COLOR BLOQ STAFF
Color Bloq is maintained by a core staff of dedicated individuals, all of them queer & trans people of color.
Niq D. Johnson, PhD, Co-Founder and Editorial Director
Black, Queer, They/S.H.E.
Dr. Niq D. Johnson was born and raised in Washington, DC and has since settled in western PA. They have a MA & PhD in Communication & Rhetoric from University of Pittsburgh and a BA in English & GSWS from Emory University. They work in the field of social impact strategy, and maintain involvement in other projects as a scholar/researcher, post-ac career advisor, DE&I consultant, and lifelong community organizer.
After successfully steering the BLACK Collection for Color Bloq in 2018, Niq was named the Managing Editor for all collections going forward. In 2019, Niq rose to Editor-in-Chief, overseeing the entire publication space. In their guidance and feedback, Niq has elevated the platform to another level of thoughtful representation and community-building for the QTPoC family.
Chief Esparza, Co-Founder and Executive Director
Latinx/Chicanx, Queer, He/Him
Chief was born and raised in Southern California and has made the San Francisco Bay Area home for more than a decade. He has a BA in Political Science from UC Santa Barbara, and has spent time in direct services nonprofit, while currently working in D&I communications and policy in the tech space.
As Executive Director of Color Bloq, Chief coordinates staff and backend operations, manages community partnerships, handles funding and budgets, and plans community events for the organization. He makes no editorial decisions or content selections in the Collections publication.
Nic Perales, Co-Founder and Community Director
Filipinx, Queer, She/Her/They
Nic is a first-generation Fil-Am born and raised in California’s Bay Area. She graduated with a BFA in Web Design and New Media from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She currently works as a Digital Marketer for a non-profit and a state university and is active activist for LGBTQ+ People of Color.
Nic has been with Color Bloq since the 2017 launch, first as a contributor, then as Community Manager, and eventually to the Community Director role, building relationships with Color Bloq contributors, other QTPOC events spaces, and the broader community through social media.
Sean-Paul Rocero, Co-Founder and Design Director
Asian, Queer, He/Him
Sean-Paul was born and raised in the East Bay Area and now resides in San Francisco where he works as a user experience and product designer.
Sean-Paul began illustrating the digital artwork for the platform that would become Color Bloq in 2017, with the NERD collection. He now manages the Color Bloq site design and visual branding.
Dana Nowlin-Russell, Editor
Black, Queer, She/Her
Dana was born and raised in Washington, DC, and currently lives in Southwestern PA. She holds an MFA in creative writing (with specializations in nonfiction and children’s writing) from Chatham University and a BA in Sociology and Public and Professional Writing certificate from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh and teaches courses in the English Composition Department.
Dana is a lifelong student of creativity who writes poetry and YA stories. She also crochets, plays piano, games (video & tabletop) with loved ones, and cares for her two furkids.