Meet Carolyn Noe, the founder and visionary behind Super Heroines, Etc. (SHE), one of the official 2026 Gen Con charity partners.
Read on to learn how she is using her powers for the good of the tabletop community and leading the charge to inspire advocacy and inclusion through gaming.
What inspired you to establish Super Heroines, Etc., and how has your vision evolved since its inception?
In 2011, I moved to Norman, Oklahoma, from St. Louis for my first job after grad school. I discovered a meetup group called Nerdy Girls, and it became my refuge from a difficult work environment, where we did all sorts of crafts and activities together. I eventually left that job and moved back to St. Louis, and I decided I really wanted to have that kind of community here, which led me to launch Super Heroines, Etc., which at the time, I named Nerdy Girls.
The group eventually changed its name to avoid competing with the original Nerdy Girls, and the mission evolved. We have always been about celebrating fandom, but now we focus more on advocacy and community-building rather than one-off events like we did in the early years.
Can you share a memorable story from your experiences working with Super Heroines, Etc. that showcases the impact you’ve had on someone’s life?
Early in the inception of Super Heroines, Etc. I found myself educating my fellow organizers on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Since we were a meetup group, most organizers just wanted to focus on the fun, like clever events and getting together with like-minded folks. However, we had about 1,600 members who relied on us, and it was important to me that inclusion be at the forefront. I got pushback from some organizers who didn’t want to engage in those discussions, which caused significant difficulty for us as a group early on.
About four years ago, one of those organizers reached out to me with a lovely message, saying I helped her venture out of her comfort zone and learn the true meaning of feminism. She went on to tell me she has continued to learn and check her unconscious biases.
What role do community events, like Gen Con and the upcoming Super Heroines Con, play in spreading awareness for your organization, and how can attendees get involved during your events?
Gen Con and other conventions are an important way for us to let folks know about SHE. We attend many community events, but we’ve noticed that conventions are where our people are! Surprisingly, email is still the biggest driver of attendance and donations, so we use events to add folks to our newsletter list. Anyone can join our Discord – we post all our events there through a weekly Monday announcement. Many of our events are local to Cincinnati, Ohio, but if there is enough interest, we also offer virtual programs on Discord.
If you could describe the mission of Super Heroines, Etc., in three words, what would they be and why?
Inclusive, nerdy, joy! Nerdy joy is one of our values, demonstrating our commitment to the idea that fandom and joy are integral to our lives. The word “inclusive ” is important to our mission because we want folks to feel welcome and supported in our spaces, as well as everywhere fandom exists, but we have a lot of work to do.
Who is your personal super heroine?
I have so many! But I’ll try to narrow it down. Audrey Hepburn has been a long-time personal super heroine of mine – her story is powerful as she grew up in the Netherlands during WWII, and she used her personal experience to give back to children around the world.
I’m also obsessed with Nellie Bly, a journalist who went undercover at a mental health facility in the late nineteenth century to expose mistreatment and inhumane conditions. I have so many more, but those are probably my top two!
Super Heroines Con is coming up on May 31. Can you share some of the exciting things you have planned for this year’s event?
We are so excited for Super Heroines Con! It will be a one-day, family-friendly event held in Cincinnati, Ohio. Our friends at the University of Cincinnati’s Ethics Center will be hosting “Ethics & Dragons”, a program that combines ethical exploration with Dungeons and Dragons gaming. We’ll also have crafting events and a cosplay makeup workshop.
One of our favorite local game shops, Woodburn Games, will be teaching introductions to Lorcana and running kid-friendly board games. Our games library will be fully stocked, and a bakery will be on-site to sell sugary deliciousness. Additionally, we are excited to have an upcycled gaming table to raffle off – a local furniture upcycler has refurbished a table into a small gaming table!
Carolyn Noe, EdD, is the founder of Super Heroines, Etc., a nonprofit organization that uses the power of fandom to build inclusive communities and advocate for equity and representation. Through creative programming rooted in comics, gaming, and pop culture, she creates welcoming spaces for women, girls, and people of underrepresented genders to connect, lead, and tell their stories.
Learn more about Super Heroines, Etc. on their website, and follow them on Instagram @superheroinesetc to keep up with their events. Stop by their table at Gen Con this summer and say hello to Carolyn and meet more super heroines!