Hey there, I’m Kris (they/he), founder of Advocates Empowered. I grew up in Nairobi, Kenya, surrounded by rich community and layered histories. As a white child raised in a hyper-conservative environment, within a culture shaped by colonization, I quickly learned to observe systems before belonging. I often felt caught between worlds, without the language to name my queerness, neurodivergence, or the deeper questions about identity, power, and belonging stirring inside me. With both my upbringing and travel across 15 countries, I’ve witnessed the extremes of exclusion as well as the essence of true community.

I came to the U.S. at eighteen, where I went to college and built a career grounded in accessibility and justice. I obtained a B.S. in Education, licensure in Specialized Academic Instruction and spent years as a Program Director for a non-profit, and later as a teacher in the classroom. I designed inclusive systems for thousands of students, trained and led hundreds of volunteers, frequently spoke to crowds of thousands, and my classroom of diverse learners achieved the highest scores in the district. Throughout these years, I was also diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and CPTSD, and many parts of myself came into the light where they could begin to heal.

I later transitioned into corporate America and realized how unequipped most companies were to inclusive processes. I simultaneously realized my own ADHD in the process, founded and led an ERG for neurodivergent and disabled employees and gained years of experience across HR, benefits, and onboarding management. I learned where systems, processes, and expectations were designed without including the kinds of brains, bodies, and backgrounds I had taught in the classroom, worked alongside in the office, and found within myself. I especially noticed the voices of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and those of the Global Majority were the most impacted.

However, I also experienced what became possible when inclusion and safety were prioritized, publicly coming out as queer and trans for the first time through the support of the LGBTQIA+ ERG I was part of. Knowing I would lose the support and acceptance of my family, which ultimately happened, I truly came to understand what “chosen family” really meant.

I brought my passion for education, knowledge of corporate systems, and personal lived experience together to found Advocates Empowered.

My work sits at the intersection of culture, systems, and lived experience. Individuals work with me when they want to learn more about how their brains operate, practice self-advocacy in the workplace, or find supportive guidance through burn out, questioning, deconstructing or healing. Companies work with me when they’re ready to move beyond performative inclusion and invest in accessibility as a core part of how their organization operates - for all brains, bodies, and backgrounds.