What has been the highlight of your career? I am very fortunate to have had a number of jobs that have given me opportunities to work for big, positive change in the world. Living and working in West Africa as my first job out of University, helping women’s journalists and supporting press freedom was phenomenal. Supporting the US government’s US Citizenship and Immigration Services post 9/11, as a change management consultant was an incredible honor. Living overseas and supporting a massive, whole-of-government modernization program certainly helped me in my role as CEO of Out & Equal. All of these and more have been extraordinary highlights and have made me who I am. Leading this organisation at a time in history when we see real backlash against our community alongside an exciting trend of corporate activism is very motivating. People do not want to go backwards, but rather see through and push forward their investments in Diversity and Inclusion, so we are well positioned to keep creating and supporting this wave of change. Who or what has been your main inspiration in your career? My parents are a huge inspiration and I love them very much, they are my personal heroes! Also my mother’s younger sister, Ann. She came to live with us when I was an infant, because my mother’s father and mother both passed away right before I was born. My parents were only 24 and my father was at grad school and working a few different jobs, but they took in my young aunt and uncle (14 and 13). So, they were together surviving the very traumatic experience of losing their parents, while also trying to get on with life and their own family, and ensured my childhood was filled with joy and love. My aunt is also a non-profit executive and has really inspired me through her pursuit of excellence and her integrity. She is always mission focused. She is brave, funny, caring and she has always loved me unconditionally and with no judgement, no matter who I was with or what my struggles were. What are your favourite pastimes when you aren’t working? Like most parents, my pastimes are tied up with having kids, so bringing young children back from overseas to a really cool city like Washington DC has been amazing. It has been great to see Washington through new eyes, get to know it again and appreciate what it offers families. This is especially the case with arts and culture. Aside from that, I try to visit as many restaurants, concerts and independent films with friends… lamenting of course the closing of my beloved “Phase 1” lesbian bar and celebrating a new one opening- League of her Own! What would you like to be if you didn’t do what you currently do? I can’t imagine doing anything different to what I’m doing now- it’s a dream job. However, if I were not doing this, I might try to work on or produce a National Public Radio (NPR) show like “This American Life”, work on “the Daily” podcast, or produce Rachel Maddow’s show. I have a huge passion for journalism and press freedom, so being involved in the news business in some capacity would be exciting and rewarding- especially now when we need good investigative reporting more than ever. What is your favourite restaurant – or best ever meal – and who was it with? I love all kinds of food, but right now Turkish and Korean are at the top of the list. I am fortunate enough to say that I have had too many “best” meals to count just one, but will just say, the company always counts most- I smile when I think of how many great moments of connection and dialogue I’ve had with amazing people over a great meal. What was the book which most influenced you when a teenager or child? Toni Morrison, who has sadly recently passed away, is my favourite author. Her book Beloved magically fell into my lap before spending a night on Goree Island in Dakar, Senegal when I was living there in 1997. I stayed up all night reading it in a small hotel, only 100 meters from the “Door of No Return” where thousands of slaves were deported to the United States. To me, she feels similar to my other favorite author Arundhati Roy (author of The God of Small Things) in that their writing is so rich with metaphor I am lost in the magical worlds of their characters- so many of whom are women facing difficult choices. Do you have something on your desk or where you work, which is personal – if so, what? Yes – it is one of my favourite things on my desk, although I also sometimes travel with it. It is a small booklet – a copy of our Constitution, that was given to me when I was waiting for a friend at Dulles Airport. It was just after Donald Trump had tried to introduce the Muslim travel ban, and my daughters’ father is Arab Muslim and was going to visit us in a few weeks. So, while waiting for my friend to come out, I approached a table of attorneys from the ACLU who were volunteering to help out people and their families who might have a hard time getting through Customs. As I was standing there, one of my most beloved heroes, Khizr Khan, visited the attorneys to thank and encourage them. He is the Pakistani father who lost his son in Iraq – a member of our military who fought for our country and was killed. He and his wife spoke at our Democratic National Convention in 2016. They talked about being proud Muslims and inspired everyone with their message about who our constitution was made for. In this widely seen speech, the most dramatic part is when he holds up a copy of the Constitution and speaks to Donald Trump directly,