FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LANSING, MI—With great pride, we announce the launch of the Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity.
Born out of a student movement to build queer success in the Midwest, the Institute is charged with the task of overseeing MBLGTACC, the nation’s largest conference for LGBTQIA+ college students.
For twenty-five years, MBLGTACC has brought together students from around the United States for a few days each year to learn and grow through the knowledge and experiences of others. It has attracted leading activists, entertainers, and thinkers from around the world and from our own homes to share this space, to engage and grow, and to help catalyze positive change on our campuses, in our states, in our nation, and beyond.
The Institute is committed to ensuring that the 25-year history of the conference carries forward to touch countless lives in the next quarter century. For the first time, this will also include taking the principles of MBLGTACC beyond the three-day event. We will do more.
Justin Drwencke, a director from the 2013 conference at Michigan State University, joins the leadership team as its chief executive officer. Roze Brooks, a director from the 2014 conference at University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins as chief operating officer, and Khamille De Lara, a director from the 2015 conference at Illinois State University, joins as chief financial officer. Nick Pfost joins as the chief marketing officer, Lee Dyer joins as the vice president for community accountability, and Mariam Mustafa joins as the vice president for climate assessment. Kate Miller, a director of the 2013 conference, and Robert Alberts, a director of the 2015 conference, both join as campus relations coordinators. The leadership also welcomes Andrea Swick as a web developer.
The Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity’s 25th annual MBLGTACC will be held at Navy Pier in Chicago, IL, February 17-19, 2017. It will be hosted by the Chicago Coalition of Queer and Allied Students, with leaders from DePaul University, Loyola University, and Northeastern Illinois University.
The Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity empowers students of diverse sexualities and genders to inspire sustainable change; leads higher education colleagues in relevant and inclusive practices; and advances knowledge of sexuality and gender through advocacy and expansive programming.