PIOW Presents: Boston LGBTQ+ Pride Panel & Networking
Tuesday, June 20 | 5:30 – 8:00 PM
121 Seaport Blvd, Boston, MA 02210
Register + Learn More: PIOWPride.eventbrite.com
Hosted by PIOW in Partnership with PTC
Recent Events
Maintaining Momentum on Social Justice
A live, virtual panel event.
April 12, 2023 | 11:45 am – 1:00 pm ET
Join Pride in Our Workplace on Wednesday, April 12, to hear from leaders working in partnership with LGBTQ+ professionals, allies, and organizations to drive meaningful change across communities.
Speakers
Adrianna Boulin, Ev Evnen, and Natanja Craig Oquendo will join us for as panelists on 4/12. Cheryl Katon will be moderating the panel discussion and Q&A.
Adrianna Boulin (she/her)
Director of Community Impact & Engagement, Fenway Health
President, Boston Pride for the People
Learn more about Adrianna.
Adrianna’s divine mission is to help humans reach their full potential. She loves creating spaces where communities can come together in authentic and unified ways that deepen our connection to ourselves, to each other and promote healing. Adrianna is interested in understanding and addressing issues at the intersection of social justice, intersectionality, and health equity.
As Director of Community Impact and Engagement at Fenway Health, Adrianna helps the organization understand the needs of the community and impact the organizations programs, services, and care has on community. With that awareness she supports the organization in enhancing the experiences of our community, building a culture of authentic engagement.
Prior to this role, Adrianna served as the Community Engagement Manager at Fenway Health in The Fenway Institute, the Research, Policy, Education and Training Division. Here, Adrianna’s work focused on authentic engagement, education, and clinical research recruitment in different communities to build knowledge, understanding, trust and connection in the clinical research process.
Adrianna is a member of the American Public Health Association (APHA), and Member at Large of the Council of Affiliates (CoA). The Council of Affiliates is a body of 53 state and regional public health associations across the USA. As Chair of the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion working group of the CoA she aims to support the growth and evolution of justice in action through public health. In collaboration with two colleagues within APHA Adrianna has coauthored an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Toolkit geared toward supporting smaller organizations to step toward building equity, diversity, and inclusion within and throughout their organization.
Adrianna is the President of Boston Pride for the People whose mission is to
amplify the beauty, rich diversity, unique culture, and intersectionality of the LGBTQ+ community through empowerment, education, commemoration, and celebration. Adrianna is also a Board Member of the organization, SPOKE. An organization with a mission that mirrors the passion she has for healing through connection that drives social progress.
Natanja Craig Oquendo (she/her)
Executive Director, Boston Women’s Fund
Learn more about Natanja.
Natanja Craig Oquendo has spent her career centering the voices of Black and Brown people. At a young age, Natanja was inspired by activists defending her community from systemic injustice. Their success spurred her strong belief in grassroots organizations’ power to drive change. However, after entering the sector and discovering that those most impacted by foundation investments were absent from the decision-making tables, she was determined to change philanthropy. And she did just that by creating a comprehensive grassroots strategy from the ground up and reimagining the leadership program Boston Neighborhood Fellows for one of the largest community foundations in Massachusetts. She brings an unwavering passion for community solutions, her unique lived experience, and over 20 years of nonprofit and philanthropic expertise to her work as Executive Director of the Boston Women’s Fund.
Since joining Boston Women’s Fund in 2020, Natanja has advanced the organization’s mission to invest in, advocate for, and uplift women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals. Under Natanja’s leadership, in less than three years, the Boston Women’s Fund tripled their grantmaking dollars and more than doubled their grantees. She built a diverse team of passionate, innovative people dedicated to liberation, and along with the board and staff, she supported the development of the fund’s five-year strategic directions, strengthening the fund’s commitment to equitable philanthropy.
Natanja speaks truth to power and is guided by the motto “do nothing about us without us.” She is committed to strategically challenging the status quo to dismantle harmful systems and rebuild while centering people with relevant lived experience. She’s a connector, uniting people and opening doors to increase access for those who have been ignored by mainstream support. In 2022, she launched Boston Women’s Fund’s first-ever Seed Funding Grant to combat Black leaders’ exclusion from philanthropy. Committed to creating spaces for women of color, Natanja also co-founded the Women of Color Leadership Circle, a program uniquely designed to tackle the impacts of isolation and white supremacy culture in the workplace. Natanja believes that when philanthropy works in true partnership with communities we can create a just world for women, girls, and gender-expansive people.
Prior to the Boston Women’s Fund, Natanja held positions at The Boston Foundation, Fidelity Investments, The Partnership, Inc., The Possible Project, and the Urban League of Eastern
Massachusetts. She is a board member at Philanthropy Massachusetts and serves on the advisory board at Harvard Law Center and Everyday Boston. Natanja is part of two Fellowships; UMass Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy and the Black Leadership Initiative. Natanja is also a YW Boston 2023 Academy of Women Achievers honoree and has been named one of 2023’s Most Influential Bostonians by Boston magazine.
Natanja has found a home in the Boston Women’s Fund. She enjoys singing 80s love songs at karaoke, spending time with family and friends, and traveling. However, Natanja’s greatest title is that of a mother and grandmother to her three daughters, two sons, and granddaughter Mila, all of which she could not do without her loving husband Jason.
Ev Evnen (they/them)
Director, MaeBright Group
Learn more about Ev.
