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Leadership
Meet our founder and leadership team who are giving transgender and gender-diverse youth the opportunity to experience the magic of summer camp in safe, welcoming places.
Christina Guiriba
(She/Her)
Founder
Camp Director
Christina Guiriba is a trans-identifying (she/her) nonprofit professional who has overcome life challenges and overwhelming self-doubt to break through barriers blocking her success. Growing up as a young gay boy in conservative Clay County, Christina was bullied not only by the students but by the school administration as well. Her goal is to provide TGNB youth of today with a different experience that encourages self-expression, self-confidence and self-love in a safe and welcoming environment.
Christina founded Transcending Adolescence in 2019 to provide safe spaces and outdoor summer camp programming to promote mental health and wellness among LGBTQ+ youth ages 10-17. The nonprofit aims to build resilience in transgender youth, utilizing a curriculum founded upon five key components (SPEAR) that contributed to her own resilience and professional success.
Taking every experience as a learning experience, cultivating skills and thinking outside the box have contributed to Christina’s professional development. From a victim of hate and societal oppression to the executive director of her own nonprofit, Christina is also a full-time student at ASU Online where she will graduate with her Master's of Science in Organizational Leadership. Prior to beginning the pursuit of her degree Christina worked as a full time staff member at JASMYN and is a community activist dedicated to ending the HIV epidemic, empowering the LGBTQ+ community and inspiring others to identify their strengths to build self-esteem and achieve personal and professional goals.
"Somewhere along the line I developed coping skills that turned me into a happy and proud transgender adult instead of a scared, insecure trans adolescent. These are things I’m hoping to share with the youth that decide to be a part of our program. I always knew that my greater purpose in life was to help others…It was my recent time volunteering at a summer camp for transgender youth that I realized where I want to focus my efforts."
— Christina Guiriba (She/ Her), founder of Transcending Adolescence
Leadership Team
Dr. Christine Rodriguez, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, MDiv, MA
(She/They/Ella)
Board President
Christine is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with a strong commitment to providing inclusive, high-quality care for historically marginalized populations. Dr. Rodriguez holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Applied Professional Studies from Nova Southeastern University, a Certificate in Faith Community Nursing from the University of Southern Indiana, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies and a Master of Divinity from Liberty University, a Master of Science in Nursing, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Connecticut.
As a healthcare chaplain and practitioner, she places herself in the quintessential position to understand her patient’s needs through the use of a biopsychosociospiritual framework. Through her own lived experience and the usage of such a framework, Dr. Rodriguez relentlessly strives to advocate and dismantle the systemic oppressive ideologies found within our everyday lives.
Her research interests are centered on antiracist, social justice, and equity pedagogical methods, gender affirming hormone therapy, 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual) identities, combating religious and spiritual prejudice in healthcare settings, and innovative simulation-based education modalities to enhance cultural humility.
She serves as Faculty & Assistant Dean of Simulation & Clinical Innovation at Yale School of Nursing, as well as an Affiliate Faculty for The Yale Institute for Global Health. Dr. Rodriguez has lectured, locally, nationally, and internationally regarding the importance of 2SLGBTQIA+ healthcare content within healthcare curricula, conducted numerous sensitivity trainings with clinical partners, and has developed simulation scenarios centered on meeting the healthcare needs of historically marginalized populations.
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Cory Haynes
(He/Him)
Treasurer
Cory has been working with nonprofits for over 20 years. Cory is a graduate of Lindsey Wilson College with a Bachelors in Accounting and Masters in Business Administration. His accounting career began in for profit accounting companies, but then transitioned to the nonprofit world. Cory is proud of a career that embodies assisting others while serving in his chosen field. Most recently, Cory served as the Director of Finance and Operations for the Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Cory is currently
the Chief Financial Officer for JASMYN.
Haiden Baier, LCSW
(He/They)
Board Secretary
Campfire Convos Coordinator
Haiden is the board secretary and a licensed clinical social worker in the state of Florida who has been out as trans masculine for almost ten years. He has dedicated his time to working with the queer community, first working at the University of North Florida’s LGBTQ Center and currently at JASMYN in the Jacksonville area.
Haiden has worked with queer folks his entire adult life and has a particular interest in assisting trans and gender non conforming young people live their lives as fully as they can. Haiden has been providing support for trans and gender nonconforming people since his college days where he helped start UNF’s Gender Inclusive Housing Experience for these folks to find a safe place to live on campus in 2015. His involvement with the LGBTQ Center at UNF started on day one of his undergraduate studies where he liked to say he walked in and never left. Due to regressive anti-diversity laws passed in Florida in recent years, the LGBTQ Center at UNF was forced to close.
Working at JASMYN in Jacksonville’s Brooklyn neighborhood, Haiden has connected even deeper with the queer community in Florida. Having attended rallies, protests, and celebrations of our shared queer experiences has only strengthened his resolve to improve the living and social conditions of the next generation of queer history.
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Jacob Hofheimer, RN
(He/Him)
Board Member & Recreation Director
Jacob is a transgender man who is a Bachelor's level trained recreation professional and outdoor educator with a deep passion for creating inclusivity in outdoor spaces. As his senior project at Cal Poly Humboldt in 2022, Jacob designed TA's Outdoor Adventure Program with the goal of creating an inclusive space for transgender youth to experience the great outdoors. Jacob has since stepped into the role of Recreation Director, allowing him to lend his years of summer camp and recreation expertise in the development of action-packed camp programs with new and exciting activities for our young people to experience each year. Additionally, he is utilizing this expertise to spearhead TA's 2025 American Camp Association application for accreditation. This process is a complete transparent, peer review of TA's entire camp operation, and should we earn accreditation it will indicate that our program is in line with the highest industry standards of operation.
