External Affairs Team

Rhea Debussy, Ph.D. (She/Her) is the inaugural Director of External Affairs at Equitas Health, which is a federally designated community health center and one of the largest LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS serving healthcare organizations in the country. In her role at Equitas Health, Rhea is responsible for setting the government and community relations agenda for the agency. In doing so, she manages the organization’s public policy priorities; mobilizes community stakeholders to advance access to health and wellness services; cultivates strategic community partnerships across the state and beyond; and determines the organization’s legislative advocacy strategy at local, state-wide, and national levels.

Prior to joining Equitas Health in June 2022, Rhea enjoyed a decade of service in higher education, which began in public university settings in Connecticut. Most recently, she jointly served as the Associate Director for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Kenyon College—where she specialized in fostering LGBTQ+ inclusion and equity on campus—and as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Kenyon College—where she designed and regularly taught the college’s first permanent queer studies course. For two years, Rhea also concurrently served as the founding Executive Director of the Ace and Aro Alliance of Central Ohio, which is the state’s first organization focused upon serving the asexual and aromantic community.

A graduate of the Dept. of Political Science at the University of Connecticut, Rhea’s doctoral work focused on the histories of LGBTQ exclusion from the military and intelligence communities. She actively writes about issues affecting LGBTQ people in the military and LGBTQ+ politics more broadly. Most recently, Rhea served as the lead author for the newly updated and expanded third edition of Freedom to Serve: The Definitive Guide to LGBTQ Military Service (forthcoming; Washington, D.C.: Modern Military Association of America), which is the most comprehensive guidebook on issues affecting LGBTQ service members across all branches of the military. Given the important nature of this work and the status of this guidebook, an advance copy of this text was requested by the Biden Presidential Transition Team in December 2020.

As a scholar of LGBTQ+ politics and policy, Rhea also regularly presents at regional, national, and international LGBTQ+ conferences. In fall 2020, she presented at the Equitas Health Institute’s Transforming Care Conference, where she was also recognized with the Community Advocate Award. Rhea, who is a member of the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH), also presented at WPATH’s 26th Annual Scientific Symposium, which is the world’s largest conference on transgender health. In summer 2022, she will be presenting an advocacy workshop at Stonewall Sports’ 8^th Annual National Tournament and Summit, which is one of the largest LGBTQ+ focused athletic events in the country.

Passionate about accessible academic writing, Rhea frequently publishes non-academic articles on LGBTQ+ political issues. Her work has been published by The Conversation, The Associated Press, BUST Magazine, and The Gay & Lesbian Review among others. Her most recent article for The Conversation, which was also circulated by The Associated Press, garnered over 20,000 readers, and it was translated for international circulation throughout Japan. Additionally, her forthcoming book project is currently under contract with Columbia University Press.

As a nationally recognized advocate for trans-inclusive athletic spaces, Rhea was selected for the inaugural cohort of the NCAA’s Division III LGBTQ OneTeam Program, which is the organization’s first nationwide LGBTQ+ inclusion program. For nearly three years, she served as one of less than 55 facilitators across the country, and she facilitated trainings for hundreds of coaches, athletics administrators, fellow facilitators, and student-athletes across multiple colleges and states during that time. In January 2022, she resigned in protest from that role, following changes to the NCAA’s transgender participation policy.

In addition to her role with Equitas Health, Rhea also currently serves as a Lecturer in the Dept. of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at The Ohio State University at Newark, where she teaches courses about the LGBTQ+ community; a member of the Greater Columbus LGBTQ Health Coalition, which is a community-led working group that is focused on improving health outcomes for LGBTQ+ people living and working in Columbus, Ohio; a member of the Advisory Board for the TGX360 Initiative of the OUT Georgia Business Alliance, which is Georgia’s first transgender-focused economic empowerment initiative; and an organizational representative to the Public Policy Council of AIDS United, which is a national non-profit organization dedicated to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States.

Previously, she served as a Lecturer in the Dept. of Political Science at The Ohio State University at Newark, where she taught courses on international relations; she also previously served as both the Vice President for the Board of Directors and the Acting Operational Director of the Newark Ohio Pride Coalition, which coordinates a local pride festival of roughly 1,500 annual attendees.

