4th Host - Austin Police Department & LGPOA
4th World LGBTQ Conference for Criminal Justice Professionals
During the 2023 conference, the Austin Police Department was unveiled to host the 4th World LGBTQ Conference for Criminal Justice Professionals. The Austin Police Department, in conjunction with the Lesbian & Gay Peace Officers Association (LGPOA), was honored to host the conference for the first time in the United States and was happy to welcome the world to Texas!
For nearly a decade, international LGBTQI+ criminal justice professionals have come together to learn promising practices on how to decrease sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. This groundbreaking conference, hosted by the City of Austin, the Austin Police Department, and the LGPOA, marked the first time this global event had come to the United States. It brought together law enforcement, educators, human rights advocates, and allied partners to identify promising practices on how to decrease sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination within the criminal justice system.
“Bridging the Gap” was the theme of the 2025 conference with the goal of creating positive, meaningful, and sustainable relationships between the LGBTQI+ community and criminal justice organizations. Official conference activity will commenced on August 5, 2025, and continued through August 8, 2025.
Austin Organizing Committee Bios
Michael Wilmore-Crumrine
Michael is a sergeant with the Austin, Texas, Police Department (APD) with over 38 years of law enforcement experience and is a founding member and president of the Lesbian and Gay Peace Officers Association, Austin, Texas, Texas’s first and only LGBTQI+ Peace Officers Association. Michael is also the executive director of the 4th World LGBTQI+ Conference for Criminal Justice Professionals. With APD, he serves as sergeant in the Child Abuse Unit and supervises investigations involving the physical and sexual abuse of children.
Michael's investigative career has been exclusively working in crimes against persons and spans over 15 years. He worked in the adult Sex Crimes Unit, the Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration Unit (SOAR), and the Homicide Unit before transferring to the Child Abuse Unit as a sergeant. Michael has written and trained nationally and internationally on intimate partner and sexual violence in the LGBTQI+ community, and how to improve the relationship between the community and the criminal justice system. Find Michael if you’re looking for recommendations on the best cowboy boots and western wear in town!
Michael Rizzo
Michael joined the conference team as coordinator in March 2025 bringing more than 20 years of experience in victim advocacy, training, and supporting events. Most recently, she was a senior research associate at the Institute for Intergovernmental Research leading the National Violence Against Women Law Enforcement Training and Technical Assistance Consortium. In this role, Michael collaborated with national subject-matter experts, law enforcement, criminal justice partners, and community organizations to build capacity and implement strategies to strengthen responses to intimate partner crimes. Prior, Michael was at Booz Allen Hamilton leading the Office for Victims of Crime, Victims of Crime Act, State Administering Agencies Support Team and spent close to twelve years at the International Association of Chiefs of Police overseeing numerous programs focused on domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, strangulation, and other intimate partner crimes. Michael is working closely with the conference team to support speakers and make sure all event details are addressed so that national and international attendees receive a warm welcome to Austin, Texas. Find Michael if you want to chat!
Sergeant Xavier “Xavi” Leyva
Xavi has been with the Austin, Texas, Police Department (APD) for over 20 years and is the Operations Director with the 4th World LGBTQI+ Conference for Criminal Justice Professionals. Xavier graduated with a bachelor's degree from Texas State University and is a proud first generation American born from immigrant parents. Xavier grew up in a small agriculture community where he learned a special appreciation for farmers and their labor. His interest in law enforcement was a lifelong dream and he feels fortunate to have been given the opportunity to fulfill his dream by APD and the City of Austin. He has worked on various shifts including patrol, recruiting, academy instruction, child abuse, and more. Xavier is supporting many conference logistics, looking forward to connecting with attendees, and welcoming the group to Austin. Xavi also loves to travel - ask him about the places he’s been – and eating his way around the world. Xavi has great food recommendations!
Stephanie Gonzales
Stephanie is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked for the Austin Police Department for 13 years. For several of those years, she served as a counselor in the APD Victim Services Unit, assisting survivors of family violence and child abuse during the investigative process. She later served as a supervisor for the APD Victim Services Crisis Response Team, a large unit of counselors who assist patrol officers on traumatic calls 24 hours a day/7 day a week. Stephanie currently collaborates on various APD projects and initiatives with the goals of building trust and enhancing relationships between the police department and the community.
Officer Austin Zarling
Austin is a dedicated law enforcement professional with over five years of experience in public safety and communication. Austin graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. He began his career as a communications officer with the South Miami Police Department serving for two years and gaining vital experience in emergency response coordination. Austin currently serves as a police officer with the Austin, Texas, Police Department for close to four years where he specializes in LGBTQ+ community engagement, focusing on building trust, fostering inclusion, and strengthening relationships between law enforcement and the queer community.