Jacob also holds a unique medical skillset. In addition to being trained in wilderness medicine, Jacob also works full time as a Registered Nurse at Yale New Haven Hospital and is currently pursuing his Master's of Science in Nursing at Yale University where he will graduate as an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. He hopes to work in gender affirming surgery upon graduating. Jacob is also trained in FEMA's Emergency Incident Command Systems and has significant experience developing emergency contingency and risk management plans, ensuring our program participants are safe and having fun. In his role as a nurse, Jacob is contributing in TA’s comprehensive program analysis where he, along with other members of leadership, are continuously evaluating mental health outcomes of our retreats and giving the opportunity for valuable feedback from campers and families, allowing us to adapt the program to meet the needs of our youth.
Jacob hopes that the teens who join us will find community, support, and empowerment in an outdoor space created intentionally for them, by people like them.
Elijah Palles
(He/Him)
Board Member
Elijah Palles is a licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) with over 15 years of experience in mental health. He holds a Master's degree in Social Work from Arizona State University (ASU), earned in 2014. Elijah is trained in several evidence-based therapeutic techniques, including EMDR, CBT, CPT for trauma, and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). He specializes in trauma, mood disorders, LGBT and transgender care, sexual health, relationship dynamics, and supporting veterans, first responders, and those in polyamorous and kink communities. Elijah is known for his empathetic, nonjudgmental approach to therapy, creating a safe space for healing.
Outside of his therapy practice, Elijah is a renowned transmasculine drag performer and activist under the name Eddie Broadway. He has held numerous titles, including Mister Phoenix Pride 2014, Mister USofA MI 2017, and Mr. Trans USA 2020/2021. As a former Emperor of the Imperial Court of Arizona, he championed transgender visibility and founded the Broadway Gatlyn Spectrum Grant, which provides financial support for gender affirmation surgery for Arizona residents. Elijah is deeply involved in the LGBTQ+ community, focusing on advocacy, fundraising, and raising awareness for marginalized groups. In his free time, he enjoys nature, music festivals, and macabre art.
Riley Siegmeister, JD
(She/Her)
Board Member
Riley is a trans-feminine attorney based in North Florida where she specializes in working with nonprofit Domestic and Sexual Violence Centers and organizations to provide holistic legal representation to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Riley received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. In addition to her legal practice, Riley provides free legal services to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in the greater Jacksonville area and provides education on barriers to care for 2SLGBTQIA+ domestic and sexual violence survivors.
In addition to her legal experience, Riley brings prior experience as an Outdoor Educator, Program Developer, and Leadership and Volunteer Coordinator with YMCA Summer Camps. She is also certified through the Florida Department of Children and Families, Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Florida Council Against Sexual Violence as an advocate and trained to address trauma and guide adults and adolescents through the process of building resilience and engaging with empowerment.
As former camp leadership, a camp counselor, and as a camper, Riley knows just how important it can be to have positive representation and role models. Her motto is to help folks to go from surviving to thriving, and it is her passion to provide campers with experiences that will empower them to go out into the world and live their best lives.
Alex Zimmer
(He/They)
Junior Counselor Coordinator
Alex serves the Jacksonville community as public health professional working to end the HIV epidemic and support individuals living with HIV and AIDS. Alex brings extensive experience in working with LGBTQ+ teens and young adults, drawing upon his own experience as a former JASMYN youth who utilized their support services. He holds a high school diploma from William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and is currently pursuing a degree at Florida State College at Jacksonville with the goal of becoming a social worker. Alex is dedicated to enhancing the lives of trans and nonbinary individuals, with a particular focus on promoting youth resiliency. In his leisure time, he enjoys attending drag shows, exploring the local nightlife, or relaxing with his favorite video games.
Dante Camacho
(He/It)
Lead Junior Counselor
Dante Camacho brings enthusiasm and dedication to the Transcending Adolescence leadership team as a Junior Counselor. A recent graduate of River City Science Academy, Dante earned distinction as a member of the National Honors Society and achieved an impressive 3.6 unweighted and 4.0 weighted GPA. Currently pursuing an Associate’s degree at St. Johns River State College, he is a full-time honors student balancing 13 credit hours with his leadership responsibilities.
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As a Junior Counselor, Dante actively supports the daily operations of camp programming, helping ensure that campers enjoy a safe and empowering experience. His role involves supervising activities, assisting in policy implementation, and fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment.
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In addition to his work at Transcending Adolescence, Dante serves as a Youth Leader at JASMYN, where he develops activities and promotes positive relationships within the LGBTQ+ community. His background also includes volunteer experience with HCA Inpatient Rehabilitation, demonstrating his commitment to community service.
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Outside of his professional and academic pursuits, Dante has cultivated a range of skills through extracurricular involvement, including leadership roles in the Creative Writing Club, Chess Club, Gardening Club, and Theater Club. His technical expertise is bolstered by certifications in ITF+ and HTML/CSS, highlighting his diverse skill set and proactive approach to learning.
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Dante’s blend of academic achievement, leadership experience, and community engagement makes him a vital part of the TA mission to build resilience in trans and nonbinary youth.
