Artie Hartsell is a North Carolina–based organizer, educator, facilitator, and writer working at the intersection of justice, community, belonging, and story. For more than two decades, they have led work across social work, nonprofit leadership, faith spaces, and LGBTQ+ advocacy, designing programs that turn learning into action and belonging into power.
 

Artie has held leadership roles in major advocacy organizations, building organizing programs, developing political education curricula, and mobilizing communities for change. They hold undergraduate and graduate degrees in social work, with a focus on LGBTQ+ youth and families, trans health, policy advocacy, and harm reduction, and have worked directly with LGBTQ+ youth and adults living with HIV.
 

Their academic background also includes undergraduate studies in religious education, with minors in YMCA Studies and Youth Ministry, and graduate coursework toward a Master of Divinity with a concentration in LGBTQ+ Studies.
 

Through Pride Education Services, Artie provides training and consultation for educators, congregations, and organizations committed to equity and inclusion. The cornerstone program, Project Embodied Welcome, supports faith leaders and communities as they move from welcome to celebration of LGBTQ+ people.
 

Artie’s work bridges strategy and spirit, grounded in the belief that sustainable change grows from relationships, reflection, and shared courage. Their approach integrates community organizing, adult learning, and critical social work practice to help groups move from intention to implementation.
 

An eighth-generation North Carolinian, Artie roots their organizing in the South’s unique context and enduring connections. They’ve trained hundreds of leaders through political education programs that blend civics, movement strategy, and collective action.

Artie serves on the boards of a Southern Appalachian LGBTQ+ cultural and mutual aid organization and Invisible Histories, reflecting their commitment to storytelling, memory, and movement building.
 

Whether building a movement, leading a congregation, or finding your place in the story of justice, Artie’s work helps people and communities grow toward courage, connection, and celebration.