Business Council
The HRC Business Council was founded in 1997 to support the Human Rights Campaign's goal of creating an America where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are ensured of basic equal rights — and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. While not necessarily serving as official representatives of their companies, members provide expert advice and counsel on LGBT workplace issues based on their business experience and knowledge.
John K. Barry
VP, Relationship Manager for Pensions, Endowments and FoundationsJ.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Chicago, Illinois
Barry is a vice president and relationship manager for Pensions, Endowments and Foundations for J.P. Morgan in Chicago. He also heads the firm’s LGBT employee resource network, PRIDE, in Chicago and formerly headed up both the NY and Global Steering Committees (with locations in 18 cities, including two in Britain).
Barry was a founding member of Chase’s employee resource network in New York in 1998, then organized the merging of nine LGBT groups in different cities across the firm the following year into a single organization. He also merged J.P. Morgan’s LGBT group with Chase’s when those two firms merged in 2000 and did the same with Banc One’s LGBT group when they merged in 2004.
He has worked with or volunteered for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), GenderPAC and the Hetrick Martin Institute, and is involved with Out & Equal Workplace Advocates. He is also a member of the Financial & Securities Industry Exchange (FSIX), an LGBT professional organization and has spoken at the Reaching Out MBA conferences in Chicago and New York.
In 2002, Barry attended UCLA’s Anderson School of Management LGBT Leadership Institute. He holds a master’s of business administration from Loyola University in Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.
Charles A. Berardesco
VP, Deputy General CounselCorporate Secretary, Chief Compliance Officer
Constellation Energy Group Inc.
Baltimore, Maryland
Charles Berardesco currently serves as Constellation Energy’s Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer. He also served as Acting General Counsel from June 2004 to June 2005.
Charlie has primary responsibility for all legal activities relating to corporate governance, compliance with federal securities laws (including compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the listing requirements of the New York Stock Exchange), corporate finance, the legal compliance program and mergers and acquisitions. He also leads the legal teams that serve as primary legal support for the Company’s finance, treasury, investor and public relations, human resources, information technology and other corporate staff functions.
While at Constellation, he has led the legal team in a number of major M&A transactions, including the recently terminated merger with FPL Group, Inc., the disposition of six gas-fired generating facilities, the disposition of gas-fired and geothermal generating facilities, the disposition of Constellation’s Panamanian transmission and distribution company, the acquisition of numerous commercial businesses, and the acquisition of the R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant (as well as leading the due diligence efforts on a number of other potential transactions), lines of credit totaling more than $5.0 billion in capacity, four public debt financings in excess of $1.7 billion in principal amount and the equity financing to fund the Ginna acquisition.
Prior to joining Constellation in January 2003, Charlie had practiced law for nearly 20 years, both in-house and with law firms. He served as Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Fusura, a consortium of AIG, Kemper and Prudential, and Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of HCIA, a publicly held health care information company. He was Counsel with the national law firm of Piper Rudnick, where he focused on corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions, and a partner in the law firm of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, where he chaired the firm’s corporate department and served as a member of its executive committee.
Charlie is also active in a number of charitable organizations, including having served as Chairman of the Board of the Woodbourne Center, President of the Presbyterian Home of Maryland, Chair of the Church Council of Foundry United Methodist Church and a member of the Board of Directors of the Baltimore Choral Arts Society.
Charlie received his Juris Doctor, with high honors, in 1983 from The George Washington University, where he was the Managing Editor of The George Washington Law Review, and his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in 1980 from Duke University.
Richard P. Clark
Director of Finance, Communications and Technology MarketsAccenture Ltd.
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Richard P. Clark is Senior Managing Director – Investor Relations, responsible for developing the strategy and programs to maintain Accenture’s relations and communications with its shareholders and the broader investment community. Mr. Clark is part of the number one ranked IR team by Institutional Investor annual survey of both the sectors equity analyst and institutional investors.
