2023 LGBT plus CC Art

2023 LGBT Plus College Conference Schedule

Conference Theme – All Identities–Pulling Together

The conference is free to attend for everyone. Please register to help in planning. All posted times are for the central time zone.

Get details on driving, parking, hotels, registration, submitting, etc.

Download attendee information

Download the printed program (download the printed program for Braille readers)


 

Conference Displays

Student Union Building (STU), 1768 MTSU Blvd., campus map sector E4, MTSU Campus Map
Parking: Academic Lot or Student Union Lot, campus map sector E3
Be sure to visit the special displays that will be available in the Student Union Building Ballroom Lobby for the duration of the conference.

BoroPride Display

BoroPride was founded in 2016 by Brendon Holloway and a small group of folks who wanted to bring a community event to Murfreesboro. The first organizing meeting was June 28, 2016 and the first pride was August 27, 2016. After a torrential downpour baptized the square and all of the equipment, the inaugural BoroPride was shined up and ready to go! The event has grown over the years, first moving to Cannonsburgh Village and then to an even bigger location to be announced for the 2023 event. This display will have photos, artifacts, and shirts from every BoroPride.

Link to the BoroPride Display interpretive text here.

BoroPride Organizing Committee 6.28.16  BoroPride 2016 Flyer  BoroPride 2022 Drag Show 
BoroPride planning committee group photo, June 28, 2016
BoroPride 2016 flyer
BoroPride 2022 drag show

Sponsored by Tennessee Equality Project

Transgender Day of Remembrance at Middle Tennessee State University Display

MTSU's first Transgender Day of Remembrance was held on November 19, 2016. Transgender people whose lives have been cut short due to violence and transphobia are memorialized with a luminary while the trans flag lights up the night in a show of support and solidarity. The event has taken place on MTSU's campus every year since 2016. At this display you can see photos and artifacts from every event.

Link to the TDoR Display interpretive text here.

2016 TDoR Announcement TDoR Rest in Power TDoR Overview
The announcement photo for the 2016 TDoR
Rest in Power
TDoR overview

Sponsored by Tennessee Human Rights Commission and Center for Fairness, Justice, and Equity in the College of Education

Thursday, April 13 - Research and Examination

Student Union Building (STU), 1768 MTSU Blvd., campus map sector E4, MTSU Campus Map
Parking: Academic Lot or Student Union Lot, campus map sector E3
All posted times are for the central time zone.

8:45am – 9:15am Conference Registration and Check-In

Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom Lobby

Join the Thursday Zoom

Day Host Ray White, Ed. S. (he/him)

Ray WhiteRay A. White, Ed.S., is licensed by the State of Tennessee as a Licensed Professional Counselor with both Mental Health Service Provider, and Approved Supervisor status. White works as a Clinical Counselor for Walters State Community College and teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in higher education. Additionally, he maintains a professional private practice (Whitewood Counseling & Consultation) where he sees clients and supervises graduate students working towards licensure.



9:15am – 9:35am Welcoming Remarks

Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

Presented by Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford (she/her)

Amy Aldridge SanfordDr. Amy Aldridge Sanford is a professor of communication and the Vice Provost for Academic Programs at Middle Tennessee State University, where she oversees degree development, the True Blue Core, undergraduate and graduate academic catalogs, commencement ceremonies, academic yield activities, and the Registrar’s Office.

A full-time university administrator since 2016, Amy was previously the associate provost and department chair at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and a department chair at Northeastern State University. She is past president of the Central States Communication Association and the board of directors for YWCA Corpus Christi and is a lifetime member of the American Association of University Women. She is the current chair of the Activism and Social Justice Division, one of the largest divisions of the National Communication Association.

Amy is an established scholar and practitioner, with specific interests in activism, social justice, solidarity, not-for-profit organizations, and leadership. She utilizes qualitative methods, including interviews, journal entries, and participant observations, in her scholarship. Amy has served as a reviewer for multiple national journals and has published dozens of book chapters, journal manuscripts, newspaper editorials, and newsletter articles.

Amy’s book From Thought to Action: Developing a Social Justice Orientation is utilized in classrooms and book clubs throughout the world. It often appears on Amazon’s Top 100 list of bestselling political advocacy books. A TEDx speaker and curator, she is frequently asked to present at national conferences and to university audiences and local community groups.

Amy received a PhD in communication studies from the University of Iowa in 2006. She has received many local, state, and national awards, including two 40 Under 40 awards, YWCA Corpus Christi’s Y Women in Careers, Communication University Educator of the Year in both Texas and Oklahoma, and Outstanding Administrator from the National States Advisory Council of the National Communication Association. In 2023, she was awarded the Jack Kay Award for Community Engagement and Applied Scholarship by the Central States Communication Association.

Sponsored by MTSU Equity and Compliance


9:45am – 10:45am Education Spotlight - Transgender Life in Tennessee

Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

Transgender people, especially trans youth, continue to be attacked across the state from multiple angles, from the removal of HIV prevention funding to bills in the state legislature that would criminalize gender-affirming treatment for trans youth. This presentation is a discussion around issues facing the trans community, trans visibility, myths vs. facts, and how to support trans people. As the current target of many attacks, we need more allies and accomplices to help bring our messages that we are just trying to live our lives just like everyone else.

Ray Holloman (he/him)

Ray HollomanRay Holloman is a Black, queer, transgender man that lives in the south. His unique identity allows him to see multiple sides of marginalized communities. He currently is Chair of the Tennessee Transgender Task Force, and a member of Vanderbilt University Medical Center LGBTQ+ Advisory Board, IN|TN Embrace Governance committee. Ray enjoys sharing his story to educate the public about transgender and queer people. He is married, with 4 ish dogs, 20 ish chickens and 5 ish quail.  He enjoys farming, quilting, and cooking in his limited spare time.

