Shilpen Patel

3
Medical Director
Genentech

Shilpen on the Leadership Team, as the global champion, of gPRIDE (LGBT+ employee resource group). He is helping lead efforts to have both sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) captured in clinical trials and to ensure that the voluntary self-identification of SOGI is captured, counted and included in company diversity surveys. Shilpen also works with gPRIDE and the Chief Diversity Office to ensure engagement throughout the company at the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender identity, and can often be seen conducting speaking engagements at Healthcare events. As a physician, researcher, and teacher with knowledge of the healthcare system, his work is crucial in creating model training, developing white papers, creating diverse frameworks & education programs, all in support of the LGBT+ community. Shilpen is the immediate past chair of the the LGBTQ Advisory Committee of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the National Action Council at the National LGBT+ Task Force. He currently serves on the board of the Horizons Foundation.

Maranda Gorr-Diaz

6
Global Co-Chair of Égalité, Publicis Groupe & Supervisor at Starcom USA
Publicis Groupe

Maranda prides herself on living every day as a champion for diversity. As Global Co-Chair of Égalité, Publicis Groupe's business resource group for LGBT+ professionals and allies, Maranda has implemented, interviewed, and mentored the Égalité Chicago Internship Program, ensuring Publicis Groupe agencies continue to score a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. A founding member of Lowe's "Belonging Team" to create an inclusive workplace at Starcom US, Maranda has also been an internal Out & Equal Workplace Summit Panellist Speaker, whilst also being featured in an employee spotlight for Pride month 2020 and has been a nominated "People Who Roar with Pride Inside" for outstanding ERG work. Moreover, her creation of a Companywide Drag Show Charity Fundraiser raised thousands, whilst also leading 50+ Égalité members across the globe to participate in an Out & Equal Summit in DC. As a Global Consultant for Groupe Clients for their LGBT+ campaigns, she ensures they are representing the community authentically.

B. Pagels-Minor

9
Senior Data Product Manager
Netflix

B. is a transgender nonbinary lesbian and fierce advocate for diversity in tech. B. is a part of global leadership for Black@, and Trans*, Netflix ERGs, which support Black and trans Netflix colleagues and have historically helped inform internal content teams to ensure Netflix releases accurately represent the lived experiences of trans and Black folks.  B. can be found speaking nationally and internationally on LGBT+ topics, most commonly on trans and nonbinary issues. Also, B. sits on the board of directors of Howard Brown Health, a $200+ million LGBT+ focused health center, treating over 40,000+ patients each year in Chicago and is leading the charge in COVID-19 testing and contact tracing in the city. B. has also been working with Silicon Valley Pride to create events focused on womxn to support the Silicon Valley community better and create opportunities for inclusion in the Bay Area.

Mark Schissler

19
Director
BlackRock

Mark was the first ever Global Chair of the OUT & Allies Network at BlackRock, charged with expanding presence into new EMEA and APAC markets. Mark developed a comprehensive global strategy to help make BlackRock the best place to work for LGBT+ people in financial services. Through external engagements, expanding internal reach, sponsorship and maintaining best-in-class LGBT+ data, Mark has made a huge impact on Diversity and Inclusion at BlackRock, which is now in the 13th year of its LGBT network. Sharing his knowledge, Mark has spoken and been a panellist on many occasions, including at Out & Equal, INvolve and BlackRock events. Mark is a regular volunteer at local LGBT+ organizations, including Just Like Us, a program focused on LGBT+ inclusion for school aged children. He launched his own internship program at BlackRock, speaking at inner-city schools and mentoring underrepresented students in the New York area.

Jason Hoar

20
Senior Scientist, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Drug Metabolism
Merck

Beyond a job role in R&D at Merck, Jason has served as the Global Lead of the Merck Rainbow Alliance (MRA) Employee Business Resource Group (EBRG) and a member of the EBRG Executive Leadership Council. Jason has been instrumental in growing MRA from 250 to over 1500 members and 26 Chapters around the world. With Jason’s guidance, MRA runs over 100 events a year focused on LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion, leadership, and allyship through Business Impact, Recruiting & Employee Development, and Community Outreach priorities. In addition to partaking in internal panel sessions, Jason has spoken at events hosted by Unilever, PhRMA, NGLCC (BRG Sip & Pitch), and oSTEM (LGBTQ+ Narratives in Pursuing Life Science Workshop). Jason was recognized on the Business Equality Pride Magazine’s Forty LGBTQ Leaders Under 40 along with MRA receiving D&I awards like the oSTEM LGBTQ+ Employee Network of the Year.