Clark has extensive financial and operations experience, having held executive positions in several of Accenture’s business areas. Prior to being named to his current position in May 2006, Clark was Director of Finance for Accenture’s Communications & High Tech operating group, the largest of Accenture’s five operating groups. In that position Clark was responsible for formulating and executing financial short- and long-term growth strategies and for interactions with clients, finance employees, members of the investment community and Accenture’s Executive Leadership Team. Clark also served as Director of Finance for Accenture’s Resources operating group.
Clark joined Accenture in 1984 and was promoted to partner in 2001.
A certified public accountant, Clark holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in Public Administration from Stonehill College in Massachusetts and a master’s degree with honors in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Wesley Combs
PresidentWiteck-Combs Communications
Washington, District of Columbia
Witeck-Combs Communications is the nation’s premier public relations and marketing firm specializing in developing strategies for companies looking to reach the GLBT consumer market. At Witeck-Combs, Wes’ clients include MTV’s new gay cable channel Logo, Volvo, Jaguar, and Volvo.
Before launching his own company, Wes worked as a marketing executive with IBM in addition to his non-profit work, serving as the national director of the National Coming Out Project from 1994 to 1997, and as a member of the HRC Board of Governors from 1991 to 1993. In 1999 and 2000, the Gay Financial Network – GFN.com – ranked Wes and his co-founder, Bob Witeck, number 14 on their first list of the 25 most influential openly gay executives in corporate America. American Demographics Magazine also named Wes and Bob two of the 25 most influential people in the past 25 years in the field of market research for their work quantifying the GLBT market. Wes also serves on the National Advisory Board of GenderPAC.
Elaine DeCanio
Region ManagerShell Oil Co.
Houston, Texas
Elaine DeCanio was born and brought up just South of London, England. She came to the United States to go to graduate school, getting her MS from Texas A&M and her PhD from Wesleyan University, CT., both in Chemistry. She has spent her twenty-year career working in refinery and fuels research and technical support for Texaco and Shell, moving to Shell when Texaco and Shell joint ventured in 1998. She is currently working on a team that has been chartered to develop and implement a global, cross-business competence development framework to support new engineers coming into Shell.
She has served on the Westhollow Technology site and the Shell/Texaco JV’s diversity councils, and is on the Steering Committee of SeaShell (the GLBT employee group at Shell.) For several years Elaine volunteered for the United Way of Dutchess County, NY. And more recently for various organizations in Houston: AssistHers, an organization offering help to home bound women, UnCommon Legacy which raises money for college scholarships for Lesbians, the Houston HRC Federal Club Committee, and HERA (Houston Equal Rights Alliance.)
Troy Greenstreet
Senior Group ManagerPepsiCo Inc.
Purchase, New York
Troy Greenstreet is a Senior Group Manager at PepsiCo. He spearheaded the drive for GLBT inclusion throughout PepsiCo, by working with senior management to add sexual orientation to the corporate Equal Employment Opportunity statement and to secure domestic partner benefits across PepsiCo. Troy is a founding member of the EQUAL employee network at PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division. EQUAL is PepsiCo’s GLBT employee resource group.
Troy has been a member of the PepsiCo EQUAL Leadership Team since 2002. In this role, he helps ensure PepsiCo continues to strengthen their GLBT networks, while affirming the company’s diversity and inclusion agenda. PepsiCo received 100% with HRC’s Corp. Equality Index in 2004.
Troy is a 2005 recipient of The Harvey C. Russell Award, part of PepsiCo’s Chairman’s Award, which honors those who have distinguished themselves as truly extraordinary in their efforts to help PepsiCo further its goal to build a diverse and inclusive culture.
Prior to working for PepsiCo, Troy worked for Deloitte & Touche, where he was a member of the steering committee that added sexual orientation to the corporate Equal Employment Opportunity statement as well as secured domestic partner benefits.
Troy has served on the DFW Federal Club Governing Committee and the DFW Major Donor Committee of the Human Rights Campaign. Troy and his partner Brent Willmott live in Dallas and are currently HRC House Council members, as well as Lambda Legal Liberty Circle members.