Sponsored by MTSU College of Education


11:00am – 12:00pm Voices from Africa - LGBTQ Peoples' Freedom and Rights in East Africa

Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

After an overview of the situation for LGBTQ people in East Africa (covering the countries Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda), panelists will share stories of their experiences with activism and living as LGBTQ people in Africa. The presenters will also discuss ways that the audience can assist people facing violent oppression in East Africa.

Panel

Pamba Paul SamuelPamba Paul Samuel (he/him)

I am Pamba Paul Samuel, working as the managing director of Together for Uganda, a community-based organization looking forward to improving the lives of young, old-aged, and the LGBT community. Our goal is to improve the lives of these individuals by defending their rights, providing education, food, jobs after education, and reaching out to them through community surveys and gatherings. Since gay people are facing a lot of threats and discrimination here in Uganda, I discovered that an extra effort was needed for their rights to be defended. We have managed to sensitize communities about LGBT rights, provided education to some, jobs after studies, and we do farming and community outreach.

Ngobi BarrackNgobi Barrack (he/him)

Ngobi Barrack works as the manager of Arising Hopes Uganda. He does research on the lives of LGBT people in his community of Mayuge, Eastern Uganda and makes sure that he instills hope among them, teaches them values and how to survive the threats in their country, Uganda. Arising Hopes Uganda’s goal is to makes sure that LGBT people know their rights and live freely as other people. They have managed to find work for most of their members, to associate as groups without fear of threats from the community. They do farming to raise incomes of gay people and have set up other businesses for their members. Ngobi Barrack also works as the managing director of SDT Oils and Enterprises, Ltd., a privately owned company that is duly registered within the laws of Uganda.

Jacob Faustine Mange (; presenter)

Daniel Olwenyi (; panel)

Mohamed Mwasha (; panel)

Sponsored by Tennessee Valley Authority


12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch Break


1:00pm - 2:15pm Keynote - Pink Triangle Legacies: Coming Out in the Shadow of the Holocaust

Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

Learn the dynamic and inspiring history of the LGBTQ+ community's original pride symbol by tracing the transformation of the pink triangle from a Nazi concentration camp badge into a widespread emblem of queer liberation, pride, and community. Drawing from unexplored archival sources and original interviews, Dr. Jake Newsome showcases the voices of LGBTQ+ Holocaust victims and a rich tapestry of queer lives who found meaning in the pink triangle in a post-Holocaust world. 

Presented by Jake Newsome (he/him)

Jake NewsomeDr. Jake Newsome is a scholar of American and German LGBTQ+ history whose work as a public historian reaches global audiences. He currently works as a museum professional in Washington, DC. You can find him online at wjakenewsome.com and on social media at @wjnewsome.

Elyce HelfordIntroduction by Elyce Helford (she/her)

Elyce Rae Helford, Ph.D., is a professor of English and director of the Jewish and Holocaust Studies minor at MTSU. Her research and teaching address issues of gender, race, and Jewishness in film and literature. Her most recent book is What Price Hollywood?: Gender and Sex in the Films of George Cukor.

Sponsored by MTSU Holocaust Studies Program


2:30pm - 4:30pm Business Etiquette Discussion and Resume Review

Thursday, April 13, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

Please join us for a highly interactive session designed to build your business etiquette competence! This session will include an overview of the changing world of social titles or honorifics in introductions, salutations, and language (including pronouns) inclusive of transgender and nonbinary people. Also presented during this session will be the results from the study Courtesy Titles in the Era of Non-Gender Specific Identities, which will aid in understanding the need for developing etiquette competence in these areas. After the lecture, participants will be invited to stay for a resume review session featuring one-on-one tips from hiring and business professionals. (Note: There is a reviewer who will be hosting a zoom session from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm central time. The link is below with the reviewer's information.)

Presented in partnership with the Tennessee Pride Chamber

Presented in partnership with the MTSU Career Development Center

Presentation by Dr. K. Virginia Hemby (she/her)

Dr. K. Virginia HembyDr. K. Virginia Hemby earned her bachelor’s degree in business education from the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She continued her education at the same institution where she obtained the Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Adult Education with a concentration in Business Technology Education and the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Adult Education with an emphasis in Business Technology Education. Additionally, she holds the following certifications: Certified Online Instructor and Certified Hospitality Educator. She is extensively published, with four books, 10 book chapters, and over 30 articles. Dr. Hemby is the recipient of several awards including the John Robert Gregg Award, the highest award presented to a business educator in recognition of dedication and outstanding contributions to business teachers and the profession of business education. Dr. Hemby also created and managed Raiders’ Closet, a nonprofit organization with the purpose of providing free professional attire for MTSU students seeking post-graduation employment from 2012 to 2018.

Reviewers

Lyndsay SneckenbergerLyndsay Sneckenberger (she/her)

Lyndsay Sneckenberger has a legal background and practiced law for 6 years prior to joining TVA in 2010. For the past 7 years as Senior Consultant for Financial Services, Lyndsay has focused on oversight and execution of the Financial Services Intern Program, Financial Services University employee development program, and development and execution of the Financial Services Leadership University program for leaders within the Financial Services organization. Lyndsay also serves as the champion for TVA’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group, Spectrum. Lyndsay and her husband, Mike, have 2 children and enjoy visiting theme parks, cheesy slasher flicks, and reading in her spare time.