Olu Howard

21
Executive Director
JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Olu’s roles at JPMorgan Chase include being North American Co-Chair of JPMC PRIDE and Global Lead of JPMC Global Technology LGBTQ+ Community’s Retention Pillar. In these roles Olu has helped build out new LGBTQ+ communities at the firm’s technology centres and brought a focus on racism, representation, and inclusion. Olu built a Reverse Mentoring Program designed to identify, develop, and promote diverse talent, helped create a Global Authenticity campaign which engaged LGBTQ+ senior leaders, and facilitated the creation of PRIDE's Tri-State Women's Committee. Outside of JPMC, Olu participates in NYC’s LGBTQ+ community as a member of the Governance Committee of Anti-violence Project (AVP), where he helps empower LGBT+ and HIV-affected communities and supports through organization, education and counselling and as a Board Member of The Other Side of Silence (TOSOS) where he helps preserve and promote LGBTQ+ stories by providing theatrical opportunities to LGBTQ+ creators.

Roz Francuz-Harris

22
Director of Tech Recruiting
Zillow Group

Roz is focused on connecting with talent, engaging with underserved and underrepresented communities, and maximizing partnerships with organizations such as Out in Tech, Lesbians Who Tech, and internal groups such as OUT and The League. Building on talent attraction strategies and developing talent communities, Roz has held several virtual recruitment activations showcasing women and out executives in the industry. She is also a Board Advisor to Lesbians Who Tech (LWT). As a dynamic and innovative speaker, Roz has spoken at some of the industry's leading events and organizations such as Lesbians Who Tech (LWT) Summit, Code2040, The Hidden Genius Project and The National Association of Adventurous Black Women. She is also a member of the Stonewall PACT that supports political nominees that look out for the LGBTQ community.

Jenn Renoe

24
Associate Media Director
Publicis Health Media

As a transgender woman, Jenn has worked to increase the awareness and visibility of her community for both internal policies and external communications at Publicis Health Media. Utilizing personal experiences, Jenn has worked alongside the Égalité BRG to develop a set of standardized transition guidelines to help transgender employees who haven't felt safe and comfortable enough to come out at work. Working on the development of an internal diversity consultancy team, Jenn hopes to ensure that all underprivileged communities are represented and celebrated. She also helped pioneer Publicis Groupe’s internal Transgender Awareness Week, engaging talent through panels, educational opportunities, and more. Jenn has moderated multiple panels, including "Transgender Inclusion in the Workplace" during Trans Awareness Week, and spoke at the SXSW Mental Health Meet Up. Speaking openly about the need for mental health reform, Jenn helps others by discussing her own struggles, through her podcast, Our Fractured Minds.

Jon Tilli

34
Director, Commercial Real Estate
Deutsche Bank

Jon is Global Co-Chair of dbPride, Deutsche Bank's LGBT+ and ally ERG. He is the driving force behind Deutsche Bank joining and participating in the Partnership for Global LGBT+ Equality. Having organized Deutsche Bank's first LGBT+-focused client event he also hosted the United Nations Consultation with LGBT+ civil society on "Engaging the private sector for LGBT+ equality" at Deutsche Bank's Palais Populaire in Berlin. As a keynote speaker and panelist, Jon was promoted from Vice President to Director based on his work in driving D&I at the bank. He is also Co-Chair of OPEN Finance, a coordinated effort across 48 financial services firms to share best practices, network and advocate for inclusive workplaces. Jon also supported the important work of Immigration Equality by hosting their annual summer fundraiser and co-chaired the Athlete Ally Action Awards.

Jess O’Keefe

37
Director, Transaction Banking
Standard Chartered Bank

Jess is the Americas D&I Champion for Standard Chartered in the Americas and an emerging leader in the Bank’s Corporates Transaction Banking team . During her time as champion, Jess has engaged global business leaders in the Bank to advocate  for an LGBT+ Employee Resource Group (ERG), which has gone on to support many colleagues since its inception. As a founding member of the LGBT+ & Allies ERG, she played an integral part in building membership, awareness about allyship, and organised key events including the Bank’s first ever New York Pride Parade participation. Jess proudly co-authored the Bank’s ‘Ally to Advocate’ program, encouraging senior leaders to ‘walk the walk and talk the talk’ when it comes to LGBT+ inclusion. Jess is also a leader in the community as a member of the OPEN Finance Board, which provides a platform for the LGBT+ & Allies  within the Financial Services industry, and is a volunteer with Trinity Place Homeless Shelter – an organisation hosting at-risk LGBT+ youth.