John P. Isa
Associate, Employment DepartmentPaul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP
Washington, District of Columbia
John P. Isa represents employers in all aspects of employment law. His clients include domestic and international companies in the retail, insurance, healthcare, banking, technology and hospitality industry. Isa defends employers in class actions as well as single plaintiff/multiple plaintiff cases under Title VII, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. He also represents employers before government agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor. He conducts workplace investigations that include, but are not limited to, harassment and discrimination based on sex, race, disability, pregnancy, age and sexual orientation. Isa has handled many sensitive internal racial and sexual harassment cases.
Isa frequently counsels and trains employers on their compliance with federal, state and local laws as well as internal employment policies, employee handbooks and benefit plans. He also advises employers on diversity best practices and the implementation of related initiatives. While at Paul Hastings, Isa represented and worked on-site and in-house for two years at the headquarters of a major Fortune 5 client in their legal department where he counseled and advised on employment matters and litigation prevention. Before practicing law, Isa served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Glenn T. Harrell, Jr. in the Court of Appeals of Maryland, the state’s highest court. During law school, he clerked full-time for the General Counsel of the Sheet Metal Workers’ National Pension Fund in Alexandria, Virginia.
John received his JD, cum laude, from the Washington College of Law at American University. Prior to law school, he received his MA in International Commerce & Policy, summa cum laude, and his BA in International Studies, with honors, from George Mason University.
John currently serves on the Board of Governors and House Council for the Human Rights Campaign and he was recently co-chair for their 25th Anniversary Gala.
Emily Jones
Eastman Kodak Co. (Retired)Rochester, New York
Emily Jones retired from Eastman Kodak Company as Director of Imaging Materials Research in January of 2005 after completing 29 years of service in the R&D community. Emily was a member of the founding steering committee that launched the GLBT Network at Kodak in 1992. In 1995, along with Kathryn Rivers she co-chaired the First Educational Event for Senior Management on GLBT issues. She was a member of the design committee for the first GLBT institute at UCLA and a graduating member of the first class. She is the Past-President of the Board of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley of Rochester, NY and is a member of the Finger Lakes LGBT Workplace Alliance Steering Committee and is a board member of the Rochester Chapter of GLSEN. Ms Jones is co-chair of the 2008 ESPA Spring Dinner. She has presented at Out & Equal on marketing to the GLBT Community and how to effect change in corporate policy. In 2006, she received the Outie Trailblazer Award at the Out and Equal Conference in Chicago. At the national level, she recently stepped down as co-chair of the Business Council of the Human Rights Campaign championing the most respected measure of GLBT diversity in the workplace, the Corporate Equality Index.
J. Kevin Jones, Jr.
Managing Director, Global Risk ArchitectureCitigroup Inc.
Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
Kevin is a Managing Director in Citi’s Risk Management organization, focused on projects and processes that support risk measurement and regulatory compliance. During his entire 11 year tenure with Citi, Kevin has worked very closely with Diversity and HR professionals in shaping the company’s policies and relationships that impact the GLBT workforce and community. He was a founding co-chair of both the national and NYC Pride employee network groups.
Kevin is currently a co-chair of the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition’s Board of Directors, and is a member of the HRC Business Council. He previously served as a member of the Out & Equal Workplace Advocates Board of Directors, where he also coordinated workshops for their annual summit. Kevin is an active member of Christ Episcopal Church in Ridgewood, NJ. He also volunteers in Northern NJ to provide safe venues and activities for LGBTQI high school youth and their allies. Kevin lives in Franklin Lakes, NJ with his partner of 12 years, Tony De Sousa.
Trish Jones
SVP and Deputy General CounselTurner Broadcasting System Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia
Trish Jones is Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Turner Broadcasting System Inc. and Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Turner Broadcasting System International Inc. Ms. Jones manages TBS’ transactional, animation and music legal teams; she leads the Company’s privacy compliance team, and has primary responsibility for managing the day-to-day operations of the TBS Legal Department. She serves as the chief legal counsel for Turner’s international businesses.