Logan DurhamLogan Durham (he/him) (Withdrawn)

Logan Durham has nearly 15 years of experience working in Human Resources. For the past ten years he has been at Asurion, a Nashville-based global tech care company that provides technology protection and support. As the Human Resource Director, Logan leads HR teams supporting the Global Supply Chain businesses in the US, Canada, Mexico, and the Philippines. He specializes in designing and implementing strategic talent initiatives across multiple geographies and leading the teams who support this work. He also partners with business leaders at the senior levels of the organization to drive meaningful growth through talent strategies.

Logan holds a degree in Human Resources from the University of Tennessee and lives in Murfreesboro with his wife and 2 children.

Tanishia BellTanishia Bell (she/her)

Tanishia Bell is an HR Leader with extensive experience in employee engagement, development, and retention. She has proven success in creating cultures of collaboration and implementing change to achieve workforce excellence. She is currently a Senior Director of HR for Nashville CARES and has a track record of coaching in areas of diversity, team building and change management. She holds a Master of Business Administration and over 10 years’ experience in senior leadership.

Tanishia has a passion for working in the service industry where she can focus on the people who work tirelessly to make a difference or impact in someone else’s life.  Her drive is taking care of the people who take care of the people. As a seasoned HR professional, Tanishia has worked in the non-profit industry as well as for a large multi-state long term care organization.

As a Nashville native, Tanishia loves to spend time with her family exploring new food locations and activities throughout the city.

Zach RutherfordZach Rutherford (he/him)

Zoom with Zach Here

Zach Rutherford, M.S. Data Science, is a Senior Technical Product Manager, Nissan North America. Zach is a sales and marketing analyst turned IT project manager and has been working with Nissan for over 7 years, where he feels empowered to bring his whole self to work. He lives with his partner of over 10 years in Nashville, along with their two Bengal cats. In his free time, Zach enjoys hiking, running, and all things Nintendo.

Holly AllenHolly Allen (she/her)

Holly Allen is the Assistant Director in the Career Development Center at MTSU. She has a 20-year previous career in the entertainment industry as a casting director, professional actor, and acting coach. Her love of teaching and coaching led her to an assistant director position in career services at Northwestern University in Chicago before moving back to TN. She deeply enjoys helping students find their career path and approaches her advising sessions in a holistic way. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her wife (a professor at MTSU) and their lively, funny 2-year old son. The Career Development Center is a Safe Zone office located on the 3rd floor of the KUC. www.mtsu.edu/career

Jeanette StevensJeanette Stevens (she/her)

Jeanette Stevens is an MTSU alumna of the Global Studies and International Relations programs and a May 2023 graduate of the Master of Science in Management program. In her 6 years at the Career Center, she has worked in many roles from employer relations to career advising. Her passion is to give students the tools and confidence needed to succeed in whatever career path they may choose. She loves working with diverse populations and her office is an MTSU certified Safe Zone space. She enjoys traveling, hiking, and trying new foods.

Elisha LawrenceElisha Lawrence (he/him)

Elisha Lawrence is a Career Advisor at Middle Tennessee State University with 14 years of experience working with college students. He is a career coach, teacher, and life-long learner pursuing a Doctorate of Education in Higher Education: Assessment, Learning & Student Success. He is passionate about helping students find meaningful work and inspiring them to take ownership of their education. He loves sports, reading, his church family, and spending time with his wife and two children.

Sponsored by MTSU Jennings A Jones College of Business

Thursday, April 13 Evening - LGBT+ College Conference Film Festival

Student Union Building (STU), 1768 MTSU Blvd., campus map sector E4, MTSU Campus Map
Parking: Academic Lot or Student Union Lot, campus map sector E3

All posted times are for the central time zone.

6:00pm LGBT+ College Conference Film Festival and Reception (Program begins at 6:30)

Thursday, April 7, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

Join the Film Festival Zoom

The festival will feature films related to LGBT+ issues submitted from around the globe.

Host Allie Sultan (she/her)

Allie SultanAllie Sultan is an award-winning independent filmmaker whose work spans narrative, documentary and experimental modes. A graduate of the MFA-Cinema program at San Francisco State University, she has worked as a picture and sound editor with some of the San Francisco Bay area’s finest film companies and organizations – including American Zoetrope, ZAP Zoetrope-Aubry Productions, Berkeley Sound Artists, the Bay Area Video Coalition, and Tippett Studio. Her latest film project, Incognita’s Infamous Adventures, won Best Web Series at the 2021 Orlando Film Festival. She is currently in post-production on a feature documentary about LGBTQ Christians.

Allie is an Associate Professor of Video and Film Production at Middle Tennessee State University, where she teaches film and video production to the next generation of independent filmmakers.

Sponsored by MTSU College of Media and Entertainment

Friday, April 14 - Intersections of Identity with the Broader Community

Student Union Building (STU), 1768 MTSU Blvd., campus map sector E4, MTSU Campus Map
Parking: Academic Lot or Student Union Lot, campus map sector E3

All posted times are for the central time zone.

8:30am – 9:00am Conference Registration and Check-In

Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Ballroom Lobby

Join the Friday Zoom

Day Host Faith Ziegler (she/her)

Faith ZieglerFaith Ziegler is a junior at MTSU in the health and human performance department. She is studying community and public health and plans to go on to gain her master’s in public health at MTSU. Faith is the secretary of MTSU Lambda Association (MTSU’s all-inclusive LGBTQIA+ organization), the treasurer for the student public health association, and a student member of the Raider Health Corps and the College Dems. She is also a member of the Tennessee Public Health Association. Faith is currently working on projects with the Tennessee Department of Education and hopes to continue to give back to the community in a meaningful way.


