24-Hour Anti-Violence Bilingual Crisis Line
Wingspan Staff
Executive Director
Carol Grimsby (ext 125)
Carol Grimsby is the newly appointed Executive Director of Wingspan, Southern Arizona ’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Community Center.
Grimsby is the former Executive Director of a group that advocates for neglected and abused children, the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in Kansas City, Mo. She led the agency as it implemented its long term strategic plan.
In Missouri, she was active in community groups such as Women with One Voice, a non-profit dedicated to raising funds for organizations providing services for women, where she chaired the Board; and, the Human Rights Campaign (serving as political Co-chair and Faith and Diversity Chair).
A graduate of the University of Missouri (Kansas City), Grimsby owned and managed a catering company for many years and also served as the Foundation Director of the Neosho Hospital Foundation in Chanute, KS.
Anti-Violence Programs Coordinator
Della Renae Hooks (ext 119)
Della Hooks is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has been living in Tucson since 2007. She has attended Pima Community College and obtained a Social Services Certificate. Growing up in Milwaukee and witnessing all the poverty and self-destruction she knew she wanted to help people. Della describes herself as opinionated and vocal about a lot of things and figured working in social services gives her a platform to be her. She has worked for CODAC Behavioral Health Services and HOPE, Inc.-Nueva Luz Recovery Center as a Recovery Support Specialist. She describes her passion for working with the underserved as what gives her the drive to help Tucson’s diverse communities. As the AVP Coordinator, she hopes to continue the work that Wingspan has been doing as well as move the program forward to serve the needs of individuals we support. Della loves to travel and try new things. She loves to cook even more. Della says that she hopes to own a restaurant when she grow up.
Anti-Violence Programs Advocate/Educator
Sarah Bahnson (ext 131)
Sarah is a native Tucsonan and University of Arizona alumna. In May 2012 she graduated with a BA in Gender and Women’s Studies and a minor in Africana Studies. She has been a volunteer at Wingspan since 2010. Sarah is a proud feminist. In addition to her passion for academia, Sarah is also passionate about a myriad of social justice issues including: reproductive justice, sexual health, institutionalized racism, and any reproduction of inequity, inequality, or injustice. Sarah hopes the AVP position at Wingspan will be the start of a long, productive career in the field of social justice. In her spare time she enjoys time with her family and friends, playing with her three dogs, listening to music, and playing video games.
Anti-Violence Programs B
ilingual Advocate/Educator
Paco Velez (ext 122)
Paco Velez, our Anti-Violence Programs Bilingual Advocate/Educator, was born in Nogales Sonora. As as self described activist, Paco was the founding member of Arizona Between Nosotros. In his free time, Paco creates paints, performs, and generally uses art as an expression of himself, his experiences, and his beliefs. He often hosts art events, where artists showcase their work at the gallery he runs, Studio 1. Paco also teaches art classes to middle school children in local Tucson schools. Paco enjoys spending time with his family including his lovely wife Sarah and their dog Milo.
Homeless Youth Project Coordinator
Kevin Jackson (ext 115)
Kevin Jackson, a native Tucsonan, is Eon Youth Center’s Homeless Youth Project Coordinator and has been a staff member at Wingspan for 2 years. Kevin has been working with homeless, runaway, and street-dependent youth for over 16 years and has developed accredited, best-practice street outreach, shelter, and transitional housing programs for youth and young adults in our community. Kevin serves as one of the co-chairs of the Homeless Youth Committee for Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness and as a co-chair and Southern Arizona Representative of the statewide Arizona Committee on Youth Homelessness. In addition to his passions for the providing support and advocacy to our younger LGBT brothers and sisters he is an avid music fan and collector, enjoys multi-cultural cuisines, bears (the two-legged, queer variety), camping, and spending time with Steven Finch, his husband of 16 years and their two (adorable little) dogs Qytti Chiricahua and Shush Yazzie.
iTEAM Program Coordinator
Ian Ellasante
Ian, iTEAM Program Coordinator, has been a member of the Wingspan team since February 2008. Having served the Eon Youth Program in multiple capacities during this time, Ian’s current responsibilities include the coordination of the comprehensive network of care for LGBTQQIA youth provided by the federally funded iTEAM project, a collaboration of six agencies. In Ian’s hometown of Memphis,Tennessee, Ian attended the University of Memphis, graduating in 2005 with English and Sociology majors and Spanish and Biology minors. Ian is currently completing a M.A. degree at the University of Arizona. Ian is a poet, artist, blues devotee, and the Official Favorite Person of his two dogs, Flower and Bean. Wingspan is “home”.
Southern AZ Gender Alliance (SAGA) Program Coordinator
Rae Strozzo (ext 120)
Rae Strozzo is the programs coordinator for Southern Arizona Gender Alliance. Rae has been involved with activism in the LBGTQ community first in his hometown in southern Georgia and then in Tucson starting in 2006. He has volunteered with Eon and AVP. He has been active as a panelist and as a part of educational outreach both through Eon and the U of A. He was also involved in Equiss Social Justice Retreat as a facilitator. Rae received a BA in English and Philosophy in 1997 from Georgia Southern University. He received training in art and graphic design from 2002-2004 at GSU. He received his MFA in photography at the University of Arizona in 2008. Rae is a transgender/gender queer visual artist, writer and educator. He is a painter and photographer whose works center around his queer identity. He is also an adjunct instructor of photography at Pima CC. He also loves reading, swimming, and music.
Don’t see a staff person you met at Eon? Additional Eon and iTEAM Project Staff who are a part of the Wingspan Team, but who are employees of other agencies, are listed in the Eon Program area.
Wingspan staff email addresses are constructed as follows: first letter of first name + last name at wingspan.org. For example, Oscar Wilde(owilde@wingspan.org).