Taylor Hoagland
Taylor is a Texas native and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she was an NCAA All-American for softball as well as a member of Team USA for four years before transitioning into a career in sales. Taylor is the “Sponsorship Diva” of the 4th World LGBTQI+ Conference for Criminal Justice Professionals. Currently, she is the Global Director of Sales Development for a public tech company - running a team of ten out of Austin and a team of five out of Madrid, Spain. Taylor loves what she does for work because it's the perfect balance of coaching, mentorship, competition, challenge, and reward - and with this newfound passion, she’s started to look for ways to give back to my community through consulting, freelancing, and sponsorship support.
Taylor hopes to encourage and empower queer individuals to be their true authentic selves, break barriers, push limits, and become the absolute best versions of themselves as we all continue to navigate this ever-changing world.
Jackie Garrett
Jackie started her career at the Waco, Texas, Police Department as the coordinator of the victim services unit for three years. She then moved to Austin, Texas, to work for the Austin Police Department Victim Services Unit where she stayed for 24 years. Jackie was a lead crisis counselor and responded on scene to assist victims of crimes ranging from homicide, suicide, domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, traffic fatalities, officer-involved shootings, and death notifications for the medical examiner's office. Her role was to support law enforcement and all victims on the scene affected by the crime. Jackie retired in 2023 and currently works part-time for the American Outlaws soccer organization as the coordinator of the organization's nonprofit arm called Impact. She also coaches soccer goalies for Leander FC. Jackie is a soccer fanatic and has attended 4 Women's World Cups and over 60 USWNT games. She has a wonderful wife and two spoiled rotten dogs. Jackie loves to travel, listen to live music, eat a good taco, and always seeks the perfect cup of coffee. Find Jackie if you want to talk coffee, soccer, dogs, or tacos! She would love to hear about your part of the world and what you love in life.
Austin Keynote Speaker Bios
Kelley Robinson
Kelley Robinson is a trailblazing advocate and leader in the fight for human rights. As the President of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), she is the first Black, queer woman to hold this position. HRC is the largest civil rights organization in the United States, dedicated to achieving equality and liberation for LGBTQ+ individuals. With over 15 years of experience, Robinson has spearheaded numerous successful campaigns for LGBTQ+, racial, and gender equity.
Under Robinson’s leadership, HRC declared a national State of Emergency for the first time in the organization’s 40-year history due to the alarming increase in anti- LGBTQ+ legislation introduced and signed into law. Kelley has mobilized HRC’s vast network, including more than 3.6 million members, supporters, and volunteers, to fight discrimination and create safer, more inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ people. Robinson’s efforts have resulted in significant political victories, including beating back anti-transgender rhetoric and mobilizing “Equality Voters” in historic election wins in 2023 in Virginia, Ohio, and beyond.
Robinson has also served as president during the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act and the defeat of a historic number of anti-LGBTQ+ amendments in the U.S. House. She’s engaged progressive allies, major businesses, grassroots activists, and “Equality Voters,” to build strong coalitions for LGBTQ+ rights.
In addition to her advocacy work, Robinson has championed LGBTQ+ culture and amplified voices too often left out. She co-hosted the Las Vegas Equality Ball, alongside the iconic Renaissance tour showcasing the vibrance and significance of Ballroom culture within the Black and Brown queer community. And during her speech at the 60th March on Washington, she spotlighted the attacks on trans youth and the intersection of civil rights and LGBTQ+ rights.
As a mark of her influence, Robinson was named to the 2024 TIME100. Powerful and inspiring speaker, Robinson regularly appears in national and international media outlets, including MSNBC, CNN, Sirius XM, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Politico. She previously served as the Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, where she advanced the movement for reproductive justice. Robinson is also currently serving as a Senior Fellow at the Kettering Foundation, underscoring the urgency of centering LGBTQ+ rights in the fight for democracy.
Diego Garcia Blum
Diego Garcia Blum is the Program Director for the Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. His work is dedicated to advocating for the safety and acceptance of LGBTQI+ individuals globally, particularly in regions where they face significant risks. It is a calling born out of his own story of overcoming oppression as a gay man and witnessing the
heartbreaking assault on LGBTQ people in repressive areas of the world.
At Harvard, Garcia Blum's efforts have centered on driving social change through policy, impactful research, political engagement, storytelling, community organizing, coalition-building, and developing training programs for advocates. Prior to his current role, Diego worked under Governor Deval Patrick researching LGBTQI+ issues and creating educational programs as the Social Change Fellow at the Center for Public Leadership. Since 2020, he has taught "Queer Nation: LGBTQ Protest, Politics, and Policy in the United States" alongside Dr. Timothy Patrick McCarthy at Harvard. Garcia Blum previously served on the National Board of Governors of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBTQI+ advocacy group in the U.S., where he also volunteered as a community organizer in Washington D.C. Before dedicating his work to politics and LGBTQI+ rights, Diego was an accomplished nuclear engineer with almost a decade of experience developing zero- carbon energy technologies. Diego holds a Master in Public Policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University, where he served as Student Body President and as a Presidential Service Fellow. He also holds bachelor degrees in nuclear engineering and political science from the University of Florida.
