Kristina Wertz (she/her) joined GEO as the Vice President of External Affairs in April 2022. She provides strategic vision and leadership for fundraising, membership, and communications. Prior to joining GEO, Kristina was the Senior Vice President of Engagement and Philanthropic Outreach at Funders for LGBTQ Issues, where she oversaw programmatic efforts to increase the scale and impact of funding for LGBTQ communities. Kristina has a deep commitment to social justice which has driven twenty years of advocating for LGBTQ communities as an attorney, policy advocate, and expert in LGBTQ philanthropy. Kristina is a skilled facilitator and specializes in building community in the philanthropic sector.
Prior to her work in philanthropy, Kristina was the Director of Policy and Programs and Legal Director at the Transgender Law Center where she partnered with transgender leaders to achieve groundbreaking legal protections for transgender and gender-nonconforming people.
Kristina was named on the National LGBT Bar Association’s inaugural list of “Top Lawyers Under 40.” She is a graduate of NYU and Brooklyn Law School. A proudly born and raised in San Francisco, Kristina now lives in the Hudson Valley of NY with her partner, two adorable kids, and a fluctuating number of chickens.
