Heidi Esbensen

Heidi Esbensen is the lead author of Sociology of Gender: An Equity Lens and a contributing author to Chapter 10 in Sociology in Everyday Life. Heidi holds a master’s degree in Sociology from Portland State University with a focus on gender, sexuality, and families/parenting and a master’s degree in Education from City University of Seattle with a focus on Special Education in behavioral analysis and reading interventions. Heidi has taught as an adjunct professor of sociology for ten years at multiple higher education institutions and works as a special education teacher in middle school. She has raised two wonderful children on her own while earning these degrees, working, and writing sociology texts. They all play music, love the outdoors, and are involved in social justice work for LGBTQ2SIA+ populations. Heidi is also the Board Chair of a local nonprofit organization, Bridging Voices, a queer youth choir that celebrates and supports queer youth through the love of music and activism in the community.

Dana Pertermann

Dana Pertermann (she/her) is a Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at Southwestern Oregon Community College. She earned her PhD in Anthropology from Texas A&M University as well as a masters in Historical Archaeology from Illinois State University and a bachelors degree in Geology from the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include historical archaeology, conflict archaeology, and archaeology of gender.

Nora Karena

Nora Karena (she/her), who identifies as White, is an antiracist educator, researcher, consultant, and writer with expertise in non-profit service delivery, sexual violence, homelessness, and child welfare. In her research, Nora interrogates White racial formation and White supremacy. In her classroom, she points her students toward the scholarship of women, people who identify as LGBTQIA +, and People of the Global Majority to engage them in questions of identity, power, and meaning. As a consultant and trainer, she champions the operationalization of antiracist policies and ideas that prioritize the well-being of people most impacted by systems of oppression. She has a B.A. in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Linfield College and an M.A. in Cultural Studies (MACS) from the University of Washington Bothell.