Ev (they/them) is a white, Jewish, trans person, originally from Lincoln, NE, with a decade stop in Boston. Ev is an experienced facilitator on issues including racial justice, LGBTQ+ topics, and how we have difficult conversations across differences. They believe that honest conversations about how we are both different and similar can lead to deep and needed healing. Ev thinks that our differences are our superpowers and dreams of a world where difference is celebrated and not subjugated. They have been supporting non-profits and state agencies to increase their nuturance of people with marginalized identities for almost a decade. Ev holds an MPP and MBA from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis and a BA from Wesleyan University. They live in Denver with their two scruffy dogs, Max and Ziggy.
Cheryl Katon (she/her)
PIOW President
Vice President of Resource Development & Donor Engagement
Learn more about Cheryl.
Cheryl joins the Fenway Health team as Vice President of Resource Development and Donor Engagement. Prior to working at Fenway, Cheryl provided professional leadership for youth service non-profits, serving 30,000 youth annually through outdoor education and community parenting programs.
Cheryl is dedicated to supporting the trans community through her volunteer efforts. She served as the First Event Chair and Nominating Chair under the Trans Community of New England. Cheryl was responsible for the program, financial performance, communication, logistics, and customer service at TCNE’s annual First Event, one of the longest-running conferences in the U.S. for transgender and gender-expansive people and those who support them.
Cheryl now serves as the Board President of Pride in Our Workplace, working with our Executive Committee to guide our program and vision.
Removing Barriers for Future LGBTQ+ Leaders
LGBTQ+ young professionals overcome barriers to enter the workforce authentically, maintain employment, and access leadership development opportunities. Amidst an ongoing climate of legislation targeting the future generation of LGBTQ+ professionals, we must ask what happens when existing barriers to entry are further exacerbated by a lack of community support, housing stability, and access to educational resources.
View event recap and resources.
Click here to watch the full event recording.
Building Resilient Organizations: Best Practices for HR, DEI, and ERG Leaders
The oft-discussed Future of Work has arrived, leaving organizations reinventing strategies to sustain company culture, employee engagement, and talent retention across remote and hybrid models. PIOW’s Building Resilient Organizations Panel spotlights industry leaders doing the work to build engaged, diverse, and equitable teams in our ever-changing professional landscape.
We would like to thank Alison Batey, Kameelah Benjamin-Fuller, and Winson Wang for sharing their experiences with us during this discussion. We would also like to thank Bryan Vermes for moderating, Tori Kaufmann-Paulman for leading in our recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance, and Wendell K. Chestnut for closing out the session.
View event resources.
Click here to watch the full event recording.
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Archive
Trans Workplace Inclusion Series
Implementing Policy and Best Practices
June 2, 2021
Our second session featured industry leaders and consultants diving deeper into best practices in implementing impactful trans workplace policies and fostering cultures of belonging.
PIOW thanks Ellen LaPointe, Irene Brank, Jennifer L. Levi, and Colleen Simonelli for sharing their insights in the second part of this series.
Trans Workplace Inclusion Series
Learning from Lived Experience Panel
May 20, 2021
Our first session aimed to amplify the voices of trans professionals speaking to the current state of trans inclusion and (in)equity at work.
We would like to thank Cheryl Katon, Ryan Rasdall, and Trevor Boylston for sharing their stories with us. We would also like to thank Tori Kaufmann-Paulman for moderating this discussion.
Cope & Hope
LGBTQ+ Networking Event
February 23, 2021
Pride in Our Workplace invited LGBTQ+ and allied professionals to share their strategies for coping, staying hopeful, and continuing to advocate for more equitable spaces. Following an introduction from PIOW board members, session attendees were split into networking breakout rooms to tackle a series of discussion topics.
The Intersection of LGBTQ+ Equality and Racial Justice
Equality and Racial Justice Panel – Part 2
October 13, 2020
This panel showcased a variety of current and anticipated organizational best practices around racial justice and BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community intersectionality and collaboration. Our panelists and moderator provided insight, support and guidance for LGBTQ+ leaders, allies, employee resource groups, HR professionals and business leaders who seek to create a more inclusive workplace for all employees.
The Intersection of LGBTQ+ Equality and Racial Justice
Equality and Racial Justice Panel – Part 1
June 30, 2020
As we commend the recent Supreme Court decision to protect the equal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, we recognize that we must keep focused to address racial injustice for black, indigenous, and people of color within our community, nation and world. During this event, our panelists and moderator provided insight, support and guidance for LGBTQ+ leaders, allies, employee resource groups, HR professionals and business leaders who seek to create a more inclusive workplace for all LGBTQ+ employees.
Advancing Inclusive Workplaces
LGBTQ+ Leadership Panel
February 28, 2020
This year we planned to present a series of panel discussions and forums to spotlight LGBTQ+ employees, leaders, and allies who are making great strides in promoting and advocating for inclusive policies and practices within their respective organizations and within our community.
The first installment of our 2020: The Year of LGBTQ+ Inclusive Leadership Series was a panel titled Advancing Inclusive Workplaces. This panel will provide guests the opportunity to hear from change-makers within organizations who recognize the power in their identities and work to advocate for inclusion in the workplace.
Annual Networking Event
LGBTQ+ Networking Event
November 7, 2018
Annual Networking Night
LGBTQ+ Networking Event
June 21, 2017
Public/Private Partnerships for Advancing LGBTQ Inclusion and Civil Rights
LGBTQ+ Inclusion Panel
September 29, 2016
10th Annual PIOW Networking Night
LGBTQ+ Networking Event
May 3, 2016
The Business Care for LGBTQ Inclusion
LGBTQ+ Inclusion Panel
November 13, 2015
Annual Networking Night
LGBTQ+ Networking Event
March 24, 2015
Being Your Authentic Self
LGBTQ+ Inclusion Panel
June 13, 2014
Engaging Allies to Build Stronger LGBT Organizations
LGBTQ+ Inclusion Panel
May 10, 2013
