Deena is an extraordinary leader with a strong legacy of impact and expertise in stakeholder engagement, community building, global programing, and public policy—a combination that will drive Out & Equal’s vision and goals forward domestically and around the world.

After spending nearly 12 years leading the Workplace Equality Program at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Deena will begin her tenure at O&E having already built exemplary relationships with so many of our partners, D&I leaders, and LGBTQ community members. As the visionary and driver behind the CEI, there is no one better positioned to provide insights, support, and collaboration to Out & Equal’s corporate partners on building workplaces grounded in inclusion and equality.

Deena has spent her career accelerating the number of major employers with transgender-inclusive policies, healthcare and inclusion practices to reach historic highs across the CEI. She has developed a decade worth of research and resources on workplace climate to elevate Bi visibility, generational differences, POC experiences, regional and other elements of our community’s rich diversity. She has led several historic corporate public policy initiatives including the now 150+ growing Equality Act coalition. Her collaboration with national LGBTQ NGOs is unprecedented.

Deena’s global portfolio is impressive and growing. Her understanding of the evolving needs of multi-national companies in developing inclusion positions her perfectly to bring Out & Equal’s Global Program to the next level. She has launched in-country partnerships and one of the world’s first bi-lingual/ bi-cultural workforce inclusion programming and resources in Latin America. She has worked building LGBT workplace equality on-the ground in India, Hong Kong and Japan and she is eager to lead the powerful and transformative work Out & Equal is doing in Brazil.

We are proud of a renewed, collaborative partnership with HRC and thank them for fostering Deena’s growth and leadership over the last decade and as we welcome her to Out & Equal—we know that she brings with her the impactful expertise that comes with a tenure at such a well-respected institution. HRC’s commitment to capacity building by developing leaders like Deena is something that Out & Equal, and our entire community, benefits from.

 Deena will be leading Out & Equal’s Stakeholder work with a focus in virtual and in-person connection, community development through intersectionality, and building Out & Equal’s Global Program—bringing the vision of a world where all LGBTQ professionals belong and thrive at work to every corner of the globe.

Deena will be based in Washington DC as a founding member of the Out & Equal DC Office.