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Dr. Wayne Maines

*Exclusively Represented by AEI Speakers*

Dr. Wayne M. Maines is first and foremost the proud father of identical twins, one boy (Jonas Maines) and one girl (Nicole Maines). Wayne and his amazing wife Kelly have worked extremely hard to raise their children in an environment that was not ready for a new generation of transgender children.

His family’s story is featured in Becoming Nicole which is a New York Times Notable Book, was named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by People magazine, one of the Best Books of the Year by Men’s Journal, is a Stonewall/Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award Honor book, and a 2015 Discover Great New Writers Award Finalist/Non-Fiction. The Washington Post describes it as “the inspiring true story of a transgender girl, her identical twin brother, and an ordinary American family’s extraordinary journey to understand, nurture, and celebrate the uniqueness in us all.”

Wayne is an Air Force veteran, a parent, an avid outdoorsman and basket maker who also has a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and Doctor of Education degree from West Virginia University. Wayne is the Vice President of Safety and Operations at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas, helping support 70,000 students and staff create a climate for success. He also provides the leadership for the Police Department (90 + Officers), Buildings and Maintenance, Risk Management, Custodial Services, Parking and Transportation, Quality Control, Safety and Emergency Management.

His entire career has focused on motivating people to be safe and change in Corporate America and Higher Education. He has conducted trainings for the FBI, the Department of Justice, Harvard Medical School, the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission and Colleges and Businesses across the nation. His goal has been to improve quality of life for everyone by developing skills and implementing systems that have a positive impact for people and the organizations they serve.

Categories: Campus, Change, Educator, Exclusive, LGBTQ+, Social Justice, TED Talk, Veterans, Workforce Issues, Workplace Safety

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View Dr. Wayne Maines'

  • videos Videos
  • topics Topics
  • books Books

Videos

Topics

  • Raising a Superhero!

    "My goal is to help everyone develop their superpowers, powers that include being safe, a high level of self-esteem, confidence, vision, and the ability to work with everyone. My daughter Nicole Maines plays Dreamer on television. She is the first transgender superhero and you can watch her Sunday nights on the CW’s television show Supergirl.

    Nicole faced and still faces bullying, harassment and formal discrimination for being her true self. When she was younger I worried about her every day, slept little and we fought back to make sure she was safe and on the right path. Nicole is twenty-one years of age, working as an adult, carrying the normal stresses of work, while also being an international role model. I worry about her every day. That is a great deal of pressure for a young adult, but I watch in awe as she handles herself with poise and grace and think how did she get there?

    It is an amazing story to success, but she did not become a superhero without help. How do we create superheroes in our schools, communities and businesses? The core to success is helping people maintain a high level of self-esteem, confidence, a love for life and a support team at home, at work and in your community.

    My family’s journey was painful, stressful, comical and often insightful. Everything that impacts a child’s ability to be successful was put to the test. Marriage, school policy, doctors, work, state and federal law, dealing with family, friends and the typical issues of adolescence were all potential roadblocks to success. We were successful because we built a strong team. Everyone needs a team. It is imperative that we learn more about subtle variables that can help create a positive and successful climate for success. Together we can build teams that create superheroes in our schools, communities and businesses." - Wayne Maines

  • Become an Ally - Explore Your Core Values

    Changing core values is not always easy. Why are we afraid of change? Why do we change so slowly? We need to go beyond our comfort zones and reach out to new people to help create a better future for our children. It requires reaching out and listening to new ideas and strategies for growth. Changing the world requires going beyond our comfort zones, being honest and reaching out to new people to help create a better future for all. It requires reaching out at work, at home and in our communities. Are you ready? If yes, let's explore how to move forward together.

  • Developing a Master Safety Plan on a Shoestring Budget!

    The scope of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) management continues to grow and meld with other organizational initiatives. Come learn more about building an EHS program with fewer resources. Explore low cost, in-house management tools that might be a good fit for your EHS compliance programs. Help your company meet its growth goals!

  • Raising LGBTQ Youth - How Can You Help?

    Parents across the nation are looking for qualified and unwavering support from health professionals, teachers, coaches, school leaders and community leaders to safely navigate raising transgender children. Some day's it seemed impossible, but every step of the way you can helped us be successful. Our journeys are filled with real fears, difficult challenges and major life decisions. Come learn more about how you can help.

  • What is your organization's Transgender IQ?

    Transgender employees and families with transgender children often living in hiding and as they work to help your company grow and prosper, their families suffer along the way. What do you know about all of these people's struggles and challenges? How does this impact your employee's productivity? How can you help them grow and prosper as part of your team? Understanding is the first step.

  • Honor, Justice and Equality for all Americans

    Nationwide LGBTQ youth face hostile environments and the overwhelming majority of youth routinely hear anti-LGBTQ language, experience victimization and discrimination. Using "Becoming Nicole", a New York Times Notable Book and one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by People magazine, as the backdrop for discussion, Wayne will explain why honor, justice, and equality were lost from his vocabulary during his children's school years. The LGBTQ community helped Wayne regain his faith in these powerful words. Then it took action to make them come true.

  • What Schools Can Do: Wayne and Kelly Maines Tell their Story

    With the publication of the best selling book “Becoming Nicole” about their family’s odyssey, Wayne and Kelly Maines courageously and openly told the story of standing up for their child’s gender identity even when schools did not always support what was best for their identical twins, one boy and one girl. When they finally found a supportive school- they were surprised at how it only takes leadership and commitment for a whole school to become a part of making a school safe for every kid, including their own. Schools are an essential ingredient in helping kids find their true identity. The Maines’ will speak about how you can advocate in your own school for those students’ whose voices aren’t always heard.

Books

Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family
Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK - NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PEOPLE AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MEN'S JOURNAL - A STONEWALL/ISRAEL FISHMAN NON-FICTION AWARD HONOR BOOK The inspiring true story of a transgender girl, her identical twin brother, and an ordinary American family's extraordinary journey to understand, nurture, and celebrate the uniqueness in us all, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning science reporter for The Washington Post When Wayne and Kelly Maines adopted identical twin boys, they thought their lives were complete. But it wasn't long before they noticed a marked difference between Jonas and his brother, Wyatt. Jonas preferred sports and trucks and many of the things little boys were "supposed" to like; but Wyatt liked princess dolls and dress-up and playing Little Mermaid. By the time the twins were toddlers, confusion over Wyatt's insistence that he was female began to tear the family apart. In the years that followed, the Maineses came to question their long-held views on gender and identity, to accept and embrace Wyatt's transition to Nicole, and to undergo an emotionally wrenching transformation of their own that would change all their lives forever. Becoming Nicole chronicles a journey that could have destroyed a family but instead brought it closer together. It's the story of a mother whose instincts told her that her child needed love and acceptance, not ostracism and disapproval; of a Republican, Air Force veteran father who overcame his deepest fears to become a vocal advocate for trans rights; of a loving brother who bravely stuck up for his twin sister; and of a town forced to confront its prejudices, a school compelled to rewrite its rules, and a courageous community of transgender activists determined to make their voices heard. Ultimately, Becoming Nicole is the story of an extraordinary girl who fought for the right to be herself. Granted wide-ranging access to personal diaries, home videos, clinical journals, legal documents, medical records, and the Maineses themselves, Amy Ellis Nutt spent almost four years reporting this immersive account of an American family confronting an issue that is at the center of today's cultural debate. Becoming Nicole will resonate with anyone who's ever raised a child, felt at odds with society's conventions and norms, or had to embrace life when it plays out unexpectedly. It's a story of standing up for your beliefs and yourself-and it will inspire all of us to do the same.

You can purchase this book here

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