Alex Papastrat

38
Operations Leader
Dow

Alex is an Operations Leader at Dow’s Texas City plant and Global Leader for Dow's LGBTQ+ and ally ERG, GLAD. In his manufacturing role, he has responsibility for the EH&S performance, plant assets, personnel and achievement of the plant related business goals. For his role as ERG lead, he works to set the strategy for the network, aligning it toward Dow's ambition of becoming the most innovative, customer-centric inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world. Under his leadership, Dow received its 15th consecutive perfect score on the HRC corporate equality index and, 2020 Out & Equal Workplace Equality Award was named a top employer for the LGBT+ community by Diversity Inc. Often seen as a panelist at events, Alex has engaged with numerous US state-based legislative initiatives to both support and oppose policies affecting the LGBT+ community and has been instrumental in supporting HRC's Federal Equality Act legislation.

Genesis Garcia

45
Vice President
BNY Mellon

Genesis is a Vice President in the Global Marketing team at BNY Mellon and serves on the Global Operating Committee for PRISM (LGBT+ ERG). In her efforts to drive diversity & inclusion at BNY Mellon, Genesis was part of the leadership team which launched the "Consciously Unbiased" series globally. The series focused on mitigating unconscious bias and creating an inclusive culture. She has led planning for Pride events and was recognized by her peers with a BNY Mellon Applause award for her efforts. Spotlighted in an internal D&I column titled "Vantage Point”, Genesis continues to help educate by leading efforts to launch a three-part series on allyship with Out & Equal. Genesis is also a member of the Open Finance Executive Committee and is on the Programming Board and Board of Advisors for StartOut, a nonprofit helping LGBT+ entrepreneurs connect with investors, mentors and sponsors.

Rachael Stein

52
Consultant
Boston Consulting Group

In 2020, Rachael started the Pride@BCG North America Intersectional Diversity Taskforce, which elevates the voices & needs of women, people of color, and TGNCNB (transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary) people in BCG’s LGBTQ+ employee network. Rachael also leads the communications function for Pride@BCG North America. With this role, Rachael is the first TGNCNB-identifying member of the Pride@BCG leadership board, as well as the youngest current member. Outside of work, Rachael has spent the last several years on the conference leadership team for Out for Undergrad Business (O4UB), an organization dedicated to supporting the future careers of LGBTQ+ undergraduates. Rachael has been involved with LGBTQ+ community advocacy since coming out as queer & gender non-conforming at age 13, and has been previously honored as a Point Foundation Scholar, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) National Media Ambassador, and State Farm Youth Advisory Board Service Initiative Grant Winner.

Kris Slay

75
Information Architect
AstraZeneca

Kris is the Lead of AZPride LGBT+ Business Resource Group at AstraZeneca. AZPride fosters a culture of acceptance, tolerance and advancement of LGBTQ+ employees, with membership having tripled over the last two years and with global expansion. Holding numerous Virtual events throughout 2020, the group concentrated on the importance of mental health and scored an incredible 100 on the 2020 Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index. Kris also played an instrumental part in AstraZeneca being recognized by DiversityInc as one of the top 50 companies for diversity in 2020 and named as a top company for LGBT+ employees. With Kris as the Lead, BRG received the CEO award for the group’s contribution to make AstraZeneca a "Great Place To Work". Kris is also a member of the United Way Pride Council, advocating LGBT+ Corporate Community support of LGBT+ individuals and Board Member of Towne of Bellefonte.

Christopher Sayasith

77
Director, International Business Development
The Estée Lauder Companies

A driving force for inclusion and diversity at the Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), Christopher is the Co-Chair of wELCome, ELC’s LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group. In his role, Christopher developed capabilities to drive LGBTQ+ inclusivity at scale within ELC such as the wELCome Plug & Playbook: a resource to facilitate the launch of wELCome in international affiliates, and the ELC Pride 365 Program: an internal initiative to ensure Pride is celebrated all year round. In the wake of the BLM movement, Christopher led a panel discussion about the importance of intersectionality and allyship, which was cascaded to global leadership teams within ELC’s portfolio of prestige beauty brands. As part of his external contributions, Christopher was featured as a panellist at South by Southwest (SXSW), speaking on the rise of gender fluidity in beauty, and is a founding member of Out in Fashion & Beauty, a cross-industry networking organization for LGBTQ+ professionals.