Candace Miller-Janidlo (jah-NID-low) (she/her) is the External Affairs Manager at Equitas Health. She joins the External Affairs department with a rich background in fundraising and philanthropy, government relations, and advocacy. She also has deep experience with political campaigns, having volunteered for several Presidential and Senate campaigns, and additionally served as an elected Precinct Executive for the Democratic Party in Cincinnati, Ohio. Candace oversees a broad portfolio of public policy, advocacy, and government relations efforts across local, state, and federal levels. Working in close partnership with Dr. Rhea Debussy, she helps lead initiatives to advance LGBTQ+ rights, healthcare access, and key policy priorities including Ryan White funding, gender-affirming care, and the 340B Drug Pricing Program.

Candace also coordinates legislative strategy and events, tracks legislation, engages with elected officials and, and contributes to coalition-building and the public comment process. She holds a Bachelor of Psychology degree, with a minor in Interpersonal Human Relationships, from Ball State University, and is currently pursuing a Master in Public Administration and Public Policy degree at Eastern Illinois University.

Deeply committed to community engagement, Candace serves on the Youth Champions Board of the YMCA of Greater Cincinnati and volunteers with the Children’s Law Center Kentucky. A passionate advocate for the intersections of social justice and public policy, she is always ready to talk—at length—about politics, animals (especially otters, never insects), travel, food, books, punk rock/indie music, and the minutiae of British murder mysteries.

Asa Shorak (they/them) serves as the public policy coordinator on the External Affairs team at Equitas Health, where they work to advance inclusive, evidence-based policies that protect and empower LGBTQ+ communities across Ohio and beyond. Guided by a deep commitment to public service, truth, and equity, Asa’s work centers on defending the rights and dignity of trans, gender-nonconforming, and queer people.

Before stepping into this role, Asa spent two years at Equitas Health as an outreach specialist, connecting individuals and communities to affirming healthcare and critical resources. Beyond Equitas Health, Asa has spent nearly a decade as a trans advocate and organizer — from running a Gender and Sexuality Alliance in their local community during high school, to volunteering with the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Pittsburgh, to working directly on political campaigns at both the congressional and state levels. They have contributed to a Democratic campaign for Congress and now volunteer with a socialist campaign for the U.S. Senate, continuing their lifelong mission to fight for the underserved and underrepresented.

A proud graduate of Otterbein University, Asa holds bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Global Studies with minors in Legal Studies, Philosophy, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. While at Otterbein, they also served in student government, where they honed their skills in policy advocacy and coalition building.

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Asa lives with their partner of seven years and an eclectic household of cats, frogs, an axolotl, a snake, and a thriving indoor jungle of plants. In their free time, they help stage-manage Open Heart Creatures, a troupe of puppeteers who use art and performance to inspire empathy, curiosity, and community connection. Their work blends art and activism through creative storytelling.

Sydney Heckeler (she/her) is the Advancement Operations Coordinator, helping to support and bridge communication between the Marketing, External Affairs, and Development teams. Sydney joined the Equitas Health team after graduating from the Ohio State University in May 2025 with her undergraduate degree. At Ohio State, she had served as the president of the student organization Students for Sexual Health Awareness which hosts Sex Week, an annual week of events focused on inclusive, medically accurate, and non-judgmental sexual health education on campus. Sydney is so excited to continue working and advocating for healthcare access both in Ohio and nationally.

Elliott Swart (he/him) is a Legislative Affairs Intern at Equitas Health this fall. Elliott is currently a junior at Denison University, double majoring in History and Politics & Public Affairs. Pursuing the Government and Legal Affairs track, he focuses his studies on the interactions between social identities and the law. On campus at Denison, Elliott has served as the Historian for Beta Theta Pi, the Treasurer for the Ballroom Dance Club, and the PR Chair for the Model United Nations Club.

Elliott is thrilled to join the External Affairs team to learn more about public policy this semester.

Grace Seymour (she/her) is one of our Legislative Affairs interns for Fall 2025. She is currently a third-year student at The Ohio State University, majoring in Public Health and Sociology with a minor in Public Policy. Her study interests consist of healthcare policy and advocacy, more specifically in reproductive health. On Ohio State’s campus she serves as the Vice President of Outreach for Empower Sports, a student led non-profit. She is also a C.A.R.E Ambassador for Ohio State’s Wellness Center and an active member in the pre-health sorority, Delta Omega Kappa. Grace is so excited to join the External Affairs team this fall and learn more about advocacy and policy within the healthcare sector.