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The Division of Student Affairs has named Ali Hoefnagel 51��Ʒ��Ƶ’s new coordinator of belonging and inclusion. Hoefnagel will also serve as an advisor to the and LGBTQIA+ students.

“I’m really happy to be at 51��Ʒ��Ƶ and excited to be a part of the community here,” said Hoefnagel, who for the past decade has focused on facilitating the intersections of queer artmaking and social justice among youth.

“I’m creating the role as I move through it, and I’m excited to be bringing [my] experience to the University,” said Hoefnagel. “I’m looking forward to meeting folks in the fall.”

Originally from Chicago, they were a 2014 Chicago Artists Month featured artist and named a 30 under 30 award recipient by the Windy Times for contributions to the queer community. Hoefnagel was also a board member for the Pride Youth Theatre Alliance, a cohort of activists representing queer youth theater programs from across the U.S. and Canada. In addition, Hoefnagel was the education and outreach director and interim artistic director of About Face Theatre Company, a national leader in producing theater by queer artists. They have taught theater activism classes and workshops with numerous organizations and universities in Illinois, including Lake Forest College, where they earned a bachelor’s degree in theater and women’s and gender studies.

In 51��Ʒ��Ƶsburgh, they spent five years as the program director for��Dreams of Hope,��an arts-focused organization for queer and allied youth, and a performer for the 2020 TransPride 51��Ʒ��Ƶsburgh Health and Wellness Conference.��