Mission Statement

Colorado Name Change Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of transgender Coloradans by assisting them with their legal name change and gender marker corrections. Through workshops across the state, pro bono legal assistance, nonpartisan advocacy, and innovative technology implementation, we seek to make being who you truly are easier to accomplish.

Our goal is to increase access to resources, provide accurate information, reduce the bureaucracy, streamline the process, and reduce financial barriers for transgender Coloradans seeking to have their legal identity match their true identity.

What We’ve Done So Far

A group of friends founded the Colorado Name Change Project in the Fall of 2016 and had our first workshop in mid-November 2016.  Since then, we have:

• provided information and assistance to over 20,000 folks via in-person workshops and our website
• drafted and provided an open-source “Motion for Exemption from Publication” that was approved in hundreds of cases across Colorado
• created automated Petition generators to help folks put the right information in the right spots on their paperwork
• instructed virtual and in-person workshops across Colorado, including Denver, Fort Carson, Fort Collins, Evans/Greeley, and Grand Junction
• advocated and achieved changes in the law surrounding name changes and gender marker corrections, including:
  • removing the publication requirement for trans and non-binary Coloradans;
  • removing the surgical requirement for Colorado birth certificate corrections;
  • removing the District Court Order requirement for birth certificate corrections;
  • adding a non-binary gender marker to Colorado drivers licenses and state IDs; and
  • adding non-binary and intersex gender markers to Colorado birth certificates
• provided thousands of dollars in microgrants to offset or fully cover name and gender marker updates for transgender Coloradans.

Board of Directors

Elliott Weil (he/him/his) – Board Chair & Co-Executive Director

Elliott Weil is a queer, neurodivergent, and transmasculine community organizer and advocate from rural New Hampshire, now based out of Denver.

Elliott has worked for years in the intersections of liberation through community work– labor advocacy, social and prevention programming, mutual aid, and queer nonprofit work. Elliott’s passion for community-centered care, and commitment to equity, accessibility, and collaborative uplift inform his efforts across all spheres of relationships and work. 

Above all else, Elliott loves spending time with his friends, his nervous dog Remy, caring for plants, cooking good food, and building communities of radical queer joy, gender euphoria, and collaboration.

Owen Ziegler (they/them, he/him) – Board Member & Co-Executive Director

Owen Ziegler is from Colorado and is an experienced legal professional, notary public, and professional translator and interpreter. Owen is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and offers professional language services through his translation service, Z Cultural Services. Owen also supports families dealing with family law, probate, estate planning, and other legal issues through his role as the Practice Manager at Gendelman Klimas Edwards, Ltd.

Owen dedicates pro-bono services to the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) in support of immigration detainees and asylum seekers. Owen also previously served on the Board of Directors at the Colorado LGBT Bar Association and what was then the Gender Identity Center, but is now known as the Transgender Center of the Rockies.

As a nonbinary trans person, Owen knows first-hand how daunting the Colorado name change process can be. They hopes their involvement with the Colorado Name Change Project will help to continue dismantling barriers to equal access to society for trans and gender diverse people from all walks of life.

Owen doesn’t really enjoy much free time because he is a parent of young kids, but if he had some, he would write poetry, play piano, and learn French.

Emma Shinn, Esq. (she/her/hers) – Board Member & Co-Founder

Emma, along with Cody Hickman, co-founded the Colorado Name Change Project (CNCP) in the fall of 2016. Since then, CNCP has helped thousands of trans Coloradans with their legal name changes and gender marker corrections. Emma served as the Board Chair and Executive Director from 2016-2019.

Emma is an attorney, active duty Marine Corps officer, and prior-enlisted infantry leader with combat experience in Operation PHANTOM FURY in Fallujah, Iraq. After leaving active duty in 2014, Emma started her own law firm, representing individuals in courts-martial, administrative hearings, and civilian trials. Emma returned to active duty as a Marine judge advocate on December 19, 2019 to continue her decades of service to our Nation.

