I'm a program designer and manager, trainer, and facilitator with 10+ years of experience supporting individuals and organizations through advocacy and community building, trauma-informed leadership, and building inclusive, relationship-centered programs. I focus on liberation-centered initiatives and helping transform big visions into attainable progress.

I come from a social work background and I'm a midwesterner at heart. I earned my degree at Indiana University, in the beautiful city of Bloomington, Indiana. I grew up on a farm, feel very proud of my rural roots, and find joy in connecting with all sorts of people. I also maintain a fierce passion for mutual aid, liberation, and justice.

I believe in bottom-up organizing: that liberation for the most vulnerable of us means liberation for all of us.

Some Highlights

• Launching a rapid rehousing program for queer youth and young adults, centering parents and youth of color, under a federal multi-million dollar Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) grant

• Building the infrastructure for a national trainings program focused on training people working with clients in reproductive health, rights, and justice areas

• Developing internship programs for multiple organizations that seek to support students in their educational goals and offer fieldwork that centers liberatory values

• Facilitating convenings of 140+ participants, that included engaging and creative qualitative data collection on healthcare needs of women and gender-expansive people across Indiana, while supporting connection, care, and honest dialogue

• Training hundreds of providers across the U.S. and Canada on how to address emotional and spiritual conflict and decision-making related to reproductive experiences

• Building an online programming, service, and community engagement hub for queer youth during COVID-19 lockdown

"Teeth"? Why Teeth?

My mom gave me the name Teeth when I started playing roller derby at 15 years old. Today (many seasons later!) I'm still using Teeth as my derby name, and at this point it's second nature for my loved ones to refer to me as Teeth! You can call me Teeth or Karlie, both feel natural to me. Along with roller derby, my hobbies include traveling, scuba diving, leather work, and testing out exciting new restaurants with my loving friends. I live in Portland, Oregon with my fuzzy cat Gizmo and enjoy spending lots of time in the great outdoors. I thrive when I’m forming and bridging community near and far.

photo courtesy of Ryan Aanderud

Let's Connect!

karliethomas6@gmail.com