Meet the Team

We are small, but mighty. Not included are the many volunteers and community members who keep us going strong.

  • ADMINISTRATOR - DIRECTOR

    Kuʻuleipoinaʻole "Bex" Akeakamai (all pronouns) is a māhū organizer whose experience within the Kanaka Diaspora has helped shaped their understanding of community, socialism, sovereignty, and identity.

    Over 20 years ago they began their journey with the cultural nonprofit Polynesia! Polynesia! Since then Kuʻulei's work has spanned from food sovereignty, water rights, restorative justice, and police/ prison abolition.

  • INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Myrtle (they/them) comes from a history of advocacy, political, and theatrical work. From getting their start in the non-profit arts world to serving as communications director of state and city level political campaigns, they’ve developed an acute understanding of storytelling for, with, and by marginalized voices. Their favorite work stems around creating representational content that is WGAC- and ADA-compliant and accessible to all.

    At the heart of their leadership lies a true love for what they do and the folks they collaborate with. They believe in radical empathy and intentional equity. If you know Myrtle at all, you know they show this belief through a constant uplifting and celebration of others - earning the nickname of ‘ultimate hype man’. It’s the joy of their career to activate community for one another to increase the quality of life for all people.

    When not working for their community, Myrtle reads trans and queer horror novels, sings gender-bent opera, facilitates a monthly trans artist market, and drinks way too many matcha lemonades.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Steve Cohen

    FINANCE DIRECTOR

    Steve Cohen (he/him) has decades of experience in politics, non-profits, and business. Steve currently serves on the Board of Mt. Zion Synagogue, was formerly the Chairperson of Eureka Recycling, and served as Saint Paul’s Ward 4 DFL Chairperson and on the Congressional District 4 DFL board. Steve is the VP of Business Operations for a local software company in the medical device industry, and formerly served as CEO for the largest medical organization serving people afflicted with epilepsy. When he's not working, Steve enjoys biking and reading philosophy (for fun).

  • Brion Curran

    POLITICAL DIRECTOR

    Brion Curran (they/she) represents district 36B in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Brion serves as Vice Chair of the Queer Caucus and has been appointed to the new Governor's LGBTQIA2S+ Council.

    Brion worked in nonprofit administration for 20 years supporting people with disabilities. In addition, they served in law enforcement and now use their experience and education to fight for better public safety practices. In Brion's spare time they enjoy singing, writing, and connecting with nature.

  • Mubina Qureshi

    BOARD DIRECTOR

    Mubina (she/they) is a Queer South Asian American Community Advocate, Research Scholar, and Executive Co-Director of the culturally specific non-profit organization, SEWA-AIFW in Minnesota. She is leading gender-based violence intervention and prevention work, and LGBTQIA+ rights and advocacy programming. She is involved in the research work focused on ‘Dalit’ informal women laborers and their identity issues in Gujarat, India. Mubina is a Humphrey Policy Fellow (2022-23) and a MINN Fellow (2023-24). She serves on the Board of a national coalition South Asian SOAR.

Where we started

Queer Equity Institute was founded in 2023 by Leigh Finke, along with a small group of collaborators.

  • Leigh Finke (she/her) represents district 66A in the Minnesota House of Representatives. She is the chair of the Queer Caucus, and the first transgender official elected to the legislature. In March, she was named Woman of the Year for the state of Minnesota by USA Today.

    In addition to politics, Leigh is an activist, artist, and documentary filmmaker. She has worked for ACLU of Minnesota as a Multimedia Storyteller, 1517 Media as Sr. Producer of Multimedia Resources, and is the creator of Totally Gay Productions. She has a decade of experience in journalism, covering the intersection of justice, pop culture, and social movements.