Creating Communities of Own via North Atlantic Books. Her work since has been featured in the New York Times, on CNN podcasts, Vogue magazine. Prior to the book’s release, Joy hosted the Fresh Out the Cocoon podcast which showcases the lived experiences of fat Black womxn and femmes. In 2019, Joy became the co-founder of Jabbie, an identity-inclusive, body affirming app that encourages people to move their bodies in their own way. Whether listening to community stories or working on initiatives across teams, Joy is dedicated to using her platform through research and leadership to illuminate the realities of those most overlooked and marginalized in society, bringing attention to societal issues long overdue for change.