Unified for Youth is a the product of collaborative effort by several organizations and many individuals. Following is a listing of some of the presenters who’ll be providing this conference experience:

Janet Fazzini - Janet is the mother of three children. Her eldest son came out to her and her husband, Mike, five years ago on Mother’s Day. Janet has a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and is currently an elementary school guidance counselor in the Pittsburgh area. She and her husband have been involved and active with PFLAG Pittsburgh and More Light Presbyterians for the past three years. Through her personal experience, Janet understands that the coming out process for parents can be difficult. Her own experience, however, has taught her that being a parent of a gay child has offered opportunities for personal growth that otherwise may never have occurred.

Betty Hill - Betty is the Executive Director of the Persad Center. She has a Master of Public Management Degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Ms Hill has been working in human services for the past 28 years as a substance abuse therapist, as a clinical director for substance abuse and mental health services, in managed care, in child welfare services, and in HIV/AIDS services. Ms Hill is a trainer for the PA Department of Health on topics related to substance abuse treatment, clinical supervision, and services to sexual minorities.

Dan Kliber- Dan is the current co-chair of GLSEN Pittsburgh. This is his 4th year with the board. Dan is the sponsor of the GSA at Pittsburgh Allderdice High School and has been teaching in the Pittsburgh Public Schools for 9 years. He has attended several of GLSEN's national conferences, including the Safe Schools Advocacy Summit earlier this year in Washington, D.C.

Trish Oleska - Trish is Owner/Principal of Diversity Training Consultants, which provides educational workshops specializing in issues related to sexual minorities in the workplace. Trish has presented at national conferences for professionals and non-profit organizations on the topics of sexual orientation and gender identity. She works nationally and locally with businesses and non-profits to break down the barriers between straight and gay people to create inclusive work environments and learning environments. Trish is a Support Group Facilitator for Pittsburgh PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) and has also served as a workshop facilitator/trainer for the Pittsburgh Chapter of GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network). Trish graduated from Duquesne University with a B.A. in Communications. She lives in the North Hills and is honored to present for GLSEN’s First Annual Unified for Youth Conference.

Melissa Orlosky - Melissa Orlosky is the Community Liaison for the Westmoreland County National Children’s Study (WCNCS). She grew up in Crabtree, a small town with a big reputation for great Italian food and fireworks. She graduated from Greater Latrobe and then went on to get two degrees from Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA. Melissa received a BA in Criminal Justice, Probation, Parole and Corrections with a minor in Juvenile Rehabilitation. Just two years later she received her second degree in Secondary Education, Social Studies with a minor in History. In Erie, she met her future husband and moved back to Crabtree to get married. Prior to her current position, Melissa was the director of Westmoreland Youth Excel (WYE), an organization dedicated to working within communities to focus on raising healthy, responsible youth by infusing the Search Institutes’ 40 Developmental Assets. As part of her position she worked with the Greater Latrobe Asset Developers (GLAD) and the Jeannette Asset Builders (JAB). In 2004 WYE merged into ParentWISE and began her work as a Community Educator helping parents and families raise their children from a strength based perspective. In 2008, ParentWISE was acquired by Family Services of Western PA and continues to serve parents and caregivers through this philosophy. Melissa left ParentWISE in 2008, and was hired in January 2009 to be the Community Liaison for the WCNCS. She married Douglas Orlosky in 1995 and started her family soon after. She has a son Donovan and a daughter Evangeline who keep her very busy with all of their activities.

Cheryl Plummer - Cheryl Plummer holds a BS degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and is the supervisor of neurodiagnostics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian Hospital. She is the mother of three children, one of whom happens to be gay. As the parent of a gay child who came out in high school, she has witnessed the challenges that accompany the process, and hopes her experiences will help other parents in similar situations.

Ann Schelbe - Ann is a mother of one bisexual and two heterosexual daughters, an active member of PFLAG, and a therapist both at Persad and in a private practice in the North Hills. She has enjoyed being an ally of the gay community and accepts all persons regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

David L. Schelbe - Married for over 38 years. My wife and I have three daughters. One happens not to be straight! Currently, President of Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Pittsburgh. Also serve on the board of Dreams of Hope. Have been active in gays rights since our daughter came out to us. Work for Gatan, Inc. as a ERP System Administrator.

Tara Sherry-Torres - Tara is a native of Brooklyn, NY. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Puerto Rican & Latino Studies from City University of New York, Brooklyn College in 2005. Since then Tara has worked for the Red Hook Initiative, a multi-service community organization in Brooklyn; RightRides for Women’s Safety, an organization that provides a free and safe late night ride home to woman and transgender individuals; and the Girl Scouts of Greater New York where she organized bilingual Girl Scout troops. In 2006 Tara lived in Chile and taught English in a public school to children ages 5-17. Last August Tara started graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh where she is pursuing a joint degree between the School of Social Work, specializing in Community Organization and GSPIA, majoring in International Development. For her first year internship Tara was placed with GLSEN and developed at Transgender workshop in order to educate parents, teachers and school administrators in how to support transgender youth. She is happy to continue her work with GLSEN and hopes that her workshop surrounding Transgender youth will have a positive lasting impact in the Pittsburgh Public School system and the world at large.

Ian Syphard - Ian recently graduated from Robert Morris University with his Masters in Communication and Information Systems. He has been involved with GLSEN Pittsburgh since 2006. He started as a volunteer and is now Co-Chair of the organization. During his time at Robert Morris University, Ian was active with the diversity committee and was a founding member of the Universities' GSA. Ian currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA and enjoys being active in the GLBT Community.

Tom Wyse - Tom has been a Speech and Language Specialist with Pittsburgh Public Schools for 34 years. He recently retired as Co-chair and Chair of GLSEN Pittsburgh a position he held for 4 years. He was the Chair of GLSEN Pittsburgh’s Educators and Allies Committee for 1 year and Chair of the Youth Network for 2. Tom has co-presented a number of workshops over the past five years and acted as field instructor and/or task supervisor for GLSEN Pittsburgh interns from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work – 2 years.