Who We Are
Camp Silver is dedicated to providing a safe, affirming, and empowering space for transgender and nonbinary youth to come together, build connections, and thrive. Our camp was born out of a deep-seated need within the community, driven by the unfortunate reality that transgender and nonbinary individuals often face heightened discrimination and challenges in their daily lives. Our mission is to create a haven where these remarkable young individuals can flourish, express themselves freely, and find a strong support network that uplifts and understands them.
Mission
Our mission is to empower transgender and nonbinary youth through engaging experiences.
Vision
Our vision is for transgender and nonbinary youth in Florida to be authentically thriving, empowered within a vibrant and compassionate community, where creativity and confidence flourish.
Our Story
The inspiration for Camp Silver can be traced back to a remarkable journey of compassion and advocacy. Our founder, Dr. Janet Silverstein, spent a good majority of her career advocating for the transformative power of a camp for children with diabetes, witnessing firsthand how a nurturing environment and a sense of community could positively impact young lives. Drawing from this experience and witnessing the increased marginalization of transgender and nonbinary youth, she was moved to take action and create a similar haven for transgender and nonbinary youth.
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Our Executive Board
Listed Below in Alphabetical Order
Simone Chriss J.D. (she/her/hers)
Simone Chriss began working at SLC in 2016 after graduating from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she received her J.D. with honors. Chriss is the Director of the organization's Transgender Rights Initiative, developed by SLC to fill a gap in access to justice by systemically providing assistance to the transgender community in areas such as access to name and gender marker changes, obtaining accurate IDs, representation in educational proceedings, protection from discriminatory policies, and more. She conducts LGBTQ+ cultural competency trainings and transgender rights trainings statewide and nationally, and presents transgender name and gender marker change workshops throughout Florida. She is currently engaged in litigation against the State of Florida with federal lawsuits challenging the discriminatory exclusion of coverage for gender-affirming medical care through Florida’s Medicaid Program and the State Employee health insurance program, as well as active federal litigation challenging the Florida law known as “Don’t Say Gay/Trans.”
Chriss utilizes federal impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community education/training to bring about systemic reform in the areas of LGBTQ+ rights, child welfare, implementing trauma-informed services, ending the criminalization of homelessness, and special education. Chriss also works with the UF Health Youth Gender Program through a Medical Legal Partnership ("MLP"), through which she screens transgender youth and families for health harming legal needs. She then provides the families free legal assistance on issues such as navigating discriminatory health insurance issues, ensuring access to bathrooms and consistent use of affirmed names and pronouns at school, and obtaining legal name/gender marker changes and amending government-issued identification documents, among others.
Chriss serves as an Attorney ad Litem for the Eighth Judicial Circuit's registry for dependent children with special needs. She is a member of The Florida Bar, and the U.S. Northern, Middle, and Southern District Courts of Florida. Chriss is a member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar, a member of the Executive Council of the Public Interest Law Section (PILS) of the Florida Bar, as well as the PILS Children's Rights Committee and the Advocacy Committee, and was appointed to the Florida Bar's Standing Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. Chriss is a recipient of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association's 2022 Award 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40, and was awarded the 2021 “Voice for Equality Award” by statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Florida.
Dr. Kristin Dayton (she/her/hers)
Dr. Kristin Dayton is a Pediatric Endocrinologist who specializes in gender affirming care for youth.
Dr. Jen Evans (she/her/hers)
Dr. Jen Evans is a licensed clinical psychologist who lives and works in Gainesville. Jen graduated with a PsyD from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University 's San Francisco campus in 2011. Jen currently works in private practice as well as at the UF Pediatric Endocrinology Youth Gender Program. Since that time, Dr. Evans has facilitated over 30 continuing education trainings on the topic of diverse genders and sexualities. As a queer-identified person, Jen is passionate about giving back to the community. Most recently, Jen has been actively involved in the Florida Psychological Association’s Diversity and Cultural Competence Committee, and currently serves on the boards of the Transgender Health Education Network and also Camp Silver. Jen is also a member of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), the organization that sets forth the standards of care for medical and mental health professionals providing services to transgender populations.
Regina Livingston (she/her/hers)
Regina Livingston, the founder and CEO of Unspoken Treasure Society, has always had a vision to help bring unity in the world, but at a young age, did not quite know how to make that happen. She believes all of her life's experiences have helped form her to the woman she is today. As a result, the Unspoken Treasure Society organization was formed.
Unspoken Treasure Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping find solutions to the needs of the trans community of color. Our Vision is to provide resources so that those affected will have the same opportunities: whether it be job placement, affordable and fair housing, safe sex education, HIV testing and counseling, suicide prevention as well as advocating for victims of domestice abuse.
Since its conception in 2018, Unspoken Treasure Society now has three chapters, which includes Gainesville, Jacksonville, and Atlanta, Georgia.
As Regina recollects, "This has been a journey that has not always been easy, but one that I've enjoyed every minute of it. I've made a goal to help unify our trans community and i see myself doing just that.
Dr. Janet Silverstein (she/her/hers)
Dr. Janet Silverstein is a retired Pediatric Endocrinologist at UF Health. In her years of experience she has held and holds many titles including director, chief, program director, professor, medical director, associate chief, and associate professor, to name a few. She is the faculty founder of the UF Pediatric Endocrinology Youth Gender Program.
She was chair of many national committees including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section of Endocrinology, Children’s workgroup of the National Diabetes Education Program, the Diabetes in Youth committee, and President of the Pediatric Endocrine Society (PES). She was also selected to serve on the AAP Committee on Nutrition, was an author on the School Guide (Helping the Child with Diabetes Succeed in School), was a member of the Clinical Practice committee of the American Diabetes Association, was on the Decision skills committee for maintenance of certification for the American Board of Pediatrics and writing committee for the Pediatric Endocrinology sub board of the ABP, and was on the Wellness committee for the Alachua County school district.
Todd Silverstein (he/him/his)
Todd Silverstein has extensive experience working in and with early-stage ventures. As the founder and serving Board member of The Greater Sum Foundation, Todd has worked collaboratively for years to accelerate the impact and improve efficiencies of early stage non-profits. Additionally, Todd has worked as Director of Operations in numerous early and growth stage for-profit and non-profit companies, and brings a wealth of operational knowledge, skills, and abilities to help senior leadership advance Camp Silver's mission.