Founded in 1972 with the simple act of Jeanne Manford, a mother publicly supporting her gay son, PFLAG is the original ally organization. Made up of parents, families, friends, and straight allies uniting with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, PFLAG is committed to advancing equality through its mission of support, education and advocacy with 350 chapters and 200,000 supporters in all 50 states. • Monitor, counsel and drive federal legislative and administrative policy and legislation and guide chapters with state and municipal policy and legislative action.• Serve on Coalitions and Collaborative Working Groups to plan and advance federal policy and legislation.• Secure and manage partnership with aligned national organizations to advance equality.• Co-Chair Budget Working Group of LGBTQ Strategy Coalition and Adoption/Foster Care/ Child Welfare coalition.• Direct Rapid Response and Take Action initiatives to mobilize influence with legislators.• Orchestrate biweekly Policy Matters news briefs for chapters and leadership.• Work with Dir of Comms and ED to promote new LGBTQ, public health and public policy research reports.• Create and manage departmental budget.• Serve as lead supervisor to manage team of up to five summer Policy/Comms interns with Dir. of Comms.

Portfolio of issues: Healthcare, LGBT Civil Rights, Veterans, Labor, Social Security, Federal Employees, Disabilities, U.S. Postal Service and The Census. Managed policy, legislation, Floor strategy and statements, appropriations and programmatic requests and constituency and organization relationships for these. The first openly transgender person to work as a senior staffer on Capitol Hill. Led legislative team on Matthew Shepard/James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, DADT repeal, ENDA, Affordable Care Act, Corey Shea Veterans Act and other bills.

• Directed all media relationships, strategic public relations planning and management and tactical execution on behalf of the agency and its stakeholders at New England’s first and largest HIV/AIDS organization, including serving as its spokesperson in Spanish and English.• Envisioned and announced key HIV prevention, education, client service, public policy, legal affairs, media and branding activities, including passage of the Pharmacy Access law statewide; founding team member of National AIDS Strategy group, now enacted as White House policy.• Spearheaded the agency’s community role and activities regarding key local, state, national and international events.• Served on agency’s senior management team, policy committee and HIV prevention team.• Drove strategic and tactical public and media relations for AIDS Action Council (AIDS United), a D.C.-based membership-based national HIV public policy and advocacy organization [Feb. 2006-Jan. 2009].• Guided and led the agency’s external media and public local and national response to the alleged "new HIV strain," scare, resulting in being the only organization in the U.S. that kept its initial statement intact.

Served on the Boston Steering Committee, including as Diversity Co-Chair. Nationally, on HRC's Business Council as part of the Workplace Project, was part of team that expanded inclusion of criteria that includes gender identity with modifications that are and will be implemented. Served on its National Diversity team and am a Federal Club member.

• Directed state’s only program funded to train and offer technical assistance to medical, mental health and social service providers to build cultural competence about HIV risk and health access for transgender and transsexual people; funded by state Department of Public Health HIV/AIDS Bureau. Directed Wayne Wright Resource Center, with staff of 6; managed program budgets.• Established and built community collaborations with GLBT groups and trans people locally and nationally; advocated and promoted policy change within those organizational collaborations.• Served on JRI Health’s performance improvement, management and development committees; also directed its ad hoc media and PR and marketing relationships.

Directing its relationship marketing, provided media, community relations, and marketing counsel for The International Golf Club and Conference Center in Bolton, Mass., home of the world’s longest golf course from the Tiger Tees, as it planned its second 18-hole course; selected a designer, studied and addressed its environmental impact and collaborated with community abutters and other neighbors.

• Established Starwood’s first global internal communications program, launching the new company to its nearly 200,000 employees in 70 countries.• Pioneered Starwood’s first and award-winning global diversity management program, working with all internal and external audiences. • Improved NAACP rating for the company and its brands, including raising Westin from poor marks to good. • Ranked by Gay Financial Network as best hotel diversity program; with a budget of less than $25,000 versus Marriott Corporation’s court-mandated program budgeted at $6 million in compliance with a legal finding against Marriott that stipulated its annual spend on Diversity. • Drove company’s diversity initiatives globally, and the program, still in place, continues to receive awards each year.• Utilized Spanish-language proficiency while representing the company worldwide, including media, community and hotel development roles.

• Designated as Executive Director of the $6 million Sheraton Foundation, reporting to its President, creating and maintaining all associated community relationships.