Prior to joining Turner, Ms. Jones held both business and legal positions within The Coca-Cola Company. From 1998-2000, she served as Director of Business Planning within the Information Services Division of The Coca-Cola Company working closely with the Chief Information Officer to set and implement global information technology strategies and to structure business planning for the Information Services organizations of The Coca-Cola System worldwide. From 1996-1998, Ms. Jones served as Technology Counsel for Coke. Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, Ms. Jones was Senior Intellectual Property and International Counsel for Anacomp, Inc., an international Fortune 500 technology company. Ms. Jones began her legal career in private practice as a member of the Corporate & Technology Practice Group with the law firm of Powell, Goldstein, Frazer and Murphy in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ms. Jones is an avid advocate within her community for children’s issues and human right’s causes. She has a long-standing relationship with the Atlanta Children’s Shelter, a day shelter that provides comprehensive services and counseling for homeless families in Atlanta and is on the board of the Fulton County Children’s Advocacy Center, a public/private non-profit organization committed to addressing the comprehensive needs of neglected and abused children in Fulton County. Ms. Jones is a member of TBS’s Diversity Steering Council, serves on Turner’s Supplier Diversity Taskforce, and is the executive sponsor of TBS’s LGBT business resource group, TurnOut. Ms. Jones is also an active member of the Human Rights Campaign and Georgia Equality.
Mark McLane
Director, Global Diversity and InclusionWhirlpool Corp.
Benton Harbor, Michigan
Mark McLane is currently the Director of Global Diversity and Inclusion for Whirlpool Corporation. McLane has been with Whirlpool for five years, and is currently working to develop and implement global corporate diversity strategies and initiatives that will effectively utilize the inherent differences within Whirlpool’s current and future workforce. These initiatives will thereby align with the organization’s vision of assuring continued leadership in an increasingly competitive and global market.
As an integral human resources team member McLane has responsibility for ensuring that the talent pool process is consistent with the companies diversity strategies, he develops educational programs and curriculum for leaders and employees that facilitates understanding, behavioral expectations, company philosophy and diversity strategies. He examines and reports cultural norms within the organization that might pose as barriers to the advancement of women and minorities and is currently overseeing the organization’s community-based diversity and inclusion initiative.
Susan McManus
Associate Vice President, InternetNationwide Insurance
Columbus, Ohio
Susan McManus, Associate Vice President, Internet at Nationwide Insurance, has responsibility for www.NationwideInsurance.com and all
associated online sales and service applications. Under her leadership, www.NationwideInsurance.com has been ranked #1 insurance website by Dalbar, Inc. (2002); Most Usable Insurance Website by Kasina (2001); and ranked #2 best U.S. insurance carrier website by Gomez (2003). Additionally, her Electronic Business Intelligence (eBI) reporting and analysis group was awarded the Best Practice – Web Analytics Award by The Data Warehouse Institute (2002). She has spoken at numerous national conferences and has been featured in many insurance and technology magazines.
In the community, McManus serves on the Steering Committee for the Human Rights Campaign in Columbus, Ohio. McManus co-chaired the annual HRC Columbus Dinner in 2001, raising nearly $100,000. Beginning in mid-2001, she currently chairs the HRC Corporate Sponsor Committee, more than doubling corporate sponsor contributions from central Ohio in the first year and setting another new record in 2003.
In the academic arena, McManus designed and developed an executive education seminar for The Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business in the fall of 2002 entitled, "Marketing Leadership: Capturing the Gay Market." The first offering of its kind at any major U.S. business school, the program drew over 150 participants from multiple states and received national attention.
She is a Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude graduate of Wittenberg University with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science, and she earned a master’s degree in applied statistics from The Ohio State University.
Marc Nichols
General CounselCopper Irle LLC
Washington, District of Columbia
Marc A. Nichols recently left his post as an inspector general of the U.S. Government Printing Office, a position he held beginning March 2003.
Prior to that appointment, he practiced law with Hall & Evans LLC, in Denver, litigating matters in both federal and state courts relating to insurance, product liability, employment discrimination, environmental lawsuits and other matters. Nichols has also practiced law with Culpepper & Martin PC and with Qwest/U.S. West Communications Inc.
