On Friday, GLAAD announced that activist and entertainer Peppermint, North American Lead for the World Economic Forum, Shameek Bose, and Zoom’s Chief Diversity Officer, Damien Hooper-Campbell have joined the organization’s National Board of Directors. GLAAD also announced that Sony Music Group’s Executive Vice President, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Tiffany R. Warren, will return to its Board of Directors.
Peppermint (she/her/hers) is a trailblazing actress, singer, DJ, reality star, and activist. Peppermint was the first trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway in the hit musical Head Over Heels. A longtime figure in queer nightlife, Peppermint rose to prominence with her success as the first out trans contestant on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” where she finished as runner-up in one of the series’ most-talked-about finales. Recent projects include an appearance on the GLAAD and Emmy award winning series “Pose”, a recurring role on the CBS series “God Friended Me” and an upcoming role on the new Fox scripted drama “Deputy.” As an activist, Peppermint hosted the 2019 GLAAD Gala San Francisco, has fundraised for prominent LGBTQ rights groups, partnered with the MAC Cosmetics AIDS Fund, and is involved in the HIV vaccine trials network. She is particularly concerned about the challenges faced by transgender and non-binary people in today’s political climate and takes every available opportunity to speak at universities and to various communities on the issue. She recently released her fifth studio album and looks forward to breaking new ground and being a positive voice during troublesome times.
Shameek Bose (he/him/his) is a Global Leadership Fellow and the Lead for North America at the World Economic Forum. As a business strategist, he is an instinctive marketer with over 15 years in business-to-business sales experience; he spots trends and designs innovative business models that allow companies to flourish. Bose, a frequent adviser to C-suite executives, has brokered several multi-million dollar partnerships to support the mission of the World Economic Forum. His time at the World Economic Forum is devoted to helping businesses scale up, an important part of which, to Bose, is creating sustainable business models that have a positive global impact. He is a proud first-generation immigrant and a strong proponent of expanding visibility for other LGBTQ people of South Asian descent. As a champion for diverse representation in business, Bose remarks below on recent announcements affecting publicly traded companies.
“The NASDAQ policy mandating inclusion of LGBT and other marginalized communities on corporate boards is a direct result of GLAAD’s work in advancing inclusion over the past 30 years. We have finally reached a tipping point and I’m excited to use my energy and resources to scale up these efforts across the private and public sectors.”
Damien Hooper-Campbell (he/him/his) is the first Chief Diversity Officer at Zoom, where he leads the company’s global strategy for infusing diversity, equity and inclusion across its workforce, workplace and products. Hooper-Campbell also has responsibility for Zoom’s University Recruiting practice and is a member of the Zoom Cares Advisory Board. Prior to joining Zoom, Hooper-Campbell was eBay’s first Chief Diversity Officer, led their University Recruiting & Programs Team and served as a board member on the eBay Foundation. Before eBay, Damien was Uber’s first Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, where he drove the company’s foundational Diversity & Inclusion strategy and led its community engagement efforts with the City of Oakland, CA. Prior to Uber, he advised Google’s senior leaders as a Diversity Strategist, coached executives as a Vice President in Goldman Sachs’ Pine Street Leadership Development Group, diversified Harvard Business School’s student body as an Assistant Director on its MBA Admissions Board and empowered the Harlem nonprofit community as an Associate Program Officer within the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation (UMEZ). Hooper-Campbell is a member of the Board of Directors for Supernova Partners Acquisition Company, Inc. and serves as a member of Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Computer Science Dean’s Advisory Board and The Steve Fund’s Crisis Response Task Force and Corporate Leadership Council.
