First Up!: Melanie Davis - President 
My daughter and I came to Bloomington 16 years ago after almost a year of couch-surfing, and the community opened their arms to us!  I'm a mom, equal rights advocate & activist, educator, speaker, community organiser, and current producer & showrunner of BloomingOUT - one of the nation's longest-running Queer-focused radio shows. I began this project officially in August of 2019 after recognising, like many of us here, that we need such a space. During the recovery from COVID, when attacks on our rights and persons were intensifying, particularly for transgender youth. I put a call out to organise for helping them and their families find the care elsewhere that was newly denied them within our state. Thus, Protect Our People: Connect was launched and received 501c3 status in 2023. The dream for the Center never faded, but there were shifting priorities. I couldn't be more grateful and honoured to work with so many passionate and dedicated folks over the years! We're doing this!