Our Team
Toya Matthews (She/Her)
Toya Matthews specializes in helping her community in any way possible to make sure tomorrow is a brighter day. An award winning and recognized performance artist, Toya combines her love of travel and creativity to create safe spaces for everyone.
Her experience has included serving as Lead Specialist for House of Tulip, where she supported community by preparing meals, providing clean clothes, and linkages to much needed services; as well providing Staff support. Toya also brings many years of experience in the restaurant and hospitality management experience where she expanded the skills of working with all people where they feel empowered.
One of her proudest achievements yet is the creation of Beloved Hands. Beloved Hands centers the voices, experiences, and needs of women—especially trans and system-impacted women—living with HIV. It provides compassionate, culturally competent support to help navigate healthcare, social services, and community systems in ways that affirm their dignity, autonomy, and wellness. Expanding the impact and depth of the work, Beloved Hands is now a dedicated program of Transcending Women where Toya serves as Co-Executive Director.
A community pillar, Toya is a mother, sister, and daughter to many in the ballroom community. She also participates in Black Trans Circles, a program of Transgender Law Center, as well as countless hours supporting her community in New Orleans and beyond.
Wendi Cooper MA, (She/Her)
Wendi Cooper believes in the power of community. As a native of New Orleans, La. she knows first hand how access to resources and safe spaces are key to our collective and individual futures. A proven advocate with deep community roots, she has also worked as a healthcare provider and mental health professional for over a decade. Through her dedication and combination of skills, Wendi’s ultimate goals are to help women in need and transgender women to overcome their fears.
Wendi is the Founder and Co-Executive Director of Transcending Women, a grass roots organization that centers Black, Brown, transgender, and system-impacted women through tools, support, and community.
A proven voice for her communities; she has been featured on MSNBC News, by the Human Rights Campaign, and the NO Justice Project just to name a few. She provided key testimony in a federal lawsuit that challenged Louisiana’s Crime Against Nature by Solicitation (CANS) Law, which ultimately secured the removal of more than 700 women from the sex offender registry. Wendi also co-produced the documentary “CANS Can’t Stand”.
Wendi has been recognized for her many years of service to her communities including a Proclamation by Mayor of New Orleans Latoya Cantrell. She is a graduate of Southern University at New Orleans where she holds both a Bachelor of Science and Executive Masters degree in criminal justice and now she is currently a doctoral candidate at Keiser University.