About the Authors
Author Brittany McBride, MPH, is the Associate Director, Sex Education at Advocates for Youth. She is responsible for strengthening the effectiveness of sexual health education instructional materials and their delivery while supporting youth serving organizations and school districts in providing sustainable and equitable sex education. Prior to joining the Advocates team, Brittany managed multiple teen pregnancy prevention programs funded by the Office of Adolescent Health in the state of Louisiana. Brittany also served as a curriculum consultant for the charter management organization Firstline Schools. She graduated from Tulane SPHTM with a Master’s in Public Health and earned a B.S. in Biology/Chemistry from Xavier University of LA. Brittany is based in New Orleans, LA.
Author Caitlin Viccora, MPH, is the Program Coordinator, Supportive and Healthy Schools at Advocates For Youth. She is responsible for supporting capacity-building for 28 Local Education Agencies in adolescent sexual health education & services through a project funded by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. She has five years of experience in project management for a variety of federally-funded global health projects. Caitlin also served as a research assistant on a teen pregnancy prevention project funded by the Office of Adolescent Health. Caitlin holds a Masters of Science in Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a B.A. in Communication Studies from James Madison University.
Author Cindy Lee Alves, M.Ed. is an award-winning sexologist with over a decade of experience in facilitating challenging conversations with young people, their trusted adults, educators, and professionals around the world. Centering folx of color across intersecting system-impacted identities, they have educated people in the areas of sex education and wellness with interests in pleasure, media, justice, and liberation. She is also recognized for her contributions as a founding member of the Women of Color Sexual Health Network and Leadership Collective. As Founder of Ascension Institute, Cindy Lee offers workshops, consulting, and private coaching around pleasure, sexual shame, and sexological professional development. They also host Sex on Shuffle – a podcast discussing sex(uality) using teachable moments in media and popular culture. She earned her Master in Education from Widener University’s Center for Sexuality Studies and B.A. in both Psychology and Women Studies from Stony Brook University.
Author Daniella Thorne, DrPH, MPH, CHES is the Associate Director of Sexual Health Education at Advocates for Youth. In this role, she works collaboratively with non-governmental organizations to provide sexual health education technical assistance and training support to school districts across the country. Prior to transitioning to Advocates, Daniella worked at a statewide organization where she managed training and technical assistance needs for Georgia school-based staff to increase their knowledge regarding sexual health topics and comfort implementing evidence-based curricula. She holds a Doctorate of Public Health, with expertise in Community Health Behavior and Education from Georgia Southern University, a Master of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology State University of New York at Albany.
Author Elizabeth Schroeder, EdD, MSW, is an award-winning educator, trainer, and author in the areas of sexuality education pedagogy, LGBTQ issues, working with adolescent boys and using technology and social media to teach young people about sexuality. She has provided consultation to and direct education and training for schools, parent groups, and youth-serving organizations in countries around the world for more than 20 years, most recently creating the
first-ever online sexuality education course for UNFPA and UNESCO to train teachers in East and Southern Africa. She was part of the core team that developed the National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills K-12 (2012) and National Teacher Preparation Standards for Sexuality Education, (Journal of School Health, 2014). She is a frequently sought-out spokesperson and blogger in the news media on issues relating to sexual health education and youth development, including CNN, HuffPo Live and various NPR affiliates. Dr. Schroeder holds a Doctorate of Education in Human Sexuality Education from Widener University and an MSW from NYU.
Author Lauren Barineau MPH, CHES is is the founder of Talk More; focused on positive and proactive conversations about sexuality among families. A dynamic facilitator with almost 15 years of experience in sexual health and youth development, Lauren has a depth of experience working with schools, youth, and communities in support of effective sexuality education. Lauren has led health programs and initiatives at both state and national levels, including with Advocates for Youth, Answer, and the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential (GCAPP).
