Making Things Right • Board of Directors

Kristyn Komarnicki | Board Member

Kristyn is the Director of Dialogue and Convening at Christians for Social Action, and creator of their Oriented to Love program, which facilitates dialogue on sexuality and gender with faith leaders and communities. Kristyn directs OTL’s workshops, trainings, private retreats, and public dialogues.

Fascinated by what happens when we approach our “other” in the posture of learning—with vulnerability, curiosity and humility—Kristyn helps people have more generative conversations. She reframes conflict not as something to be avoided, but an opportunity for maturing in Christ, and finding unity amidst disagreement.

Kristyn recently moved to France with her husband, yet returns to the U.S. frequently for her work.

Bill White | Board Member

Bill lives in Long Beach, CA with his wife Katy. He has been in evangelical ministry for 25+ years, now co-pastoring a church in Long Beach, CA. He is the founder of Small Church Big Table, providing coaching and peer cohorts for churches navigating LGBTQ+ matters, focusing on biblical foundations and best practices. Their consulting is theologically neutral, helping faith leaders explore what welcoming LGBTQ people could look like in their community.

In Feb 2025, Bill and his son were featured in a New York Times article entitled “How My Dad Reconciled His God and His Gay Son”. Written by Timothy and incorporating his Dad’s journals, it illustrates how Bill wrestled with God and his long-standing beliefs, and the healing bond created between father and son in the process.

Grace Thomas | Board Member

Grace is a committed follower of Jesus and is also a trans woman.  She served 32 years as a pastor in a conservative denomination. During this time her two youngest children came out as gay. Deeply committed to loving her sons and following Scripture, she has spent hundreds of hours investigating the best scholarship on both sides of the LGBTQ divide. She now works tirelessly helping parents discover that they can love God and fully embrace their LGBTQ children just as God made them. She also enjoys talking with pastors and other leaders as they seek to find a loving way forward in serving their LGBTQ congregants, relatives or friends. 

Grace is an avid listener of audio books, loves political commentary, is a board game and Pickleball fanatic. She is all in when it comes to giving herself to the life-giving friendships she has been able to build once coming to accept herself fully a transgender woman.

Kelly Mellen | Managing Director

Kelly joined Making Things Right in March 2024 as Marketing Director. Since then, her role has expanded alongside the organization’s growth to manage our key initiatives and daily operations.

If asked to identify her ”why”, she would tell you that she is compelled to be on the right side of history in seeing all people treated justly. As an Enneagram 2 (“helper”) who has a heart for people, Kelly thrives on relationship building. She is always “on mission” and loves sharing MTR’s message (and accompanying hugs) as often as possible.

Kelly strives to rarely say no to new adventures and values building memories through life experiences. She and husband Mickey are proud parents of young adult women and reside in the Atlanta area.

Brian Nietzel | Founder & Board Chair

For two decades, Brian has helped Christians and churches pivot from doctrinal debates to productive, practical engagement around LGBTQ+ matters. He co-founded Renovus in 2019, an organization helping hundreds of LGBTQ+ people reclaim their faith. In 2021, he launched the Making Things Right project, which established 501(c)(3) status in 2024. 

Brian works full-time in financial services, and dedicates much of his “spare” time to Making Things Right, focusing on our organization’s direction and initiatives, as well as writing and speaking. His work has been featured by Christianity Today, Dallas Morning News, Baptist News Global, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Brian lives with his husband and two daughters in Atlanta, GA.

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