9:00am – 9:20am Conference Opening Address

Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

Presented by Dr. Sekou Franklin (he/him)

Sekou FranklinDr. Sekou Franklin is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Middle Tennessee State University.  He is the author of After the Rebellion: Social Movement Activism and Popular Mobilization among the Post-Civil Rights Generation (NYU Press, 2014) and co-author of Losing Power: African Americans and Racial Polarization in Tennessee Politics (University of Georgia Press, 2020). He was the lead investigator of the Dallas County Area Study-Alabama Black Belt Project.  He served as President of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists from 2019-2021.  He has worked with the Tennessee Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission from 2016-2020 and with the James Lawson Institute, an initiative that focuses on nonviolent resistance. He has worked on voting rights, redistricting, and election protection initiatives with the Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

Sponsored by MTSU Student Activity Fees


9:30am – 10:45am Opening Plenary Discussion - Fundraising Sucks! But, Ya Gotta Do It

Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

Most people hate fundraising, but it is essential to the work of justice and shared liberation. Relationships, and a sense of belonging, are central to the long-term funding you need to sustain your work. This workshop will introduce you to the concepts of Community-Centric Fundraising while offering some practical steps for talking to donors/partners and inspiring them to give. We will include some quick, student-friendly fundraising tips as well as some guidance for the development of long-term relationships with donors.

Presenters

Friskics-WarrenThe Rev. Mary K. “Kaki” Friskics-Warren (she/her)

Kaki is the Executive Director of the Maddox Fund in Nashville Tennessee. Prior to joining Maddox, Kaki was the Director of GivingMatters.com at the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. Kaki served as the founding Executive Director of Renewal House, a residential recovery community for women and their children and Reconciliation, a nonprofit serving families of inmates. Kaki has also served as the association pastor of a large Nashville congregation and as a chaplain for Alive Hospice. Kaki’s volunteer work focuses on issues of immigration reform and affordable housing. She volunteered to visit Tennessee death row inmates for 32 years. Kaki received her bachelor’s degree from TCU and her master’s degree from Vanderbilt Divinity School. She is ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Kaki is the recipient of the 2013 “Amiga We Love” award from Conexión Américas, the 2015 Human Relations Award from Community Nashville, the 2017 Academy of Women of Achievement from the YW and the 2018 Hall of Fame from Tennessee Justice Center.

Joseph GutierrezJoseph Gutierrez (he/him)

Joseph Gutierrez is the Education Program Officer at the Maddox Fund, a nonprofit foundation that supports organizations that improve the lives of young people and further wildlife conservation in Middle Tennessee. He is originally from Los Angeles, California and graduated from UCLA. Prior to moving to Nashville in 2014, he taught English in South Korea. Joseph received a masters in Community Development from Vanderbilt University where his studies focused on organizational studies, social networks, and the intersection of school and community. Outside of his work at Maddox, Joseph is also the Executive Director of API Middle Tennessee, an Asian and Pacific Islander-serving organization that is working towards racial justice by building API community, lifting API voices, and unpacking API identities.

Sponsored by Nissan North America


11:00am – 12:45pm Documentary Keynote Presentation and Luncheon - Paragraph 175

Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

"The Nazi persecution of homosexuals may be the last untold story of the Third Reich. Directed by Oscar winners Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman (COMMON THREADS: STORIES FROM THE QUILT and THE TIMES OF HARVEY MILK), PARAGRAPH 175 fills a crucial gap in the historical record, and reveals the lasting consequences of this hidden chapter of 20th century history. These are stories of survivors - sometimes bitter, but just as often filled with irony and humor; tortured by their memories, yet infused with a powerful will to endure. Their moving testimonies, rendered with evocative images of their lives and times, tell a haunting, compelling story of human resistance. Intimate in its portrayals, sweeping in its implications, PARAGRAPH 175 raises provocative questions about memory, history and identity." Milestone Films

Watch the trailer here.

Panel

Elyce HelfordElyce Helford (she/her, moderator)

Elyce Rae Helford, Ph.D., is a professor of English and director of the Jewish and Holocaust Studies minor at MTSU. Her research and teaching address issues of gender, race, and Jewishness in film and literature. Her most recent book is What Price Hollywood?: Gender and Sex in the Films of George Cukor.

Jake NewsomeDr. Jake Newsome (he/him, panel)

Dr. Jake Newsome is a scholar of American and German LGBTQ+ history whose work as a public historian reaches global audiences. He currently works as a museum professional in Washington, DC. You can find him online at wjakenewsome.com and on social media at @wjnewsome.

Caleb FranklinCaleb Franklin (he/him, panel)

Caleb Franklin is a final semester graduate student pursuing a Masters of Liberal Arts at MTSU. He currently works as a Lower School Assistant Teacher for 2nd and 3rd graders at University School of Nashville. His area of focus during his time at MTSU is directly tied to the work he does in the classroom every day. His research revolves around the study of both Identity Development and Postponement and what factors nourish, stifle, or possibly terminate a healthy awareness and acceptance of one's Identity. For his graduate school capstone project, Caleb has employed the use of sound, his research in Identity, and one of the many minority groups targeted by the Nazi Regime to bring the stories of 4 homosexual survivors to the forefront of global memory.