Author Eva S. Goldfarb, Ph.D., Professor of Public Health at Montclair State University, is a nationally recognized expert in the field of sexuality education. For the past twenty-five years, Dr. Goldfarb has developed and led sexuality education and sexual health programs with youth, parents, educators, and other professionals and has trained teachers across the country. She has also presented at conferences worldwide in the area of sexuality education and sexual health. Dr. Goldfarb has published widely including her co-authorship, as a member of the national advisory board that developed the National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills K-12 (2012) and National Teacher Preparation Standards for Sexuality Education, (Journal of School Health, 2014) and Three Decades of Research: The Case for Comprehensive Sex Education (Journal of Adolescent Health, 2021). Her work has been featured in Sexuality and Our Faith, on MTV.com, in Newsweek, The Nation, Self, Family Circle, and The New York Times.
Author Maureen Kelly, MATD is the Manager of Affiliate Training and Learning Design with Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She has taught and trained locally, nationally, and internationally for more than 25 years. Maureen designs curriculum, lessons plans, and training modules about sex and health with a focus on LGBTQ people and communities. Her published work includes “Providing Transgender and Non-Binary Care at Planned Parenthood: A Best Practice Guide and Start-Up Action Kit”, “My Body, My Rules: The Body Esteem Sexual Esteem Connection,” and “The Teaching Transgender Toolkit.” Additionally, Maureen’s work has been featured in The Guardian, The Atlantic, and The Advocate and her media projects on sexual health and sex ed have won several international awards including a Telly Award and a Bronze World Medal from the New York Film Festival. Her honors include: a Citation for Outstanding Leadership in Public Health from the New York State Public Health Association, the Community Champion Award from the Empire State Pride Agenda, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association’s National Achievement Award and serving as a Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Fellow and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Ladder to Leadership Fellow. She holds her Master’s in Training and Development, MATD, from Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois.
Author Nakisha T. Floyd, MA, M.Ed is an educator, trainer, and facilitator. She has more than 20 years of professional experience in the field of health education with emphasis in sex education. During her professional career, Nakisha managed adolescent pregnancy prevention programs for a hospital system, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and a statewide non-profit. Nakisha serves as an instructor in the Department of Public Health Education at North Carolina Central University. Nakisha is a doctoral candidate at Widener University, where she is currently completing her dissertation, “Constructing Man: A Grounded Theory Study on How Black Men Conceptualize Their Own Manhood and Masculinity.” She holds a Masters in Human Sexuality Education from Widener University, a Masters in Health Education and Promotion from East Carolina University, and a Bachelor’s in Community Health Education from North Carolina Central University.
Author Nora Gelperin, M.Ed. is the Director of Sexuality Education and Training at Advocates for Youth. Nora is one of the national technical assistance providers on the Working to Institutionalize Sex Ed (WISE) initiative and has been a member of the Future of Sex Education (FoSE) initiative and was part of the core team that developed the National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills K-12 (2011) and National Teacher Preparation Standards for Sexuality Education, (Journal of School Health, 2014). She has more than twenty years of experience providing sexuality education to youth and professional development to school health and education professionals. Prior to joining Advocates she was the Director of Training at Answer where she founded the Training Institute in Sexual Health Education (TISHE) and Answer’s online professional development workshops. She was a community educator with Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Planned Parenthood of Greater Northern New Jersey. Nora holds a Masters in School Health Education from Temple University was awarded a Mary Lee Tatum Award from Planned Parenthood Leaders in Education (APPLE) and has been named a 2014 Fellow of the American School Health Association.
Author Pascale Alcindor (she/her) School-based Program Consultant, provides capacity-building and evidence-informed guidance to education leaders seeking to implement medically-accurate, equitable, culturally relevant, and sustainable sex education. Pascale has dedicated over 20 years to improving the health and well-being of young people including: teaching middle and high school students, leading innovative student-centered schools, and directing programs for national and state level youth-serving organizations. Pascale holds a Master of Science in Public and Urban Policy from New School University and a Bachelor of Science in Human Development from Cornell University.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the many individuals who assisted in the process of creating Rights, Respect, Responsibility: A K-12 Sexuality Education Curriculum, including Debra Hauser, Emily Bridges, Rana Holland, Ashley Speelmans, Rosanna Dixon, Arlene Basilio and Sarah J. Kleintop.
Our thanks to WestWind Foundation, Open Road Alliance, and Turner Foundation, among others who wish to remain anonymous, for financial support that made this curriculum possible.