Maria “MJ” Castells is committed to advancing her community and its underserved and at times neglected groups. Her goal has been focused on expanding the visibility and awareness of LGBTQ individuals. Prior to joining Pridelines in 2018, she served for 3 years as the Program Director for Aqua Foundation for Women, a non-profit organization aimed at serving and supporting the lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Her proudest achievement has been expanding and growing the organization’s two-day conference for the transgender and gender non-conforming community and their allies, TransCon. MJ has a bachelor in Communication from FIU and is currently pursuing an MBA at her alma mater.