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From NGLCC.org.

Courageous Advocates of LGBT Business Community

Honored at Record Attendance NGLCC National Dinner

This year’s NGLCC National Dinner was a huge success, hosting over 800 members, allies and corporate partners at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. for what was the organization’s largest dinner ever.

During the seventh annual dinner, Justin Nelson, co-founder and president of NGLCC, urged the attendees to continue to play a role in moving the economy forward.

“As leaders in Corporate America, leaders in public policy, leaders in our communities, leaders in entrepreneurship and innovation, we have got to get up tomorrow and the next day and the next…until every LGBT American realizes his or her true talents and opportunities,” Nelson said. “We are a part of the small business engine that makes this American economy run. We have brought this economy back before, and we will do it again if we work together.”

The dinner is the NGLCC’s forum for celebrating the vital work of allies and businesses that support the NGLCC, its affiliate chambers and the LGBT business community in the United States.

This year’s NGLCC/Wells Fargo Business Owner of the Year Award went to Dan Nilsen of Kansas City-based Bishop-McCann, LLC. The two other finalists for the award were Jennifer Brown of New York City-based Jennifer Brown Consulting, and Robyn Streisand of New York City-based The Mixx.

This year’s NGLCC/American Airlines ExtrAA Mile Award went to Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns, for courageously sharing his own struggles and desperation as a gay teen during a recent city council meeting in response to the recent epidemic of LGBT youth suicides and bullying. A video of his speech went viral on the Web, accruing almost 2.5 million views in about one month.

It is not the responsibility of these kids to be bullied in their schools and in their lives, it is the responsibility of us, the adults [to stop it],” Burns said. “It is the responsibility of those in this room tonight, because we remember what it was like.”

This year’s Chamber of the Year Award went to the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce, for its tremendous growth and leadership over the years and continued strategic efforts in the areas of member services, economic growth, business advocacy and leadership development. Since receiving the NGLCC’s Rising Star Award in 2005, the chamber has grown by 75 percent.

“Headed by great leaders, including President and CEO Tony Vedda, along with Board Chairman Derrick Brown, the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce ensures the LGBT business community has a seat at every table, working with other community organizations and community elected officials daily to bring economic equality and growth to North Texas’ LGBT and allied community,” said Sam McClure, director of affiliate relations at the NGLCC.

A founding NGLCC corporate partner, American Airlines, received the Corporation of the Year Award for its long history of supporting the LGBT community and LGBT suppliers. The company’s supplier diversity team is proactive and dedicated in its efforts to work with LGBTBEs. Representatives of the company are actively engaged in NGLCC’s programming and many hold leadership roles on NGLCC panels and subcommittees and serve on the NGLCC Corporate Advisory Council. “American Airlines has been with us since the beginning and they have partnered with us to share the story of the NGLCC around the country and across the globe,” said Chance Mitchell, co-founder and CEO of the NGLCC.

Kristen Hickey, supplier diversity manager at Aetna, was honored with the Supplier Diversity Advocate of the Year Award for her continued advocacy for the LGBT business community. After serving on NGLCC councils and speaking at national and regional events about certification for years, Hickey’s efforts have flourished this year—her support helped to expand the NGLCC’s networks and she built professional development opportunities for LGBTBEs. As chair of the NGLCC Procurement Council’s scholarship subcommittee, Hickey also launched a scholarship program for certified LGBTBEs to attend a Tuck Executive Education program with generous sponsorships from Aetna and Ernst & Young. She is currently developing additional scholarship opportunities for 2011 with the goal of increasing the capacity of LGBT businesses.

NYSE Euronext received the Courage in Business Award, for its consistent dedication and support of the LGBT business community over the years.

“With more than 8,000 listed companies covering every major industry category, NYSE Euronext has not waivered once in its support of the NGLCC or its LGBT employees,” remarked NGLCC allied board member and CEO of Aetna, Inc., Mark Bertolini. “Their support and involvement just keep on growing and we are so pleased to honor them for their commitment at this year’s dinner.”

Left to right: Deborah Nolan, Kathleen Martinez, Stacy Smithers, Jennifer Brown, Amanda Simpson

The inspiring panelists featured in Thursday’s WBI Luncheon seemed to agree that being authentic and true to oneself is the key to success as an LBT businesswoman.

Moderated by Deborah Nolan, Americas Director of Tax Controversy and Risk Management Services at Ernst & Young, the panel discussion included Jennifer Brown, CEO and founder of Jennifer Brown Consulting; Stacy Smithers, senior vice president of regional sales and marketing for Wells Fargo & Co. and Wachovia, Florida region; Kathleen Martinez, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy; and Amanda Simpson, senior technical advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce, and the first-ever transgender presidential appointee.

Jennifer Brown said she attributes the support of the LGBT business community to much of her own success, noting that it’s the “diversity of thought” common among LGBT professionals that will lead to innovation to “power our country and our world.”

“We’ve barely scratched the surface of what the community is capable of,” Brown said.

Simpson, who transitioned from male to female while she was a rocket scientist and test pilot at Raytheon prior to her presidential appointment, said, “If we are truly to live authentically and to live to our fullest potential, we can’t rely on or be held down by those stereotypes that are imposed by society. It’s about who I am and the capabilities and experiences and what I can bring to your business, what I can bring to the industry, what I can bring to my country. That is what I can be evaluated on, not those preconceived notions that you bring forward.”

Martinez attributed her success to the “amazing mentors” she’s had throughout her life, but being blind has forced her to always prove those with low expectations wrong.

“It’s the challenge of always being met with low expectations that made me who I am, but I’ve also had an amazing network of mentors and muses and just really good luck and good advice,” Martinez said.

In terms of influencing the workplace to recognize LGBT as a diverse segment in their policies, Smithers said it’s LGBT employees being open and authentic that will help advance LGBT diversity issues in the workplace.

“I think that it’s really incumbent upon us to be out, to build those relationships. If you aren’t out, I truly feel that you can’t build relationships,” Smithers said. “I think that so much of that workplace piece needs to be driven by us as leaders to say, we have to be out, we have to show people that we’re normal.”

“When we are not out, when we are not authentic, we take away from the educational piece, we take away from the importance of showing our numbers, and showing our issues,” Simpson said. “We can’t be hiding and expect to move forward.”

Ernst & Young was the Presenting Sponsor of the luncheon. Co-Sponsors of the luncheon included the United States Postal Service, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts and the Campaign for Disability Employment.