• Created and sustained innovative media strategies, including crisis management, that catapulted PR impression value from $2 million in 1991 to $20 million in 1992 to $250 million in 1997 through strategic growth of media messages, external and internal relationships, events, vehicles and frequency. PR impression value measurement ceased after 1997.• Introduced three new hotel brands and more than 40 new global marketing programs, including partners/relationship marketing: + The Luxury Collection/St. Regis and Four Points Hotels. + Introduced award-winning global value-pricing program ‘SureSavers,’ + Launched award-winning CD-ROM employee training program. + Planned the first ever multi-company media and web event to be held at Microsoft’s Redmond, WA media center to launch ‘Sheraton.Net’ (precursor branded technology and service for what is now cable service-delivered “On-Demand”) with Microsoft, 3Com, Tandem (part of Compaq) and Asia Connect.

• Created aggressive media relations programs; introduced Crowne Plaza brand and launched its flagship hotels worldwide; developed ‘Families’ program with Warner Bros. Worked and negotiated with labor unions during construction and opening phase of this company-owned flagship hotel in Manhattan.

• Managed public relations staff, budget, programs and firms globally to support initiatives.• Boosted media relations results, PR impressions, from $2 million to $15 million.• Introduced new company (when acquired by Bass PLC); launched to media, state and local officials and to the community.• Planned and enacted crisis and emergency management, pro-actively and responsively globally.

• Devised and executed successful, award-winning media, community and legislative affairs program to introduce Georgia Dome for Georgia Stadium Corp. Received approval and acceptance without requiring a referendum.• Conceived and edited award-winning 'Guide To Atlanta' for journalists on behalf of Delta Air Lines for 1988 Democratic National Convention.• Promoted and publicized sports sponsorships for Coca-Cola USA

• Created and directed media and customer-focused programs for Lanier Business Systems, Lanier Voice Products, Harris/Lanier Copiers, INFORUM (high tech conference center created by renowned developer John Portman). Managed performance and professional development for 2 direct report employees.• Participated in agency’s new business and professional development programs, proposals and presentations.

• Designed and executed worldwide media relations launch programs for Diet Coke at Radio City Music Hall, all six caffeine-free Coke brands, New Coke and return of Coke Classic, talking vending machines, dollar-bill-accepting machines and ad campaigns including ‘Coke is it!,' 'Introducing diet Coke,' and 'Have a Coke and a Smile.'• Managed pre-Olympic and on-site media relations for 1984 Summer Olympic Games; World’s Fair publicity; all World Cup, NASCAR, NBA, NHL, MLB, U.S. Squash Association and other sports-marketing programs; ethnic media & community, advertising, diversity and marketing programs, including the Coca-Cola Olympic History Traveling Exhibit which was the precursor launchpad for The Coca-Cola Museum.• Counseled Coca-Cola Centennial planning committee for 100th anniversary of Coca-Cola in a series of worldwide events.• Served on Board of Directors of & launched the Coca-Cola Black & Hispanic Business Agenda, including creation of scholarships in five U.S. cities, developed bottler relations programs in those markets and a bilingual program to coordinate among schools and municipalities, which was the precursor launchpad for The Coca-Cola Foundation.• Managed day-to-day and strategic media relations; provided support to bottlers in their markets, with proactive programs, materials and responsive emergency and crisis management across the U.S.

• Served on three groups (consumer, corporate and international) for existing accounts and new business development, including media relations, news materials and presentations; supported blue chip accounts.• Supported M&M/Mars, Wendy’s, General Electric, General Foods, Merrill Lynch, Pitney Bowes, Dr Pepper, Argentina, Johnson Wax, American Management Association, Metropolitan Life, Pfizer, Tylenol (McNeil) and others.• Scripted and performed voiceover for Burson’s first-ever U.S. Spanish-language public service announcement for Gillette’s sponsorship of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game Balloting.• Translated Johnson Wax's award-winning IMAX Francis Thompson film 'The Living Planet’ script to Spanish and worked on the award-winning ‘EQ Bowl’ game show hosted by Bill Boggs for New York City public school students.• Participated on ad hoc team for an emergency overnight project on behalf of prospective client Metropolitan Life that resulted successfully and secured Met Life as Burson-Marsteller's first-ever million-dollar client.

Competed and was selected as the company’s sole PR intern. Worked directly on public and media relations projects including: launch of ‘Have a Coke and a Smile’ at the company’s Bottlers’ Convention press conference; wrote executive appointment and program launch news releases; publicity for the Atlanta visit of America’s Junior Miss; a media relations program on trademark protection; a research document on the history of Coca-Cola (later incorporated into the company’s archives and what is now its museum); media position paper on citrus farming in Egypt and water desalination.