Queering the Way for National Coming Out Day
Virtual Event
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
5 to 6:15 p.m.
Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, Dr. Wanda Heading-Grant, will host a panel that explores topics and issues connected to LGBTQ+ identities ranging from inclusive facilities, to allyship and accompliceship, to being your most authentic selves!
Our esteemed panelists will share their experiences and expertise and will answer questions from the CMU community. Please join us for what promises to be an engaging and timely discussion as we ready our campus community to celebrate National Coming Out Day on October 11 and drive closer towards inclusiveness and belongingness for everyone!
Watch the Event Recording
Meet the Participants
Learn more about the history of the word “queer” here!
Host and Moderator
Dr. Wanda Heading-Grant (she/her/hers), Host
Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer
Distinguished Service Professor, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy
Mark D'Angelo (he/him/his), Moderator
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Learning and Development Consultant and Trainer
Panelists
Dr. Angela Batista (she/her/ella)
Coach, Author, Speaker, Diversity Strategist, Senior Advisor and Consultant
Dr. Angela Batista is the founder and CEO of Batista Consulting Services, LLC, a member of the International Coach Federation (ICF) and an award winning and nationally and internationally recognized consultant. She specializes in helping clients to lead with heart and with authenticity while practicing transparency and humility in order to achieve outcomes driven by mission and values. Her expertise includes executive coaching, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) assessment and strategy, appreciative and strategic leadership design, student affairs, and the experience of Latinx individuals in American higher education. She served as the 2020-21 NASPA Board Chair and is the editor of Latinx/a/os in Higher Education: Exploring Identity, Pathways, and Success. View more information.
Dr. Ebenezer Concepción (he/him)
Assistant Professor of Black Studies, Cleveland State University
Dr. Ebenezer Concepción is an Assistant Professor in the Black Studies Program at Cleveland State University. He has over a decade of teaching experience in both k-12 and higher education. His research focuses on topics ranging from gender and sexuality to critical race and ethnic studies, literary studies, and human rights. Dr. Concepción has also been committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in various academic settings. Before joining CSU, he was a President’s Postdoctoral Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University.
Kate Jerman (she/her)
Director, The University of Vermont Prism Center
Kate joined the Prism Center at the University of Vermont as Director in July 2017. She has led a renaming process for the center, a major move to a new location on campus to better serve students, and been part of several efforts to make UVM a better place for queer and trans people, including gender-inclusive restrooms and changes to lived name policies and practices. Her goal is to see trans and queer people everywhere thrive. Kate holds a BSW from New York University and an MPH from Columbia University. She is interested in possibilities for radical transformation, making things in clay and reading books of all kinds.
khristian kemp-delisser, Ed.D. (they/them/theirs)
Director of Multicultural Affairs, University of Bridgeport
Dr. khristian kemp-delisser (they/them/theirs) has served in various Student Affairs capacities and institutions over the last 20 years. Through it they have sought to be a bridge builder and change agent to create and preserve pathways for every student who wishes to achieve success in college.
Most recently, they have had the honor to serve as National Co-chair of the NASPA Gender & Sexuality Knowledge Community. They also serve as Director of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Bridgeport.
LD Ortis (they/them)
Director of Student Programs & Engagement, CMU Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity, equity and inclusion are core to LD Ortis’ research, teaching and professional experiences. Their research areas and interests include identity development, social justice, the scholarship of teaching and learning (SOTL), international and cross-cultural education, professional development and leadership. Ortis has over a decade of experience across higher education including housing and residential education, community and engaged learning, academic advising and faculty preparation.