Gio Santiago (he/him), is the Events and Volunteer Coordinator for Equality Ohio. He is an advocate for transgender individuals, an honorably disabled military veteran, and non-profit leader. Earning an associate’s degree in Public Administration from Lorain County Community College, and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Delaware State University. He founded META Center Inc. in 2016, a non-profit dedicated to educating, motivating, and inspiring transgender youth and young adults in need of resources and support. He is a trusted voice in the LGBTQ community, having facilitated workshops at the TransOhio Symposium, Trans in the CLE, the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference, and Kent State University. 

Santiago was named one of Cleveland Magazine’s Most Interesting People for 2018, was nominated for and made NBC News NBCOut’s #Pride30 list, and was selected as Equality Ohio’s 2018 Advocate Honoree for Northeast Ohio. In 2019 he was the Keynote Speaker for the Transgender Job fair hosted by METRO Health, and in 2022 he was inducted into the Lorain City Schools Alumni Hall Fame. Gio is a returning team member, formerly at Equality Ohio from 2019-2022. His passion for advocacy comes from being a child of a teacher, a former teacher himself, and someone who just loves to see others win. His motto is “I’m the dopest person I ever met, and I always bet on myself.”