Nichols holds a J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law and earned his bachelor’s degree from Wabash College. A native of Utica, N.Y., and an avid New York Yankees fan, Nichols and his partner, Jamie Collins, reside in the Washington area.
Bryan Parsons
Manager, Strategy and Operations/Financial ServicesErnst & Young LLP
New York, New York
Bryan is a manager in Ernst & Young LLP’s audit and business advisory practice with specific focus on strategy and operations of the financial services group. He is responsible for quality and risk management initiatives relating to over 40 partners who service the New York and Boston areas’ financial market clients. In this unique roll at EY, Bryan concentrates on best practices development and implementation.
Prior to his current roll, Bryan spent over five years as an auditor in the Boston and New England market, serving primarily mutual and hedge fund clients. Additionally Bryan was part of EY’s campus recruiting group, working to build relationships and the reputation of the firm with students, faculty, and alumni at strategic college campuses within New England.
As a founding member of bEYond, EY’s LGBTA affinity group, Bryan serves on the firm’s international 20 person LGBTA Inclusiveness Steering Committee. During his tenure with bEYond, Bryan has been instrumental in changing firm policy with respect to overall LGBT Inclusiveness in the workplace, as well as the issues of: marriage recognition in Massachusetts, gender identity/expression, and transgender transition. Bryan leads national bEYond efforts with the firm’s Corporate Social Responsibility group and sponsorship opportunities including EY’s relationship with HRC. Currently he is working with a team of senior EY leadership to explore the firm’s support of ENDA and the Tax Equity Act. Additionally Bryan was the co-creator of "Making it Real-Moving beyond corporate policy in the day-to-day lives of LGBT employees", a thought leadership report exploring how organizations change culture after changing policies.
Bryan is a member of New York’s Interbank Roundtable, F-SIX, Out Professionals, the AIPCA and the Massachusetts Society of CPAs. He was an active member and vice president of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, prior to relocating to New York.
Bryan received his BS Accountancy, magna cum laude, with a minor concentration in Government from Bentley College. He is a certified public accountant, licensed to practice both in the state of New York and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Keith Powell
Director & VP, Corporate Financial Planning & AnalysisEastman Kodak Co.
Rochester, New York
Keith Powell is currently Director and Vice President of Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis at Eastman Kodak Company. He is responsible for corporate management reporting and analysis, financial reporting and analysis for the global functional and R&D areas, process improvement for the global functional areas, and coordinating the annual budgeting process and strategy analysis.
Keith joined Kodak in 2000 and has held a number of financial positions in the company, including Worldwide Finance Director for Kodak’s Global Capture Products Manufacturing, Manufacturing Services Organization and Global Equipment Manufacturing operations. He most recently served as Assistant to the Chairman and CEO. Keith is a past recipient of the Chairman’s Leadership Award at Eastman Kodak Company. Prior to joining Kodak, Keith worked at General Chemical Corp. and AlliedSignal/Honeywell in various financial positions throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Keith has an MBA in Finance from Indiana University and BS degrees in Finance and Business Management from Virginia Tech. A native of Virginia Beach, VA, Keith makes his home in East Rochester, New York. He is active in several Kodak employee networks and community organizations, with special interests in anti-bullying initiatives, adult and youth leadership development, education, and civil rights for all. Keith is a member of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and currently serves on the Business Council of New York State Board of Directors, the Junior Achievement of Rochester Board of Directors, the Human Rights Campaign National Business Council, GLSEN Rochester Board of Directors (Board Co-Chair), the Community Task Force on Bullying Prevention, the GLSEN National Advisory Council, and the Board of KodaPAC (Kodak’s political action committee). During his spare time, Keith enjoys gourmet cooking and baking, watching football and basketball, reading, and following politics.