She was the lead counsel in B.D. v. State of Colorado, a landmark case that helped provide trans Coloradans correct their birth certificates without unnecessary surgeries and costly, invasive district court cases. Emma is also a nonprofit leader in SPART*A, Jim Collins Foundation, ClimbMax, and the Colorado LGBT Bar Association. Emma is the recipient of the 2020 “Civil Rights Award” from the Anti-Defamation League – Mountain States, the 2019 “Raising the Bar Award” from the Colorado Women’s Bar Association Foundation, the Colorado LGBT Bar Association’s 2017 “Attorney of the Year,” the “2017 Power Award” from the Colorado LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, and the 2017 “Visionary in Action Award” from the GLBT Community Center of Colorado.

In her spare time, Emma enjoys sailing, rock climbing, hiking, camping, and spending time with her wife, Kara and their dog, Gunner.

Kate Peters (they/them/theirs) – Board Member & Treasurer

Kate is a disabled, nonbinary social worker and mental health therapist. Kate holds their Bachelor of Social Work and a Master of Social Work from Colorado State University. Through these programs, Kate began developing their passion for community care and strengthening their skills for working with diverse populations. Kate currently runs their own private therapy practice and supports other minority-owned therapy practices with billing management and operations. Kate is also the chair of Rainbow Roots Colorado, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening LGBTQ+ community in Northern Colorado.

In their free time, they enjoy reading, writing poetry, playing cozy video games, nurturing their plants, and cuddling with their cats.

 Jem Aspen, M.A. (she/her) – Communications Chair

Jem currently serves as Executive Assistant for the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center, a nonprofit promoting economic equity for marginalized communities in Colorado. Her passion for serving the queer community and other marginalized groups drew her to CU Denver’s Center for New Directions in Politics & Public Policy, where her final master’s project explored collective housing as a means of alleviating LGBTQIA+ homelessness in the Denver area. Jem possesses a B.A. in Philosophy from UT Arlington and an M.A. in Political Science from the CU Denver, with a Certificate in Public, Non-profit, & Community Leadership.

Email: jem@namechangeproject.org

Fallon Rose (she/her) – Outreach Chair

Fallon Rose has dedicated her life to advocating for the Transgender community. From working with Equality FL, March For Our Lives, and other organizations; she is so excited to bring her advocacy to CNCP. Since moving from Florida to Colorado, she has organized name change fundraisers, spoke on the steps of the Capitol & created pathways for the community. Fallon is also a Makeup Artist, Seamstresses, and local Drag entertainer. She looks forward to the collaborative efforts of CNCP combined, to break down barriers to gender affirming care, and creating a better world for all Transgender humans.

Amanda Bauer, Esq. (she/her/hers) – Board Member

Amanda was born in Colorado and attended Brown University and the University of Colorado Law School. While at CU Law, she served as Co-President of CU OUTLaw, the LGBT law student organization, and co-founded the CU Law School Name Change Clinic to aid members of the trans community with changing their names and gender markers on identity documents. She also served on the Colorado LGBTQ+ Board for several years, including as President in 2023.

She currently works in employment law at Employers Council, giving employment law advice and counsel to Colorado organizations.

In her free time, she plays ice hockey and hikes and skis in the Colorado mountains.

Shannara Quissell, Esq. (she/ella, her, hers) – Board Member

Shannara is a Denver-based trusts & estates lawyer and 2018 graduate of the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. While at DU, she served as Vice-President of the DU OUTLaws, the DU student liaison for the Colorado LGBT Bar Assocation, and President of Elder Law Society. Her work during law school included participation in the Tribal Wills Project, an externship with Denver Probate Court, and directed research on laws regarding violence against women and the LGBT+ community. She received the Public Good Distinction and a Student Leadership Award.  Shannara served as the CNCP Board Chair and Executive Director from 2023-2025.

As an attorney, she works to help advance civil rights causes and promote access to legal services for all. She also serves as the Programming and Technology Committee Chair for the Colorado LGBT Bar Association. 

In her free time, Shannara enjoys knitting, playing video games, and spending time with husband and two cats.

Thanks to Our Former Board Members

Sara Fitouri, Esq. (she/her/hers) – Former Board Member

A. Jordan McNamara, Esq. (he/him/his) – Former Board Member & Executive Director

Dennis Newman, Esq. (he/him/his) – Former Board Member

Cody Hickman, J.D. (he/him/his) – Former Board Member & Co-Founder

Contact Us