Sponsored by MTSU Holocaust Studies Program


1:00pm – 2:30pm Plenary Panel Discussion - Bringing Your Whole Self to Work

Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

A foundational element of the conference’s initial conception, this panel explores the “bottom line value” that organizations place on their capacity to create a culture in which differences are respected and inclusion is strategically leveraged as an organizational strength. Students preparing to enter the employment pipeline will have an opportunity to gain insights on how potential employers' policies and practices address various dimensions of diversity, including gender identity or expression and sexual orientation. D & I professionals and other leaders in attendance will benefit from open and honest dialogue in building their knowledge and exploring new thought leadership for the benefit of the work unit and organization.

Panel

Patrick McCarthy,Dr. Patrick McCarthy (he/him; moderator)

Dr. Patrick McCarthy, J.D., received his Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from George Mason University and his J.D. from the Nashville School of Law. He is a licensed attorney and a member of the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Division. Dr. McCarthy is a co-founding Senior Consultant of MTSU’s Center for Organizational and Human Resource Effectiveness (COHRE), and has worked with over 80 clients ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to community nonprofits. Dr. McCarthy is also a past recipient of the LGBT Plus College Conference’s Ally in Diversity Award, and MTSU’s LGBT+ Faculty Advocate of the Year Award.

Victoria MontefuscoVictoria Montefusco (she/they; panelist)

Victoria Montefusco is a Financial Operations & Performance Analyst at TVA, where she has developed frameworks to capture financial benefits from TVA’s Digital Transformation initiative. She began her career at TVA in 2018 as an intern. She also serves on TVA’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group core team as the Recruiting Lead. She is currently a student and is working towards a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from Florida State University. She has a Bachelor’s in Finance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and in her free time, she serves as the Volunteer Coordinator for South Knoxville Pride and enjoys quality time with her partner of 6 years, Luke, and their two dogs, Ella and Riley.

Brian Issac MarshallDr. Brian Issac Marshall (he/him)

Dr. Brian Issac Marshall, also known as Doctor BIM, is a behavioral and social health researcher and educator. He has almost a decade of experience in HIV program management and development, community health education program implementation, and working with public and private healthcare entities. He is the founder of MashUp! Nashville, a non-profit working to increase the visibility of health inequities and social injustices that impact the well-being of black LGBTQ people. Dr. Marshall has an ongoing relationship with the Nashville Metro Human Relations Commission as a facilitator for the Metro Nashville Police Department Mobile Diversity Seminar. He was appointed by former Nashville Mayor David Briley to the Nashville Regional HIV Planning Council where he serves as Chair of the Needs Assessment Committee. In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors for Neighborhood Health and Nashville Pride.

In his current role as Senior Program Manager within the Office of Health Equity, Dr. Marshall will lead the development of education and training offerings focused on health equity and racial equality for learners, staff, faculty, and others.

Dr. Marshall earned a Bachelor of Arts in mass media from Clark Atlanta University and Master of Arts in Civic Leadership at Lipscomb University. He earned a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Professional Practice from Trevecca Nazarene University.

Brandon SalasBrandon Salas (he/him; panelist)

Brandon Salas is the newly promoted Talent Acquisition Manager at Gresham Smith, a prominent architecture, interior design, engineering, and planning firm headquartered in Nashville, TN. He graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in Biology but quickly discovered that his passion for people was best realized in the business world, helping others find their professional calling. He joined Gresham Smith in 2018 as a corporate recruiter and has climbed the corporate ladder to his current position where he manages the firmwide recruitment strategy and team. Brandon is the chairperson of the LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Program, is an active member of their firm’s DEIB Advisory Committee, and is an active member in Nashville’s The Table Action and Tennessee Pride Chamber of Commerce. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and exploring new restaurants with his husband, Quentin.

Bo RobertsonBo Robertson (he/him)

Bo Robertson is a Vice-President Relationship Banker with Fourth Capital Bank, a decidedly local Community Bank based in Nashville. He is a graduate of Eastern KY University with a Journalism/Art degree and has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Bo has held roles in business banking, lending, and private wealth. He has held senior leadership roles such as Regional Manager, Retail Coach, and Preferred Team Manager over his career.

Bo started the LGBT Business Resource Group for his previous company and eventually became the VP of Diversity and Inclusion. He has been a member of the Board for the LGBT Chamber of Commerce and has fostered numerous relationships within the LGBT Community over the years.

Bo lives in Murfreesboro and is married to his husband, Steven, who have been together 23 years.

Tara ThomasTara Thomas (she/her)

Tara Thomas is senior manager of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Nissan North America. She was promoted to this position in January 2022. In this role, Thomas is responsible for leading efforts to develop a culture where all employees can be productive, respected and feel safe in their work environments. She leads a team that drives Nissan's diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, while developing partnerships and plans to share the company's DEI commitment with employees, customers and the community.

Thomas began her career with Nissan in 2006 and has since served in various leadership roles. Most recently, she was manager of business intelligence, leading an insourcing effort for data solutions and data governance in aftersales. Prior to that, Thomas served in multiple managerial roles, leading activities in project management and pricing. She was also the lead for DEI strategies for the aftersales division. Prior to Nissan, Thomas spent 12 years as an operations and project manager with General Motors.

A certified pricing professional and project manager, Thomas holds a bachelor of business administration in management information systems from the University of Memphis’ Fogelman College of Business and a master's in business administration from Tennessee State University. She is a native Tennessean, married with two middle school children.

Sponsored by MTSU Department of Psychology


 

Friday, April 14 Evening - LGBT+ College Conference Game Night

Student Union Building (STU), 1768 MTSU Blvd., campus map sector E4, MTSU Campus Map
Parking: Academic Lot or Student Union Lot, campus map sector E3

All posted times are for the central time zone.