Diego Sanchez
Director of Public Relations and External AffairsAIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts
Boston, Massachusetts
Diego is Director of Public Relations & External Affairs, AIDS Action Committee, New England’s first and largest AIDS organization. His 26 years of award-winning global experience in public and media relations, marketing and diversity management were at Starwood Hotels, ITT Sheraton, Coca-Cola, Holiday Inn, Burson-Marsteller/NY and Ketchum/Atlanta.
Hispanic Business magazine named him among the Top 100 Most Powerful Latino/as in Corporate America. Diego introduced more than 50 global marketing programs and 20 global brands, including Diet Coke and The St. Regis.
He formerly led the nation’s first transgender healthcare access program supported by a department of public health. A leading trans health trainer, writer, speaker and presenter, Diego dedicates his community involvement to social justice. He is Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition, Board Secretary of Boston’s Public Relations Society of America chapter, Steering Committee member and Chair of the Diversity Committee of Boston’s Human Rights Campaign chapter, a founding Board member of Somos Latino/as LGBT Coalition and the National Center for Transgender Equality.
Accredited by PRSA, Diego is a Rhodes Scholar candidate and a UMass/Boston Emerging Leaders Senior Fellow. He holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Georgia with a major in Public Relations.
Robert E. Shook III
Business Development ExecutiveGlobal Market Strategist, Linux and Open Source Middleware
IBM Software Group
Austin, Texas
Rob leads the development and coordination of IBM's global market strategy for IBM Middleware running on Linux and Open Source software platforms.
Previously, he led the expansion of IBM's sales to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) market in Asia/Pacific, and the sales of IBM's Human Capital Management solutions to customers around the world. Prior to that role, he was a project executive for IBM's Product Lifecycle Management work on the US Navy's DD(x) next-generation naval destroyer program. From 2000 - 2003, Rob was the executive leader of a worldwide team that managed the Passport Advantage program, the means by which customers of all sizes purchase IBM software products in volume. Rob's twenty-year career with IBM has provided a variety of work assignments from New York to Florida to New Hampshire, and from Sydney to London. Austin remains "home".
Since 1993, Rob has been actively involved in a corporation-wide diversity task force, addressing issues important to IBM's GLBT employees. IBM announced domestic partner benefits for its US employees in September, 1996 and added "sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression" to its global nondiscrimination policy in 2003.
Rob, his partner, their Labrador, and their guinea pig live in Texas. He is an active member of Mensa, a Freemason, and is raising his sixth puppy for the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind. He serves on the board of directors for his community, and when away from the office enjoys working with photography. He is a licensed real estate agent in Texas.
Meghan Stabler
Director & Strategist, Worldwide Marketing
BMC Software Inc.
Houston, Texas
A marketing, strategy and sales expert, Meghan Stabler possesses over 20 years of IT industry experience in global marketing, marketing communications, international sales, corporate strategy, product/solutions marketing and product management strategy. She has held P&L positions from major corporations to small startups, effectively leading teams from large to small in execution of objectives and delivering results. Whilst at BMC Stabler has played a significant role in the successful definition and implementation of BMC’s Business Service Management strategy, messaging and marketing delivery. She has served as a key corporate-level spokesperson, publicly speaking at global industry events & roundtables and leading briefings with industry analysts, customers, partners, and press – influencing millions of dollars in product sales.
Chuck Stephens
National Manager, National Diversity & Inclusion Initiative
Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
New York, New York
Chuck has been with the Deloitte U.S. Firms for over eight years having focused on serving global clients in the areas of process improvement and systems implementations. Currently, he is a member of the National Diversity & Inclusion Center where he is responsible for managing the organization’s Business Resource Groups and delivering the Diversity & Inclusion strategy. Connectivity, networking, and professional development are core focus areas in serving his clients. He supports the businesses’ leadership and U.S. based professionals in helping make the Deloitte U.S. Firms a place "Where the Best Choose to Be."
Additionally, Chuck is active within the Atlanta community supporting the arts and civil rights. He is a member of the Human Rights Campaign National Board of Governor’s and Business Council advising corporate America on GLBT inclusivity.
David Wilson
Diversity Consultant
AKConsulting Services Inc.
