2025 Participant Biographies

Alicia Mullens is a professor and department chair of Meteorology at De Anza Community College, in Cupertino, California; she also lectures part-time at nearby San Jose State University. She is a proud transgender woman, who has devoted tremendous time to making her classroom and college campuses more welcoming to LGBTQ+ students, staff, and faculty. She has presented workshops on supporting transgender and LGBTQ+ students at national and regional conferences (such as the National Association of Geoscience Teachers), along with holding discussions and workshops at her local colleges. Her work has won her awards, such as the 2022 De Anza College Faulty Equity Champion Award, and the 2022 San Jose State College of Science Excellence in Teaching Award. Born and raised in Southern California, Alicia grew up in a working class family, in a world where gender was oftentimes the last thing on someone's mind. Growing up in the 90's, transgender representation was often limited to a few daytime talk shows and sitcoms, many of which weren't very affirming of transgender individuals, and as such, Alicia remained closeted until the late 2010's. Upon making space for this side of her, Alicia quickly realized that her identity was that of a transgender woman, and during the space that the COVID-19 Pandemic created for people to explore themselves, she, along with her wife Jamie, made the decision that she should transition into Alicia full time. She began her transition at work in 2021, first by participating in campus LGBTQ+ events as Alicia, but, thanks to a supportive campus community, quickly began integrating Alicia into her professional life more and more until, in January of 2022, she finally heard those heels clicking down the hallway as she walked into class. At her places of work, Alicia continues to advocate for better policies and procedures for transitioning students and staff on campus, and she continues to turn her classroom into a safe space for queer students who may not feel like they have elsewhere to go. In her spare time, Alicia enjoys fashion, craft beer (including homebrewing), travel (via all modes of transportation), and spending time with her wife Jamie.