UW Combined Fund Drive

May 10, 2023

Engage with LGBTQ+ nonprofits at Pride Month lunch & learn

In recognition of Pride Month, join the UWCFD for a virtual lunch and learn seminar featuring local LGBTQ+-serving nonprofit organizations from 12 – 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 21. 

Register here to join us via Zoom

Speakers:

Brennon Ham (Brennon/they/any)
Director, University of Washington Q Center
Brennon is originally from Maryland, just outside of DC and Baltimore. Brennon comes from a big and blended family on the east coast. They grew up swimming and playing baseball competitively for 10 years each and now coach swimming for Garfield High School and Lakeridge Swim Club here in Seattle.

Brennon is a queer, bigender, mixed-Latinx, formerly homeless, survivor of violence. These identities and experiences shaped much of their professional and academic pursuits. Over the last 12 years, Brennon has held roles with A Way Home Washington; Seattle Public Schools; The Northwest Network of LGBTQ+ Survivors of Abuse; Lifelong AIDS Alliance; and Queer Youth Space. Brennon received a Masters in Education Policy & Management from Harvard University, completed their undergraduate studies at Case Western Reserve University, and finished a Diversity & Inclusion certificate program at Cornell University. At CWRU, Brennon was the first LGBTQ Center’s student staff.

Katie Carter (she/her/hers)
CEO, Pride Foundation
Katie has been working for social justice as a nonprofit professional for the past 10 years, with a particular focus on LGBTQ+ and gender justice. Originally from the Midwest, she moved to Portland, Oregon in 2008 to contribute her passion for social change with her skills in organizational development, fundraising, communications, and strategy.

In 2019, she relocated to Seattle to become the CEO of Pride Foundation after being on staff for 5 years. In her role as CEO, Katie supports the foundation’s efforts by building community and institutional partnerships, developing creative communications strategies, and mobilizing resources to affect change in the Northwest. Prior to her current role, Katie was the Director of Strategic Priorities and before that the Regional Philanthropy Officer in Oregon. Katie believes deeply in community involvement and the importance of volunteering. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Grantmakers of Oregon and SW Washington. She also was a co-founder of a restorative justice group that facilitates a gender and sexuality seminar for people who are incarcerated.

Katie earned a Master of Arts in Philosophy of Science from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Philosophy from DePaul University. In addition to her professional and volunteer commitments, Katie is an avid reader of feminist and political writing, philosophy, poetry, and memoir, and has had a lifelong interest in science and the natural world, particularly animal cognition and behavior. She also enjoys crafting, watercolor, writing, everything having to do with cats, and all bodies of water, especially the Oregon coast.

Brandon Knox (he/him/his)
Program Director, Lambert House LGBTQ+ Youth Center
Brandon began volunteering to serve his community in the 1st grade through Scouting, and continued to focus on community while attending the University of Washington and University of Nevada, Reno. holding a variety of volunteer and student employee leadership positions. Brandon became a Lambert House program participant at age 20 where he made his first LGBTQ+ friends, and volunteered to plan and execute events for his peers including a dance, and a nine-month leadership and activism seminar series for middle and high School students.

Brandon worked in higher education at Central Washington University in Residence Life & New Student Programs for four years, partnering with faculty, other staff, and student leaders to support students in achieving academic and social success. Brandon joined the Lambert House staff full-time in August 2014 and has taken on progressively more responsibility since then. He currently oversees Lambert House’s Seattle-based programs, the adult volunteer program, supports youth in-crisis, networks with other community organizations, coordinates community outreach, and assists with fundraising.

Discover more nonprofits working in the LGBTQ+ space