Marsha Botzer, LT’98, is the Founder of Seattle’s Ingersoll Gender Center. She is nationally known and recognized for her pioneering work in LGBTQIA+ Communities and organizations. Join us to discuss how knowledge about Gender and Identity has changed services and healthcare, and to hear about some of the other projects and organizations Marsha has helped to found or support. She will be interviewed by Lonnie Lusardo, LT’90, who is the owner of and Principal Consultant for the Diversity Collaborative.
Our Lunch with LT Leaders series highlights inspiring LT alumni who are working to foster the changes needed to make our region more resilient and equitable. Through Zoom, featured leaders will share their leadership journeys and then open the conversation for questions. Each session will take place from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Following the program, there will be an optional 30-minute facilitated discussion to debrief and connect with other alumni. So, grab your lunch and join us! You must register ahead of time to receive the Zoom link.
Event Details:
When: October 28, 2021
Program: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Post-Program Debrief (Optional): 1:00-1:30 p.m.
Where: Zoom (we’ll send you the link the day before the event)
Who: LT alumni, LT’22 class members, Honorary LT, and guests
Cost: $0 - $30
Marsha Botzer, LT’98, has served the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and progressive communities in various roles for over 30 years.
In her home state she was an early member of Hands Off Washington, a founding board member of Equal Rights Washington and the Seattle LGBT Community Center, and has served as a board member for Pride Foundation, Safe Schools Coalition, Lambert House, and Seattle Counseling Service. Marsha was a founding member and secretary of Equality Washington, a co-chair the Seattle City LBGT Commission, and has served as chair of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services LGBT Advisory Committee.
Nationally and internationally, Marsha served as co-chair of The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 2009-10, a position that she also held in 2005-6. She is a founding member of the Out In Front Leadership Project, creating a Leadership Training Program for the LGBTIQA Community, and currently serves on the World Professional Association for Transgender Health board of directors. Marsha founded Seattle’s internationally known Ingersoll Gender Center, and continues to serve the organization.
In 2008 Marsha served as a national co-chair of the Obama Pride Campaign. In 2009 she served on the Leadership Committee for the Equality Across America March in Washington DC, speaking at the Capitol Rally.
In 2002 Marsha received the Greater Seattle Business Association Community Leader Award. In 2004 Marsha received the Horace Mann "Victories for Humanity" Award from Antioch University and the Virginia Prince Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Federation for Gender Education. In 2006 Lambda Legal selected Marsha to receive its Civil Rights Hero Award, and in 2007 she was given The Task Force Leadership Award. In 2009 Marsha received the Jose Julio Sarria Civil Rights Award. In 2011 Marsha received the Washington State GLBT Bar Association Award for Community Service.
Lonnie Lusardo, LT’90, is owner of and Principal Consultant for The Diversity Collaborative, a veteran owned business that specializes in DEI training. Past clients include the U.S. Department of Defense/U.S. Navy, the Boeing Company, Verizon Wireless, public school districts, colleges and universities, and countless nonprofits.
In 2019 Lonnie published The Anatomy of Organized Hate. His interviews with dozens of former white supremacists, resulted in profiles of women and men who defected from the hate movement following convictions for hate crimes and hate-related offenses. The book also assesses what federal and state governments are doing – or not doing -- to manage hate groups nationwide.
Lonnie spent 15 years as a journalist, first with a metropolitan daily, then as freelance correspondent covering civil rights issues in the northwest. He has chaired over 15 community organizations, task forces, and committees, including the LT Board and Curriculum Committee, Antioch University (Seattle) Board of Visitors Greater Seattle Business Association, and as a member of many others. He is currently part of the Community Action Group planning the (Seattle) AIDS Memorial Pathway (AMP) slated for dedication later this year.