The Empowerment Council
The Worthy Mentoring Empowerment Council consists of activists using their platforms, skillsets, and professional backgrounds to uplift the entire LGBTQ+ Community. These council members provide Worthy Mentoring with the latest insights, news, and resources to empower successful mentor/mentee matches and strengthen the Worthy Mentoring community. Below are current Empowerment Council Members and please know that we are growing this community constantly. Stay tuned for updates and progress, and Check out the Empowerment Council Blog here!
Below, you will find empowerment councils on the following:
Military Issues
API Issues
BIPOC Issues
Allies
Transgender Affairs
Non-Binary Affairs
Religious Affairs
Sports & Athletics
Workplace Rights & Visibility
Health & Wellness
Arts & Entertainment
Religious Affairs
Reverend Naomi Washington-Leapheart is the Director for Faith-Based and Interfaith Affairs for the city of Philadelphia and an adjunct professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University. Most recently, she served as the Faith Work Director for the National LGBTQ Task Force, the country’s oldest national LGBTQ justice and equality group.
click here for resources and More from REv. Naomi!
Joy Ladin is a teacher, widely published essayist and poet, literary scholar, and nationally known speaker on transgender issues. She is recognized as the first openly transgender professor at an Orthodox Jewish University, where she most recently was the David and Ruth Gottesman Chair in English at Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University.
click here for resources and more from joy!
Arts & Entertainment
Kareem Queeman, affectionately known as Mr. Bake, began his sweet journey in the kitchen alongside his grandmother at 5 years old. He is the owner and operator of Mr. Bake Sweets, an award winning dessert catering company located in Prince George's County, MD. As an openly gay black chef in an industry that does not showcase it's queer chefs of color, Kareem uses his platform to advocate for the inclusion of transgender, gender queer, and gender non-conforming gay, lesbian and bisexual chefs of color on major food networks.
click here for resources and more from Kareem!
Baxter O’Brien is a Special Education Teacher for the District of Columbia Public School System. For more than 10 years, Baxter has been an instructor and mentor to students with a variety of learning disabilities, and his dedication has earned him such titles as the Rubenstein Award for Highly Effective Teaching. When he’s not in the classroom, Baxter has found a passion and success as a rising DJ in the Washington, DC area. Baxter’s commitment to giving back has made him an exceptional activist for the LGBTQ+ community.
click here for resources and more from Baxter!
Sports & Athletics
Aaron Ach is an associate at a boutique consulting firm in Washington, DC, which helps executive teams and boards manage cyber risk. Most recently, Aaron has been an activist working to make collegiate athletics more inclusive for LGBTQ+ people, most notably during his time as a NCAA Division I College Diver. Throughout his athletic and early professional career, Aaron has connected with LGBTQ+ mentors who have catalyzed his success by encouraging his authenticity. As a Worthy Mentor, he is excited to use these experiences to give back to others finding their voice and place in the LGBTQ+ community.
click here for resources and more from Aaron!
Military Affairs
Lieutenant Commander Grayson Young is a 2010 graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry. Upon commissioning, LT Young served in positions ranging from Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer, Secretary of the Navy Innovation Advisor, Operations Officer, and Officer Advisor to the Diversity and Multi-Cultural Committee. In June of 2020, LT Young and his husband moved to Rota, Spain where he is currently the Plans Tactics Officer onboard USS ROSS (DDG 71). LT Young joined the navy and served under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and joined the advocacy to help repeal the law. He has dedicated his later years in service to mentoring and helping LGBT service members fulfill their call to service while living their authentic lives.
click here for resources and more from LT Young!
Maj Tyler ‘Iron’ McBride is a 2010 Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and currently an F-35A Instructor and Evaluator Pilot in the United States Air Force Reserves. With more than 1,700 Fighter hours, Tyler has served our country over the last decade in nearly every continent. He has flown 85 combat missions in Afghanistan and was selected as the initial F-35A cadre in 2016 to stand up the USAF’s first two F-35A combat squadrons. Equal in comparison to Tyler’s accomplishments, a military aviator is the precedent he and his family have set for diversity and inclusion not only in the USAF but for who serve. Tyler is one the first ever openly gay fighter pilots and in 2020 he led the USAF’s first ever Pride flight, which made sound-waves around the country. Tyler and his husband Kael have two amazing little girls. The McBride family continues to be an example for all, as all are welcome to the friendly skies!
click here for resources and more from Maj McBride!
Health & Wellness
Bill Fanter is the EVP Head of Retail & Business Banking at Luther Burbank Savings, and he is a member of the Company's Executive Committee, serving as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. Prior to joining the Company, he served as Executive Vice President, Head of Retail Banking at Opus Bank and as Senior Vice President, Consumer and Business Banking Market Executive at U.S. Bank. Bill is committed to using his professional background to shed light on the importance of financial health and wellbeing in the LGBTQ+ community. He was born and raised in Chicago, IL but now works and resides in Orange California with his husband Fraymond Fonseca.
click here for resources and more from Bill!
BIPOC Issues
Kevin Satterfield is an independent filmmaker and documentarian from Brooklyn, NY. Kevin got his start in filmmaking when he realized he could combine his passion for social justice work and love for visual mediums. Through his career as a filmmaker and identity as a gay Black man, he facilitate broader dialogues about topics such as racism, transphobia, and capitalism. Kevin is a leading change-maker and activist for all members of the LGBTQ+ community.
click here for resources and more from Kevin!
Allies
Colonel Mike Edmonson is the former Superintendent of the Louisiana State Police. A distinguished career with more than 36 years on the police force, Colonel Edmonson was also the Deputy Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety. A lifetime commitment to public service, Colonel Edmonson has also dedicated his life to advocating for the less fortunate and vulnerable. He has traveled the world working to end human trafficking, and he uses his platform to empower his son, Michael, and his nonprofit Worthy Mentoring that provides mentorship to those struggling in the LGBTQ+ community.
click here for resources and more From Colonel EdmonsoN!
Transgender Issues
Morgen Hunt is a media personality, career entrepreneur, and the President of the Equality Chamber of Commerce Foundation of the DC Metro Area. Morgen is committed to using her platform and professional success as a transgender woman to open doorways for other LGBTQ+ professionals — especially people of color — to network, connect and thrive in Washington, DC and beyond. From her radio shows to monthly gatherings of Washington DC’s top LGBTQ+ business professionals, Morgen has dedicated her life to giving back to the queer community.
click here for resources and more from Morgen!
Brenden Watts is the Executive Director of Trans People of Color Coalition (TPOCC) and a transit planner for a public transportation system, where he combines his passion for social justice and safe transit services. As a queer man of trans experience, he’s dedicated his personal and professional life to highlighting advocacy that empowers and supports trans people of color. Through TPOCC, Brenden has presented workshops at conferences and universities on topics ranging from lobbying for trans rights through policy work to addressing intercommunal conflict within the trans community. Each day, Brenden is a vocal and visible advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.