Jamaica Plain, MA
David Wilson is the only child of African American parents, born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. After graduating from Northeastern University with a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Business Administration, he began a 30-year career with Verizon Communications. As an Assistant Vice President, he managed union and non-union employees responsible for providing telecommunications services to residential and business customers throughout the New England Region.
As a parent, grandparent and out gay man, David has been an active member of the Gay and Lesbian community for over 15 years. He is a former President of the Board of Directors of Men of Color Against AIDS and the Greater Boston Business Council, one of the largest Gay and Lesbian Chambers of Commerce in the United States. He currently serves on the MassEquality Board as Vice-Chair and the National Board of Directors of the Human Rights Campaign. David and his partner, Rob Compton, were one of the seven same-sex couples that sued the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the right to marry in the Goodridge vs. The Department of Health. The case was settled in favor of the seven plaintiff couples by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on 11/18/03 opening the door for David and Rob to be one of the first same-sex couples in the United States to legally marry on 5/17/04.
David currently is a consultant specializing in race, gender and GLBT diversity training. His client base includes corporate, non-profit and community based organizations offering local, state-wide and national diversity training programs.
Helga Ying
Director Worldwide Govt. Affairs & Public Policy
Levi Strauss & Co.
San Francisco, California
Helga Ying is Director of Worldwide Government Affairs and Public Policy at Levi Strauss & Co.
In her position, Helga is the principal advisor and strategist for LS&CO. on government affairs and public policy. Her responsibilities include international trade and labor, corporate citizenship and human rights, brand protection (intellectual property rights), and other issues that promote LS&CO.’s business success and social responsibility.
Helga is LS&CO.’s chief lobbyist before all governmental bodies. She represents LS&CO. as an advisor to the U.S. government (Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Textiles and Apparel (ITAC-13) representative), the Vice Chairperson of the Government Relations Committee of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), and as a member of the Board of Directors for the California Council for International Trade (CCIT). She is also a member of the Human Rights Campaign’s Business Council.
Prior to joining LS&CO., Helga served for four years as Program Manager and then Director of Member Services at Business for Social Responsibility. At BSR, she advised member companies on a range of corporate social responsibility issues, including community involvement, global and strategic philanthropy, human rights, volunteerism, and workplace diversity.
Helga was a member of Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s staff, as a legislative assistant both in the Foreign Policy office and on the Labor and Human Resources Committee from 1993-1996. She also served for two years as an Associate Buyer for Dayton-Hudson Department Store Company.
Helga holds an M.A. in International Relations and Economics from The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies and a B.A. from Macalester College. She was also a Fulbright Scholar in Germany, studying business management and labor relations in 1989-1990.
Helga lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, with her husband Jonah Levy and their three children.
Louise Young
Senior Software Engineer
Raytheon Systems Co.
Dallas, Texas
Louise worked with Texas Instruments before its sale to Raytheon and has over 20 years of combined service. While at Texas Instruments, she co-founded the TI Gay and Lesbian Employee Network and was a key player in the adoption of sexual orientation into the company’s non-discrimination policy.
She repeated her performance after TI’s sale to Raytheon, being instrumental in the creation of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Alliance (GLBTA) at Raytheon’s Texas facilities and Raytheon’s inclusion of sexual orientation in its non-discrimination policy. She also submitted the business proposal that led to Raytheon’s provision of domestic partner benefits.
In 2001, Louise moved to Raytheon’s Sudbury, Mass., facility so she and her partner of 32 years, Vivienne Armstrong, can live in Vermont and get their relationship recognized under the civil union law. On the same year, G LBTA selected Louise as the first recipient of an annual award for a Raytheon employee with outstanding contributions toward fostering a workplace environment where all employees may achieve maximum productivity regardless of sexual orientation. The award was later named the Louise Young Award.
While earning her Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, Louise began her activism in the GLBT movement. After moving to Dallas, she was the first woman to be elected to the Dallas Gay and Lesbian Alliance, and was prominent in guiding the Dallas GLBT movement’s strategies.