7:00pm LGBT+ College Conference Game Night

NOTE: Updated time

Friday, April 14, Student Union Building Game Room

Conference participants will gather for an evening of fun and fellowship.

Host William Langston (he/him)

William LangstonDr. William Langston (he/him) is a psychology professor at Middle Tennessee State University. Dr. Langston is the faculty advisor for MT Lambda (MTSU’s all-inclusive LGBTQ+ student organization). Dr. Langston also serves on MTSU’s Community Engagement Advisory Group. Dr. Langston organizes the LGBT+ College Conference and is a founding board member of Murfreesboro’s BoroPride celebration. Dr. Langston was recently selected as one of Focus Middle Tennessee’s 40 Over 40 in Middle Tennessee. Dr. Langston received his BA in psychology from the University of Houston in 1989 and his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1994. Dr. Langston has been a professor at MTSU since 1997 and specializes in teaching research methodology and cognition. Dr. Langston’s research explores the psychology of belief. As part of his research program, Dr. Langston is a ghost investigator and has visited some of the most haunted places in the country. In his spare time, Dr. Langston enjoys stand-up comedy and can routinely be seen bombing at local open mics.

Sponsored by MTSU Intercultural and Diversity Affairs Center

Saturday, April 15 - Working and Learning Sessions

Student Union Building (STU), 1768 MTSU Blvd., campus map sector E4, MTSU Campus Map
Parking: Academic Lot or Student Union Lot, campus map sector E3

All posted times are for the central time zone.

8:30am – 9:00am Conference Registration and Check-In

Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom Lobby

Join the Saturday Zoom

Day Host Shae Crowell (she/they)

Shae CrowellPassionate about the future of the LGBTQ+ community, Shae Crowell is a veteran public-school educator and a community leader.

They have been an advocate for LGBTQ youth professionally and personally as the founder and first program director of Nashville in Harmony’s Major Minors youth chorus, founder of Rainbow Rutherford's S.A.G.E. youth program, and as their school's G.S.A. sponsor.

They have served the queer community through advocacy on the boards of Rainbow Rutherford and Nashville in Harmony, where they are currently completing their term as Past President. As Rutherford Education Association president, Shae advocated for policy change and protections at all levels to safeguard the work of LGBTQ+ educators and to protect LGBTQ+ students.


9:00am – 9:20am Welcoming Address

Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

Presented by Mirabelle Stoedter (she/her)

Mirabelle StoedterMirabelle Stoedter is the Vice President and Treasurer of the Nashville chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. AU has been the only organization in the US devoted entirely to church/state issues for 75 years. She has been involved in writing about and defending LGBT+ people, abortion rights, and people of color against attacks by Christian Nationalists who perpetuate the myth that America is a Christian Nation and should follow a specific brand of Christianity.

Her activism began in South Africa during the days of the Apartheid Regime.

She is also on the Board of Nashville Peace and Justice Center (NPJC) and a member of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH), all of which serve Middle Tennessee.

Sponsored by MTSU Vice President for Student Affairs


9:30am – 10:30am Plenary Discussion - Personal Reflections on Pulling Together

Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

Panelists (selected from conference participants) will discuss their experiences of pulling together in a variety of contexts, academic, corporate, and community.

Panel

Shae CrowellShae Crowell (she/they, moderator)

Passionate about the future of the LGBTQ+ community, Shae Crowell is a veteran public-school educator and a community leader.

They have been an advocate for LGBTQ youth professionally and personally as the founder and first program director of Nashville in Harmony’s Major Minors youth chorus, founder of Rainbow Rutherford's S.A.G.E. youth program, and as their school's G.S.A. sponsor.

They have served the queer community through advocacy on the boards of Rainbow Rutherford and Nashville in Harmony, where they are currently completing their term as Past President. As Rutherford Education Association president, Shae advocated for policy change and protections at all levels to safeguard the work of LGBTQ+ educators and to protect LGBTQ+ students.

Mirabelle StoedterMirabelle Stoedter (she/her, panelist)

Mirabelle Stoedter is the Vice President and Treasurer of the Nashville chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. AU has been the only organization in the US devoted entirely to church/state issues for 75 years. She has been involved in writing about and defending LGBT+ people, abortion rights, and people of color against attacks by Christian Nationalists who perpetuate the myth that America is a Christian Nation and should follow a specific brand of Christianity.

Her activism began in South Africa during the days of the Apartheid Regime.

She is also on the Board of Nashville Peace and Justice Center (NPJC) and a member of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH), all of which serve Middle Tennessee.

Panelists will be selected from conference participants who volunteer to participate.

Sponsored by Connect

10:45am – 11:45am LGBTQ+ Community Keynote - Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant

Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

Author Curtis Chin will read an excerpt from his upcoming memoir and talk about his experiences with coming of age and coming out in Detroit during the '80s. Chin was forced to navigate rising xenophobia, the AIDS epidemic, and the Reagan Revolution to find his voice as a writer and activist—all set against the backdrop of his family's popular Chinese restaurant. The book, which features plenty of Chinese food, Motown vibes, and crack cocaine, will be published by Little, Brown in the fall of 2023.

Presented by Curtis Chin (he/him)

Curtis ChinA co-founder of the Asian American Writers’ Workshop in New York City, Curtis Chin served as the non-profits’ first Executive Director. He went on to write for television before transitioning to social justice documentaries. Chin has screened his films at over 600 venues in sixteen countries. His essays have appeared in Bon Appetit and the Emancipator/Boston Globe. A graduate of the University of Michigan and former Visiting Scholar at New York University, Chin has received awards from ABC/Disney Television, New York Foundation for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and more. He can be found at CurtisfromDetroit.com

Sponsored by MTSU Distinguished Lectures Fund


12:00pm – 1:30pm Lunch Break / Networking / Community and Religious Organizations Fair

Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom DE

Lunch will be provided to allow conference attendees to network and interact with participating religious and community organizations.

