A4TE Announces New Chief Strategic Program Officer and General Counsel

[Washington, D.C.] – Today, Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE), the largest advocacy organization for and by transgender people in the United States, announced two new hires to its executive leadership team. Both trans women selected with the help of Kevin Chase Executive Search Group, Kate Traub was hired as new General Counsel and Anya Marino will be the new Chief Strategic Programs Officer. 

“When I started in this movement over twenty years ago, there were not many trans women in executive roles, so I don’t take the significance of Kate and Anya’s hires lightly. Part of building trans power is creating a pipeline for trans leadership whose voices deserve to be heard,” added Advocates for Trans Equality CEO, Andy Marra.  “To prepare for the battles to come, we knew that we needed exceptional leadership. A4TE has recruited some of the top trans talent across the country to help lead this organization and our movement into this next chapter of resistance.”

“We are beyond thrilled to announce two new additions to A4TE’s leadership. We could not be more pleased with Anya and Kate’s impressive records and decades of experience to help our newly merged organization continue to lead from a place of strength, and we look forward to the ways their fresh perspectives and extraordinary talents will shape our work,” said Advocates for Trans Equality Executive Director, Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen. “We are bracing ourselves for the continued onslaught of attacks on trans people from the incoming administration, and now more than ever, we have to strengthen our operations and expand our capacity if we want to defend our rights and protect our future.”

"After just commemorating Trans Day of Remembrance, I’m reminded that few trans women of color have lived to see their forties. Indeed, during my twenties, my only goal was to see past 35. I am now 41. It means the world to me to step into this role at this age, at this stage in my career, and at this time when trans visibility and leadership are critical to our community's survival. I can now work at an organization by trans people for trans people, and I can serve alongside a team of brilliant advocates who are fighting every day for trans equality,” said Anya Marino, A4TE Chief Strategic Programs Officer.

Anya A. Marino is the incoming Chief Strategic Programs Officer for Advocates for Transgender Equality (A4TE), where she will drive A4TE’s legal and policy efforts to protect and advance the rights of trans people. She also directs and instructs the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law’s LGBTQI Equality Clinic. Previously, Anya served as the National Women’s Law Center’s Director of LGBTI Equality and instructed Harvard Law School’s LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic. She also served as Deputy Legal Director for the ACLU of Florida, where she oversaw the legal department’s voting rights litigation and litigated LGBTQ+ and First Amendment cases. Anya is the first openly transgender woman of color to serve in any senior legal position throughout the ACLU’s federation of national and affiliate offices and is the first transgender woman of color to teach at Harvard Law School.

Anya graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law, and she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology from Johns Hopkins University. 

“As a later-in-life trans woman who is a proud member of this community, especially after the election three weeks ago, there is no job in the world I’d rather have than this one right now. I believe the varied experiences of my career were always leading me here, and I am ready to use what I have learned to leverage my own privilege and skills to make the world better for all of us,” said A4TE General Counsel, Kate Traub.

As the first General Counsel for A4TE, Kate Traub will serve as the primary legal advisor for A4TE, providing guidance and oversight on all legal and compliance matters. The General Counsel will play a crucial role in shaping the organization’s legal strategies, managing risk, and ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The GC will serve as a key advisor on all legal, policy, operational, and administrative issues – including labor and labor relations – while providing support for governance and tax matters.

Prior to joining Advocates for Trans Equality, Kate was a private attorney who worked for artists and inventors, start-ups and entrepreneurs, but also joined nonprofits. At Meta, Kate guided both engineers and charities while learning how an effective legal department is run. As Tanoshi’s General Counsel and COO, Kate handled complex contract negotiations and complex relationships, and she also served to provide commercial partner education, which often involved teaching business partners how to respect and adhere to the law for the safety of vulnerable parties. Her previous experience runs the gamut from engineering to academia to the tech industry, where she ran internship programs, worked with salaried employees and company founders, and met with the local governments and venture capitalists. Kate received her undergraduate and a graduate degree at Georgia Tech. She received her JD from Georgia State University School of Law and an LLM from Santa Clara University School of Law. 

 

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About A4TE

Advocates for Trans Equality (A4TE) is an organization that fights for the legal and political rights of transgender people in the United States. Introduced in July 2024 after the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and National Center for Transgender Equality merged, A4TE is the largest trans-led advocacy organization in the U.S. and brings together experts, advocates, and communities to shift government and society toward an equitable future where trans people live joyful lives without barriers.