P-POUT Dinner Addresses Diversity in the Workplace

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— The Alumni-Student Diversity Dinner brings together LGBTQ and allied Georgetown University alumni and students to discuss diversity in the workplace. Graduate and undergraduate students networked with Georgetown alumni from a diverse set of fields, including consulting, the U.S. government, various NGO’s, and from Georgetown University itself.

The LGBTQ Resource Center, Deloitte Consulting LLP, GradPride, Alumni Career Services, and the Graduate Student Organization joined the Georgetown Public Policy Institute’s (GPPI) Public Policy OUT (P-POUT) organization in hosting the dinner, which featured panelists Nancy Crowell, Professor of Human Sciences at Georgetown University’s school of Nursing and Health Studies, Paul O’Neill, the current COO at Georgetown’s Office of Advancement, and Dan Cardinali, President of Communities in Schools.

Two dominant themes from the discussion were leveraging sexual orientation as a strength, particularly in confronting anti-LGBTQ bias in the workplace, and tackling the “lavender ceiling” or the trepidation of employees to come out to their employers out of fear that it will affect their career mobility. The panelists also discussed benefits options available for LGBTQ employees, and fielded questions about the benefits of LGBTQ-friendly professional networks in job hunting and career advancement.

“This dinner helps prove that, through networking and communication, being an LGBT student or employee is increasingly an asset in today’s marketplace,” said Richard Harris, Co-Chair of P-POUT and an organizer of the event. “P-POUT is very grateful for the sponsorship and advice we received throughout campus and we look forward to the event next year.”

Founded in 2009,P-POUTis GPPI’s LGBTQ policy issue group. Its mission is to provide a visible and public forum within the student body for discussion of LGBTQ issues in policy. P-POUT hosts a number of social, networking, and professional events throughout the year.