Caitlin Drouillard-Ahlrichs, she/they
SAFE Mentor to the Haus of the Pink Ponies
Caitlin is an openly queer member of the NKU community. She serves as a Program Coordinator for University Connect and Persist (UCAP) and the Care Closet at NKU. Having been part of NKU since 2016, their journey began as a graduate assistant in UCAP and Housing from 2012-2014. Now, as the President of SAFE, Caitlin enjoys their role as a liaison for the LGBTQA+ Student Initiatives office and an advocate for the “elder queers” (fac/staff/admin) on campus. Whether someone needs advice or to overshare with someone without judgement, Caitlin’s office is always open. With a Master's degree in English earned in 2014, Caitlin is currently pursuing a Master’s in Social Work, with an anticipated graduation in spring 2026. They live in Cincinnati with their wife, Joelle, their daughter, Rory, and their cat, Ood. Their home is a warm & welcoming space shared with Caitlin's younger sibling, Rae, and sister-in-law, Rys. In their downtime, Caitlin loves to visit local shops, attend craft fairs, host game nights with chosen family, and listen to Tegan & Sara, boygenius, or Chappel on repeat. They enjoy redecorating at midnight, discussing dinosaurs and weird facts with Rory, bingeing their favorite shows, collecting stickers for their water bottle, diving into Yellowjackets’ conspiracy theories, and, of course, tackling never-ending homework.
Dr. Kinsey Bryant-Lees, she/they
SAFE Mentor to House 6
Dr. Kinsey Blue Bryant-Lees is an Industrial-Organizational and Human Factors Psychologist, who focuses on investigating novel and innovative psychometric and organizational measurement approaches, so that we can more accurately capture peoples’ lived experiences in our data. Their specific areas of interest include establishing the equivalence of minority stress measures across sexual and gender minority subgroups, understanding the relationships between invisible identity salience, disclosure, and experiences of discrimination among sexual and gender minority people, and improving our understanding of SGM people in occupational health and organizational decision-making research (e.g., personnel selection).
Kami McDaniel, she/they
SAFE Mentor to the Werequeers House
Kami McDaniel is a queer archivist and historian working as the Head of Steely Library’s Special Collections & University Archives. Kami’s professional interests include community archiving, oral history, critical theory, media studies, and the histories of the Soviet Union, Appalachia, country music, and religion. Outside of work, Kami enjoys spending time outdoors, playing a variety of musical instruments, watching reality television, collecting vinyl records, cooking & eating good food, corralling her cats, and reading.
Rys Gardner, they/she
SAFE Mentor to the Diogenes House
Rys is the new Assistant Coordinator at the Care Closet @ NKU, diving headfirst into their first year with Americorps as a Kentucky College Coach! During their first few months at NKU, they enjoyed decorating their new office with their favorite color pink and pictures from their recent wedding. Juggling an Interdisciplinary Studies major in Communications, Psychology, and Women & Gender Studies, they're aiming to become a sex therapist for survivors of sexual assault. Rys loves every moment spent with SAFE, their team in the Care Closet, and the QPLUS students; they have an open-door policy for anyone who needs to chat or do their homework. They call Cincinnati, Ohio, home, where they live with their amazing wife, Rae, and their chosen family. As an auntie to the fierce little competitor, Rory, they love getting into heated Organ Attack battles together during game nights. When they’re not busy with family fun, you can find them devouring cheesy coming-of-age romance novels, collecting new piercings, getting fresh tattoos from Rae, chatting about Wicked and The Wizard of Oz, and either watching or belting out musicals. Their playlists are packed with Games We Play, Paramore, boygenius, and Demi Lovato. And don’t get them started on their adorable kitty, Juniper; they could gush about him all day!
Wendy Schindler, she/her
SAFE Mentor to the Blåhaj Shiver House
Wendy Schindler is the Associate Director of TRIO Student Support Services at NKU. She is also currently an NKU student in the EdD – Educational Leadership program where her dissertation focuses on creating better leadership practices through a queer theory lens. Wendy lives in Cincinnati with her spouse and four rescue cats who she spoils endlessly. She is a knitter and crafter, punk/goth enthusiast, gamer, singer, cheese lover, and fierce advocate for social justice. Additionally, Wendy recognizes her identities as a White, cisgender woman who is queer, autistic, disabled, fat, middle-class, United States citizen by birth, native English language speaker, and someone who co-exists with a brain tumor.
Ashley Weingard, she/her
SAFE Mentor to the The Outlaws House
Ashley joined the Career Services team in July of 2023 as a Career Advisor. Prior to NKU, Ashley worked as a mental health counselor and as an adjunct instructor teaching Introduction to Public Speaking in the state of Ohio. Ashley earned a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from Ohio University with a related area in Psychology. Ashley also earned two Master of Arts degrees from the University of Cincinnati in Communication and Mental Health Counseling respectively. Ashley is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) in the state of Ohio. Ashley is devoted to instilling confidence in students and setting realistic expectations as they begin to become young professionals, and in assisting students/alumni of all ages as they navigate their respective job searches. She loves singing and all things music, and didn’t realize she was a first generation college student until after graduating. Proud member of the queer community and cat owner!
