Meet the Team
Elio Farley
(they/he)
MiddPride Coordinator + Media Lead
Elio Farley (he/they) is a community organizer, queer youth advocate, and Middlebury College student. He leads The Teen Center’s LGBTQIA+ group and is delighted to expand his role as this year’s Pride Parade Coordinator!
Elio leads with transformative joy, revolutionary love, and deep respect. They do this work because our kids deserve better.
Lindsey Fuentes-George
(she/her)
Teen Center Executive Director
Lindsey Fuentes-George (she/her) is Executive Director of The Teen Center. She has a completely unused degree in environmental studies and journalism from Mount Holyoke College, and her work experience includes partner violence shelter management, CSAC group home management, and two terms on the Middlebury Selectboard. Lindsey’s goal as ED is to ensure all local teens feel seen, supported, capable, and hopeful of their bright futures. In her free time Lindsey likes to read murder mysteries, accumulate fabric that might never get quilted, and cancel plans last minute. She would like to extend her apologies to anyone who has fallen prey to that last one.
Janae Due
(they/them)
Inclusion Lead
Janae Due (they/them) is the Assistant Director of the Anderson Freeman Resource Center at Middlebury College. They support and create programming for queer and transgender college students. They dedicate their time outside of work to providing social justice education to community members and advocating for the creation of community care structures. Janae cares deeply about inclusive and intentional language, media representation and popular culture, intersectional feminism, and fat liberation. Janae values storytelling and personal connection and uses their lived experiences as a fat, queer, disabled, Black person to help others explore topics around privilege, identity, oppression, and marginalization.
MiddPride is important to Janae because being part of the queer and trans community since they were younger has empowered them to be true to themselves and explore their identities. To Janae, Pride is about reclamation of space, identity, joy, resistance, and ultimately, liberation.
Isabel Linhares
(she/they)
Accessibility Consult + Art Lead
Isabel Linhares (she/they) is an art educator, freelance artist, and accessibility consultant bringing all of these areas of expertise to the MiddPride team. She holds a B.A. in Disability, Health, and Power (critical disability studies) from Middlebury College and they ground their work in the disability justice principle of leaving no one behind. To Isabel, MiddPride is a chance to continue the legacy of our collective queer ancestors in dreaming and working for queer futures in a world where many seek our eradication.
Justice Elijah
(she/her)
Volunteer Lead
Justice is an advocate, educator, and social/racial justice consultant through her business Spreading Justice, LLC. Justice holds a B.A. in History from Columbus State University in Columbus, GA. Justice moved to Vermont to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA member for the Teen Center and is currently completing another term with the Center for Community Engagement at Middlebury College. When Justice is not serving as a VISTA member, she is facilitating a weekly BIPOC affinity group, advocating for BIPOC inclusion, leading racial justice workshops, and organizing community conversations around Vermonters' needs.
As a heterosexual woman, it was important for me to join MiddPride for two reasons:
I love the teens, and I am so proud they have an event that will allow them to express themselves however they see fit.
I grew up in southern church culture that shunned those within the Queer community. It was a “hate the sin, love the sinner” mentality, and it took me years of therapy and prayer to re-program my beliefs. It is not my place to tell anyone where they belong, who they should be, and who they should be with. I joined Middpride because I will not always get it right, but I continue to show up and learn. It is important for me to serve and advocate for birthright treatment for all. So, if you are struggling, find a good therapist or support group and do the work. Thanks for coming to my mini ted talk.
Phin Holzhammer
(he/him)
Music Lead
Phin Holzhammer (he/him) is a local performer, author, musician, and enjoyer of trees. He is a fan of playing a good banjo tune, and is an advocate for creating safe and accessible spaces for kids (and adults!) to enjoy the outdoors.
Xander Campanelli
(he/him)
Teen Center Staff
Xander is a 2023 MUHS graduate who describes himself as an "ex-delinquent, current gaymer, and all around funny man." We would describe Xander as a loyal friend, powerful advocate, and someone who hides his substantial empathy and ability behind sardonic humor.
Owen Hamilton
(he/him)
Privilege & Poverty Teen Center Intern
Owen Hamilton is a privilege and poverty intern at The Teen Center this summer. Owen is a first year at Middlebury College, and plans to study International and Global Studies, with a minor in education. He has lived in Middlebury for most of his life and enjoyed living here so much that he wanted to stay there for college.
Owen is very passionate about working with the Middlebury community and has been a part of that community for most of his life. He enjoys hiking, baking, gardening, and swimming.
Kathryn Laliberte
(she/her)
Ilsley Public Library Tween and Teen Librarian
Kathryn Laliberte (she/her) is the Tween and Teen Librarian for the Ilsley Public Library in Middlebury. She has a history of working with children of all ages, but finds her interactions with teens to be particularly rewarding. Part of Kathryn's overarching goal at Ilsley is to create a safe space for teens of all identities to feel welcomed, included, and celebrated for their unique spirits. When not at Ilsley, Kathryn can be found playing outside with her dog and reading a good book.