About

Jade Jacobs-Wort (they/them) is a trans non-binary activist and strategic leader with over a decade of experience in LGBTIQA+ research, advocacy, and organisational leadership across the African region. As Chairperson of the Board at Beyond the Margins, they will provide strategic oversight and governance to advance the safety and self-determination of trans and gender-diverse communities. Currently leading Grants Management at GIN-SSOGIE, their leadership also includes serving as Acting Co-Director at Iranti, co-hosting the ILGA World 2024 Conference in Cape Town, and building an evidence-based research unit from scratch. An alum of Columbia University’s Human Rights Advocates Program and Harvard Kennedy School’s LGBTIQ+ Activism Summit, they bring deep expertise in fundraising, donor relations, and intersectional feminist practice to their board leadership.

Olwethu Dekeda is a finance professional with over 15 years’ experience. She is currently a Managing Director of Obleek (Pty) Ltd, a financial services company that offers accounting, tax, internal auditing, business coaching and structuring as well as financial management services. Having qualified as a CA(SA) in 2017 after almost a decade of work experience, Olwethu has both audit and corporate experience with a job portfolio that encompasses banking, media, telecommunications, Real Estate NPC’s etc. She headed up a post-investment division before branching off to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. In addition to managing her business, she also sits on various boards, including being a Chairperson of the Finance Committee of Council at the University of Zululand.

Chris de Beer-Procter (she/her) is a queer visual journalist and communications expert based in Cape Town, South Africa. Her practice is primarily lens-based, using social documentary and portraiture to tell human stories at the intersection of the personal and political on a range of topics. She is often compelled to tell stories around social justice, particularly including LGBTQ rights, gender, women’s rights and disability rights. Chris has a particular interest in the politics of representation and ethical creative practice, especially in pursuit of diversifying the photographic archive. She explored this through her Masters research which focused on the relationship between representations of people with intellectual and developmental disability and social stigma. She is a recipient of a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Vera Grover Fund and is a reviewer for the African Journal of Disabilities. She is also a member of WomenPhotograph, The African Photojournalism Database and is a fellow of the VII Academy. She currently serves as a Communications Officer for the African Trans Network.

Carl Collison (he/they), is a journalist, photographer, filmmaker and researcher, who focuses specifically on producing LGBTIQ-related content from across Africa. A former researcher with Human Rights Watch, Collison is the founder and executive director of Beyond the Margins. He is also the co-founder of the Purple Mountain Arts Residency, which provides a safe space for queer African creatives, artists and activists. Collison was the Other Foundation’s Rainbow Fellow at the Mail & Guardian. In 2017, as a result of his queer-focussed journalism, he represented South Africa as a participant in the U.S Government States Department’s International Visitors Leadership Programme. He was shortlisted for the 2018 Gerald Kraak Award and Anthology. He was also included in the inaugural #Awesome50 list, which recognises the work done by people across Africa to better the lives of the continent’s LGBTIQ people. Short stories he has written have been included in the collection of essays, They Called Me Queer and For The Love of the Land. Documentary films (and photographic exhibitions) he has put together have been screened in film festivals and events in Argentina, Kenya, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Mozambique, U.S.A, and the United Kingdom.