1:45pm – 3:15pm LGBT+ College Conference Lavender Graduation Celebration

Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom DE

Lavender Graduation Banner

The Lavender Graduation Celebration is a cultural celebration that recognizes LGBTQ+ students of all backgrounds and acknowledges their achievements and contributions as students who survived the college experience. Established by Ronni Sanlo in 1995, the inaugural LavGrad at the University of Michigan was the first commemorative event of its kind held at an institution of higher learning. This inaugural ceremony at the LGBT+ College Conference celebrates the contributions of all 2023 graduates from any college or university at any academic level.

This ceremony is offered in addition to any official commencement and does not replace when students officially walk and celebrate their graduation - be it in May, August, or December. Any LGBTQ+ student who anticipates graduating in 2023 is welcome to walk at Lavender Graduation. To be included in the ceremony, RSVP by April 7 via this form: https://forms.gle/SnFpTQoh9s6pQV8W7

Hosts

La Shonda Mims (she/her)

La Shonda MimsLa Shonda Mims is an Assistant Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University. Concerned with the intersections of gender, race, region, and queer identity, her book, Drastic Dykes and Accidental Activists, examines lesbian life in the U.S. South. Her 2019 article, published in the Journal of Women’s History, explores lesbian-feminist action in the urban New South. Mims is currently at work on a new project, which interrogates the transnational history of Pentecostalism and queer identity.

Michelle ConceisonMichelle Conceison (she/her)

Michelle Conceison is an artist manager, organizer, researcher, and Assistant Professor in the Recording Industry program at MTSU. She founded Mmgt in 2004, an artist management and music marketing firm in Nashville. Prior to music, she worked in digital media, leading teams at multiple global ad agencies. Conceison has led the boards of Folk Alliance International and International Bluegrass Music Association and is currently the Global Chair of Mentorship for Women in Music. Her research concentrations include audience and industry stakeholder analysis, marketing, media, and leadership. Her most recent writings include research papers "Representation in the Americana Radio Chart, 2018-2021" and "Studying Diversity in the Music Industry" and a chapter on "Merchandising" in the book Marketing Recorded Music: How Music Companies Brand and Market Artists.

Sponsored by MTSU College of Behavioral and Health Sciences


3:30pm – 4:30pm Issues Summit - Banning Pride

Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom DE

Participants will learn about the history of efforts to ban LGBTQ+ events in the past (including Pride events) and will review how those bans were resolved.

Presented by La Shonda Mims (she/her)

La Shonda MimsLa Shonda Mims is an Assistant Professor of History at Middle Tennessee State University. Concerned with the intersections of gender, race, region, and queer identity, her book, Drastic Dykes and Accidental Activists, examines lesbian life in the U.S. South. Her 2019 article, published in the Journal of Women’s History, explores lesbian-feminist action in the urban New South. Mims is currently at work on a new project, which interrogates the transnational history of Pentecostalism and queer identity.


4:45pm – 5:00pm Conference Closing

Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom DE

Participants will "report out" key lessons from the conference, complete conference evaluations, and make recommendations for next year's agenda.

Saturday, April 15 Evening - LGBT+ College Conference Awards Dinner

Student Union Building (STU), 1768 MTSU Blvd., campus map sector E4, MTSU Campus Map
Parking: Academic Lot or Student Union Lot, campus map sector E3

All posted times are for the central time zone.

7:00pm LGBT+ College Conference Awards Dinner

Saturday, April 15, Student Union Building Ballroom ABC

Join the Awards Dinner Zoom

 
Join us in a celebration of the conference attendees and presenters, and help us recognize the remarkable achievements of our nominees and award winners.
 
Download the printed dinner program (download the printed dinner program for Braille readers)

Hosts

Kayla Gore (she/her) and Justin Reed (he/him)

Kayla GoreKayla Gore works to help organize and conduct direct outreach and to advocate for the rights of women, especially transgender women. Kayla’s most recent work is with the #tinyhouseprojectMSH with the goal of developing homes for Black and Brown Trans Women. Project details can be found on the MSH website, www.mshmemphis.org

Justin ReedJustin Reed serves as the Director of Student Unions at Middle Tennessee State University and is this year’s Conference Advisory Board Chair. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Wesley Foundation and works to create inclusive environments both on and off Campus.

Music

Nashville in Harmony Major Minors

Major Minors

Major Minors, the youth chorus of Nashville in Harmony, offers LGBTQIAP+ and allied youth, ages 12-18, an opportunity to discover their voice, build their community, and become powerful self-advocates and agents of social change. They discover their powerful individual voices, and collective voice, by performing songs that express their experiences, their identity, and their hopes for a world where all are loved and accepted.

Keynote Address

phil cobucci (he/they)

Phil CobucciWith a permanently open heart, there is no more valve. You can live in love — which feeds you and strengthens you. That is what your heart is meant to be.

phil cobucci (he/they) was born and raised in the New York City/New Jersey area to fundamentalist Christian parents. As a young child, phil and his family were actively involved in their local church, which took up most of their lives, and social affairs outside of the Christian viewpoint were rare.

From a young age, phil was often told that he was supposed to fit into a specific style, “conservative, Christian, straight” box. That box diminished his existence and limited his becoming in a way that followed him for much of his teens. After graduating high school, instead of starting college like most of his peers, phil was sent to conversion therapy as his parents felt his life was not following the destiny they desired for him.

