Meet the Presenters

Dr. Elisabeth “Eli” Sheff is a researcher, expert witness, coach, speaker, and educational consultant. With a PhD in Sociology and certification as a Sexuality Educator from AASECT, Dr. Eli specializes in gender and sexual minority families, consensual non-monogamy, and kink/BDSM. Sheff is the foremost academic expert on polyamorous families with children, and her 25+ year Polyamorous Family Study is the only longitudinal study of poly families with children to date. Dr. Eli has served as faculty at seven universities and currently chairs the CNM Legal Issues Team for the American Psychological Association, Division 44 Committee on CNM. Sheff has published four books, over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters, and is currently editing a series of books on relationship and sexual diversity.

David Ley is a clinical psychologist, sex therapist and author, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He’s the author of several books and research articles on sexuality, including his second book, The Myth of Sex Addiction, which started a firestorm of controversy about the validity of the concept of sex or porn addiction. His third book presents a model for men to use to approach their use of pornography in a healthy manner. Dr. Ley is a frequent guest in media around the world, with appearances in sources such as the New York Times, CNN and Time Magazine, to Hustler and Playboy magazines.

Tom Carpino is a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University researching sexual health, stigma, and syndemics in sexual and gender diverse communities. He is also a Teaching Fellow and T32 Trainee in Translating Infectious Disease Epidemiology through the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Dr. Megan Carroll (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at California State University, San Bernardino. Her research on LGBTQ+ families and asexualities has been published in academic journals like Men & Masculinities and Sexualities and featured in popular media like Scientific American, The Advocate Magazine, Southern California Public Radio’s LAist, and the Free From Desire podcast. She is also the founder of the Ace/Aro Scholar Support Network, an interdisciplinary mentorship group of scholars studying asexualities and aromanticism in academic settings.

Dan Copulsky is a Ph.D. candidate in Social Psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He researches sexual identity, asexuality, and nonmonogamy, with a focus on identity labels and identity development. He also serves on the board of directors for the nonprofit Center for Positive Sexuality. Dan has been quoted as an expert on sexual identity in Cosmo and Psychology Today.

Judith Langer is passionate about communication and sexuality. She researches sex positivity and tries to understand and make it understandable as a sexual cultural phenomenon. She holds a Master’s degree in Sexology from the University of Applied Sciences Merseburg and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and Intercultural Relations from the University of Applied Sciences Fulda. She is also a trained Sexological Bodyworker and works as a communications manager for JOYclub.de, Germany’s largest online community for sexuality.

Jenn Mason is a certified sex coach, educator, and the owner of WinkWink: a woman-owned, inclusive, all-ages, “not creepy” sex shop and education space in Bellingham, WA. Through her work, Jenn helps individuals and communities transform sexual shame and move towards sexual liberation. With a background in youth consent education and victim advocacy, Jenn’s work focuses on the intersection of trauma, pleasure, disability, and sex education.

Nancy Owen is a certified sex therapist and supervisor in private practice in Kirkland, WA. She has been a psychotherapist for over 30 years, and specializes in treatment of couples and individuals struggling with issues related to intimacy and sexuality. She also provides education and supervision  for therapists/graduate students in the areas of kink, non-monogamy, and other issues related to sexuality.

Dr. Joye Swan (she/her) has over 20 years research experience in the field of sexuality. She is a 2019 Fulbright Scholar finalist and co-editor of the Book, Bisexuality: Theories, Research, and Recommendations for the Invisible Sexuality, winner of the 2020 Diverse Sexualities Research and Education Institute’s Book of the Year award. Dr. Swan is currently professor and Chair of the Department of Psychological Sciences at Woodbury University.