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Kellii Von Trombacco

Queen Mother Kellii was born in Denver, Colorado, a graduate of Abraham Lincoln High School, and The University of Colorado with a BA.  Well traveled, Kellii lived in Africa and Italy, before moving to Los Angeles, CA in 1965. She married and moved to Orange County, CA, in 1976 and worked as litigation specialist/manager in the insurance claims department for Allstate, Colonial Penn, Transamerica, National General and 20th Century Insurance. 

Kellii moved back to Los Angeles in 1991 and was Program Coordinator for the first Transgender Program in the US, at The Minority AIDS Project, where She conducted speaking engagements, outreach and sensitivity training at community-based organizations, medical facilities, recovery and juvenile facilities and welfare to work women’s groups throughout Southern California.

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    Additionally, she coordinated and conducted workshops for Self-image, Behavior Modification, Leadership, Personality Leadership for workplace environment. Additionally, she Implemented and developed Employment Skills, Communication Skills and Personal Appearance for these classes which ultimately became the first workforce development program in the United States. 

    Kellii was respected for her leadership and passion. Invited to Co-Chair  The Standards and Best Practices Sub-Committee for the Los Angeles County Prevention Planning Counsel, The Los Angeles County Transgender Task force and the West Hollywood Transgender Sheriff’s counsel, where she served as a liaison between law enforcement and community. She was“Woman of the Year 2000” at the annual Trans-Unity Celebration, helped create the program entitled “New Beginnings” Transgender Specific, and was keynote speaker and presenter, at the CDC (Centers for Disease control) in Atlanta, GA., April, 2001, and at the INAC community Planning Group Conference, in Houston, TX, March, 2001.

    In 2003, She went to work for Charles R. Drew University first as, a Research Program Administrator and in 2006 was promoted to Program/Project Manager where she developed and directed for NIH/NIM multiyear research project, “Discrimination, Health Care Attitudes and HIV Treatment.”  She assisted in the writing and design of papers/articles and was published in the American Medical Journal.  She submitted proposals to management for consideration and allocation of funds from the department budget. She consistently worked with diverse populations (drug/alcohol related psychiatric/mental health challenged, communities of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered clients).  She wrote and prepared demographic statistical and narrative reports and professional correspondence.

    But beyond her accomplishments, As Queen Mother, Kellii was a charismatic, bold and fierce Mother to a family of daughters who themselves have carried on her example, creating service organizations themselves to serve the Trans & NB Community.

    Kellii was recognized by Council Member Bill Rosendahl, for 11th District, of the California State Legislature and California State Senator Sheila James Kuehl, of the 23rd District, before retiring in 2009 to Victorville, CA. with her husband and two dogs. 

    In 2017 she was honored with a lifetime achievement award at TransGiving Dinner in Los Angeles.

    In December 2019 she was posthumously honored by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and United States California Representative Nanette Díaz Barragán.