Dennis Shepard, Board Member Emeritus
Dennis is the father of Matthew Shepard and has been an advocate for parents’ unconditional love for their LGBT children both during Matt’s life and, very publicly, since the hate-motivated murder in Laramie, Wyoming, which took Matt’s life at age 21. Born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Dennis earned a degree in education from the University of Wyoming before marrying Judy in 1973 and settling in Casper, Wyoming, to raise their family. An oil industry safety specialist, Dennis worked for more than 16 years in safety operations for Saudi Aramco in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, before retiring from that position in 2009. He has served on the Matthew Shepard Foundation board of directors since the organization’s inception, and currently speaks to audiences around the country, particularly to victims’ advocacy organizations and law enforcement audiences about his experiences and the importance of equal treatment of LGBT crime victims and their loved ones. He and Judy continue to live and work in Casper.
Judy Shepard, Board President
In October 1998, Judy and Dennis Shepard lost their 21-year-old son, Matthew, to a murder motivated by anti-gay hate. Matthew’s death moved many thousands of people around the world to attend vigils and rallies in his memory. Determined to prevent others from suffering their son’s fate, Judy and Dennis decided to turn their grief into action and established the Matthew Shepard Foundation to carry on Matthew’s legacy. The Foundation is dedicated to working toward the causes championed by Matthew during his life: social justice, diversity awareness & education, and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.
Judy Shepard is the founding president of the Matthew Shepard Foundation Board of Directors, and served as its first executive director as well, from 1999 to 2009. In her continuing role as board president, she travels across the nation speaking to audiences about what they can do as individuals and communities to make this world a more accepting place for everyone, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation. Speaking from a mother’s perspective, Judy also authored a 2009 memoir, “The Meaning of Matthew,” exploring the family’s journey through the prosecution of Matthew’s assailants, the ensuing media coverage, and their continuing work to advance civil rights. On May 3, 2024, Judy Shepard was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian honor. Originally trained as a teacher, Mrs. Shepard holds a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Secondary Education from the University of Wyoming where she later pursued some post-graduate studies. She and Dennis continue to make their home in Casper, Wyoming.
Drew Dalton
We are delighted to announce another powerful voice joining our lineup of keynote speakers: Drew Dalton! Drew brings a remarkable two decades of experience spanning the NGO sector and academia. Until recently, he served as a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Sunderland, where he specialized in global LGBTQI+ rights, activism, and international development.
An accomplished and award-winning teacher, trainer, and activist, Drew is the visionary Founder and CEO of ReportOUT. This award-winning international human rights organization is dedicated to meticulously documenting human rights abuses faced by LGBTQI+ populations worldwide. Beyond ReportOUT, Drew also chairs the UK Alliance for Global Equality, a robust civil society group actively lobbying governments to advance global LGBTQI+ rights.
As Company Director of Drew Dalton Consulting, and currently penning his highly anticipated book, 'Broken Rainbow?' with Bloomsbury Publishers, Drew is at the forefront of discussing the pervasive nature of global queerphobia. His influence is widely recognized, having previously been voted by the Pride Power List as one of the top 100 most influential LGBTQI+ people in the United Kingdom.
Drew will deliver a compelling keynote address that will explore the criminal justice system's global harms to LGBTQI+ individuals and crucially, how we can collectively work to improve these systems. His insights promise to be both thought provoking and inspiring.
Join us to hear from Drew and many other impactful speakers! More details on our full speaker lineup and registration can be found on our conference website. Click the link below.
Greg Miraglia
We are thrilled to announce Greg Miraglia as one of or our keynote speakers for the upcoming conference. Greg is a true force, bringing a wealth of experience and passion to our stage. He's a celebrated LGBTQI+ activist, accomplished author, respected college professor, engaging radio host and producer, and a dynamic professional speaker. With over 35 years in law enforcement across three different police departments – including serving as the Deputy Chief of the Napa Valley Railroad Police Department – Greg offers a unique and invaluable perspective. In 2009, he founded Out to Protect, an organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQI+ individuals in law enforcement and strengthening the vital relationship between law enforcement and the broader LGBTQI+ community. Greg's dedication to justice, advocacy, and building bridges makes him an ideal speaker for our conference. Excited for you to hear his insights and experiences!