Following nine months of intensive Bible training, emotionally abusive treatment, and attempts to make him “straight,” phil returned to New Jersey and started a job at Starbucks Coffee Company. During those few short months at Starbucks, for the first time in his life, phil felt as though he was seen, accepted, and loved for being a member of the queer community. If it wasn’t for those few short months and those feelings of love and acceptance being wrapped around him from the staff and the brand ethos, phil is not sure how his process towards acceptance of himself would be today.

Following that summer in 2002, phil was sent to Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, as my only option to gain additional training to start a career. Despite being at an ultra-conservative school, phil found ways to break open the straight-and-narrow box his parents had hoped they could force him into. While at Liberty University, phil saw many classmates who identified as LGBTQ+ vanish from the university, either being expelled or put into other forms of conversion therapy. While in school, he maintained a management-level position with Starbucks in Virginia, allowing for continued company growth and a sense of security and safety around his identity.

In 2005, while still in school, he started his marketing, branding, and communications career with Warner Bros. Records, which quickly translated into a full-time job post-university back home in New York City. He stayed with Warner Music Group until late-2009 when he was laid off as part of a system-wide restructuring resulting from the Napster era. Living in and around New York City exposed phil to what it was like to live into my truth and experience life as a queer person. After getting laid off, he set his sights on either Los Angeles or Nashville with hopes that he would continue with a marketing career in the music industry. After a short stint in Los Angeles, he ended up in Nashville, where he has lived since.

In 2009, phil founded BAM! Social Business, a digital marketing agency, and built it to a team of twenty full and part-time strategists, advertisers, copywriters, editors, and more. In this marketing, branding, and communications work, phil and his team told stories for businesses and organizations from all walks of life. This career was rewarding in many ways. The company grew considerably over the next ten years in business, but as the company passed a decade in operation, phil realized it was time for a change. 

At the same time, phil was finishing his fifth year of service on the Nashville Pride Board of Directors and continued to hear stories from people throughout our diverse and beautiful community that there was a lack of connection and that many folks in our community did not feel as though there was a way to stay involved in the LGBTQIA+ community year-round. So utilizing his background in marketing, strategy, and research, phil, along with six other researchers, launched the Middle Tennessee Community Visioning Project commissioned by Nashville Pride. The research project was completed over six months and allowed our community organizations to share their needs and desires to create a community that worked and supported all of us. The research report was finalized in late 2019 and delivered to the community in December 2019.

2020 has brought many challenges and changes for many of us; for phil, nearly every aspect of his life was dramatically altered professionally and personally. Over just twelve short months, phil uncovered a web of deceit and theft with former employees. He experienced a catastrophic tornado that destroyed his home, two burglaries, two insurance lawsuits, a significant health issue, and the pandemic. While navigating these concurrent losses, phil was also forced into a deeper understanding of his experience as a queer person and to navigate the traumas of childhood sexual and faith-based abuse.

Following what he lovingly refers to as his menty-b at the end of 2020, phil received the care he needed to align his heart and life to a new path. He started 2021 with an open heart, an open mind, and a path made clear —- determined to do something with the stories, research, and data collected as part of the visioning project just a year prior.

So with a renewed passion and vision for the queer community, phil began writing, researching, and dreaming. By June 2021, he was sharing these ideas and the additional research with members of the community, which resulted in the founding of inclusion tennessee in the fall of 2021. inclusion tennessee was founded to connect people, opportunities, and resources to enrich and enhance the multi-faceted LGBTQIA+ community.  inclusion tennessee is an equity and justice focused organization committed to building models of collaborative impact statewide through advocacy and education, creating health and wellness programming and developing navigation services, while also building safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community to gather throughout the state.

Today, we all share meaningful stories that reflect loss, resilience, and hope. Each story is unique and can inspire and influence our communities, clients, business, and employees in fresh ways. Through what phil has learned and experienced, he has dedicated his life to creating change through a lens of equity, justice, and inclusion through all his practices.

Outside of his work in the LGBTQIA+ community, phil has also had the pleasure of serving as President of the Historic Buena Vista Community Association, a Member at Large of the Davidson Country Foster Care Review Board, a Member at Large of the Davidson County Short Term Rentals Board, Secretary of the Board for Nashville Emerging Leaders, and also Member at Large of the PENCIL Board. phil has also participated in a variety of leadership and educational programs, including Nashville Emerging Leaders (2016), the MBA-Mini Program at Belmont University (Class of 2017), and the New Leaders Council - Nashville Chapter (Class of 2018). He has been featured in several magazines and newspapers, including Teen Vogue, them, Advocate, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Nashville Business Journal (40 under 40 in 2018), and many other regional publications and television shows. phil will start his Master in Public Service at the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas this May.

In his free time, phil enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling. phil and his partner Stuart live in the Historic Buena Vista neighborhood of Nashville with their dogs, Billie Jean King and Ousier Boudreaux.

Conference Contacts

Program Presentation and Participation
Professor William Langston (he/him; William.Langston@mtsu.edu)
 
Sponsorships and Support
Development Director Paul Wydra (he/him; Paul.Wydra@mtsu.edu)
 
Corporate and Community Engagement

Advisory Board Chair Justin Reed (he/him; Justin.Reed@mtsu.edu)


Presenting Sponsor

 
Nissan

 LGBT+ College Conference Logo
 

Lambda hosts weekly meetings and membership is open to all currently enrolled MTSU students who act in good faith of Lambda's Constitution and Community Standards. Membership dues are announced at the beginning of each academic year and can be paid at any time.