Stephanie Chang

83
Vice President
Goldman Sachs

Stephanie sits on the Goldman Sachs LGBTQ+ Network Steering Committee. During her time in the Network Stephanie has led the yearly NYC Pride March for Goldman, securing firm sponsorship, marketing the event, recruiting volunteers, and planning all the event logistics. Stephanie’s influence at the Network has led to ongoing mentoring discussions between LGBTQ+ network members and senior leaders in the firm to foster ongoing professional development. Serving as a mentor for LGBTQ+ members, Stephanie is continually participating in the Firm's diversity recruiting efforts such as Pride Summit and Lesbians Who Tech. Stephanie led a team in fundraising for the LGBTQ+ Community Centre through Cycle for the Cause and is a continually supporter of the NQAPIA. She also serves as a mentor for Out 4 Undergrad Tech, helping LGBTQ+ undergraduates to explore careers in tech and develop their professional skills.

Joe English

86
Senior Business Analyst
McKinsey & Company

Joe is the founder of Hope in a Box, a nonprofit that helps rural educators ensure every LGBT+ student feels safe and welcome at school. They provide curated boxes of books with LGBT+ characters, detailed curriculum for these books, and training for educators on how to build an inclusive classroom. Joe started Hope in a Box while working at McKinsey & Company, and in January, McKinsey supported his effort to take a leave of absence to grow the organization: Hope in a Box now supports 300 schools in all 50 states and aims to support all 7,000 rural schools in the US. At McKinsey, Joe worked on education and economic development issues for state and local governments, published research on LGBT+ youth mental health, and was a member of McKinsey’s LGBT+ network. Joe was named Forbes 30 Under 30 and has written on education issues for Politico and Education Week.

Donald Darais

91
Senior U.S. Marketing Manager – Continence Care
ConvaTec

Donald is the Co-Founder and America’s Chapter Lead of ConvaTec’s Pride Employee Resource Group (LGBTQ+ ERG), focusing on diverse hiring, company insights, and professional development. Donald has partnered with HR leaders to identify and develop employee resources for LGBTQ+ community and allies. He is also a key contributor and leading the creation of a Professional Development/Mentorship program for the LGBTQ+ Community at ConvaTec. Having launched ConvaTec's first ever Pride Month, Donald has also collaborated with ERG Leads in creating an Educational/Awareness Content calendar, focusing on recurring cadence of LGBTQ+ topics. He collaborated with Senior Leadership on raising awareness around D&I metrics and how they can continue hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. Donald is also founding member of ConvaTec's Black Employee Network and Women at ConvaTec ERGs. He has fundraised for Sisu Youth Services and collaborated with local up-and-coming government leaders on how to foster a diverse and inclusive community.

Christine Chapman

92
Director, Software Development
Audible

Christine is a member of Audible Pride and Founder of Amazon Women in Engineering Boston. Christine speaks on panels and advocates for policy changes within recruiting and other groups to improve experiences for LGBTQIA individuals. Christine was a Speaker at the 2020 Lesbians Who Tech Virtual Pride Summit, and has been a mentor at the events, referring many queer and trans folks and helping them prepare for interviews, improve their resume, and get the introductory internship experience they need. Christine is also Founder of ChangingTheStory.org, an organization dedicated to improving retention of women in tech through the power of stories.

Jeremy Washburn

97
Manager - Solutions Architects
Verizon

Jeremy is a Global Operations Lead for Prism of Verizon. Prism of Verizon is Verizon's LGBT+ and Ally Employee Resource Group. Jeremy helped lead local events for the Ohio Chapter of the ERG including participating in the Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade and Festival. They also partnered on events that focus on intersectionality of the LGBT+ community with BIPOC/Women/Disabilities. In the absence of a formal "Pride month", Jeremy offered and participated in virtual programming that included panels, drag bingo, movie nights, company podcasts, and virtual Pride walks tied to volunteer activities. In addition, Jeremy has participated in a number of other initiates at Verizon to bring awareness to colleagues. This included Verizon “It's Never Too Late" and “Your Voice Matters” interviews which were broadcast to the company.

Aaron Lipford

100
Senior Associate, People
PSB Insights

Aaron is a member of UNITE and participant in BCW’s PRide, both PSB Insights’ parent company LGBT+ ERGs. At PSB Insights, Aaron has orchestrated many project initiatives. Aaron took part in a campaign called Pride Insights, educating colleagues on how market research and data analytics impacts the usage of inclusive language, fosters community, and encourages allyship to acknowledge the representation of LGBT+ audiences. Spearheading the inclusion of inclusive gender and sexual orientation representation in PSB's Annual Employee D&I Survey, Aaron’s influence helped increased the representation and acknowledgement of LGBT+ identifying staff. Aaron is also a mentor with StartOut, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating great business leaders by fostering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer entrepreneurs. He is also a volunteer for Us Helping Us, a non-profit committed to improving the health and wellbeing of Black gay LGBT men. He is also a member of SeriesQ and BeGreatDC.