Tiffany R. Warren (she/her/hers) is the Executive Vice President, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Sony Music Group. In her newly created role, Warren is expanding equity and inclusion activities and policies across all of Sony Music Group’s (SMG) global recorded music, publishing and corporate divisions. Recently as the Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer for Omnicom Group, Warren led the strategy that supported Omnicom’s vision to be a world class, benchmark company for sustainable diversity and inclusion. She oversaw a team focused on Omnicom-wide change efforts for the advancement and retention of top performing talent inclusive of women, people of color and LGBTQ professionals. Recognized as a leader in the field of diversity, Warren is a talent strategist with 22+ years of championing diverse professionals in the creative industries. In 2005, she founded ADCOLOR, which has launched the ADCOLOR Conference, Awards and FUTURES program. As President of ADCOLOR, she deeply impacted and has been widely recognized for the progress and direction the creative industries have taken around diversity, equity & inclusion. In addition to her roles with Omnicom and ADCOLOR, Warren serves on the boards of several organizations: the Ad Council, Brotherhood|Sister Sol, American Advertising Federation and The Ghetto Film School. She is a Trustee of Bentley University.
Pamela Stewart (she/her/hers), President, West Operations – North America Operating Unit for Coca-Cola North America, currently serves as the Chair of GLAAD’s Board of Directors.
“With their passion for social change and their knowledge and expertise in growing diversity, equity and inclusion in media, entertainment, and business, our new Board Members are true reflections of the breadth of GLAAD’s mission and reach,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Our work in 2021 will be centered on including LGBTQ acceptance and representation at ever possible aperture – from Hollywood to global business – and our new slate of Board Members will be imperative to shape and execute this timely work.”
GLAAD’s work continues to accelerate LGBTQ acceptance by amplifying LGBTQ issues and stories. Recent highlights include:
During the 2020 election cycle, GLAAD was engaged in a 100 Days of Action campaign to educate LGBTQ people about what’s at stake during the 2020 election and to increase LGBTQ turnout at the polls:
- GLAAD corrected the record after the Trump Administration and surrogates inaccurately stated that the Trump Administration was an ally to LGBTQ Americans. During the Republican National Convention in August, GLAAD premiered an advertisement called the “The Conversation” on Fox News, which spotlights the lack of protections still facing the LGBTQ community, the Trump Administration’s opposition to those protections, and the Equality Act as the solution.
- In October, GLAAD’s released its ‘State of LGBTQ Voters’ poll found that LGBTQ voters were highly motivated and prepared to vote. The poll also found overwhelming support from LGBTQ voters for Vice President Joe Biden (76%) in a head-to-head matchup against President Trump (17%). After the election, initial exit poll data incorrectly cited inflated support for President Trump from LGBTQ voters. In response, GLAAD conducted a post-election poll which found that among all LGBTQ voters, 81% voted for President-elect Biden and 14% for President Trump. The poll also found a phenomenal turnout of the LGBTQ vote, a surge of first-time LGBTQ voters, with votes motivated by three top issues urgently demanding a more robust response from our nation’s leaders: COVID-19, healthcare and racial justice.
- GLAAD partnered with BuzzFeed to launch “Drive the Vote,” a 4-part video series featuring interviews with LGBTQ voters across four battleground states: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
- GLAAD worked with Demi Lovato, Halle Berry, Adam Rippon, and Lee Daniels to send voice messages to LGBTQ voters and allies in battleground states of Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania about early voting, voting deadlines, and the issues at stake in this election.
- Throughout the 2020 election, GLAAD also continued to hold government officials and other notables in the Trump administration accountable for their anti-LGBTQ records, including Ric Grenell and Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett during her confirmation hearings.
- GLAAD reached out to debate and town hall moderators to offer resources and data about where LGBTQ voters stand and the issues important to the community, and to advocate for LGBTQ inclusion in nationally televised Presidential candidate debates and town halls.
- A week before the election, as a reminder of what was at stake in the ballot box, GLAAD released its annual Accelerating Acceptance Index, which found that a majority of Americans, both LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ, believe that LGBTQ people have federal protections in areas of life in which they do not.
The GLAAD Media Institute continues its behind-the-scenes consulting and advocacy for LGBTQ representation across all forms of media. Just recently, the GLAAD Media Institute worked with various brands, media, and celebrities to celebrate, amplify, and uplift the trans community during Trans Awareness Week:
- GLAAD partnered with Netflix documentary Disclosure to encourage cisgender allies to watch the film and learn more about how media stereotypes have harmed transgender people. GLAAD put the spotlight on the trans crew who worked behind-the-scenes to bring the film to screen, pointing out how the experience changed their lives and helped create a better film.
- GLAAD worked with Citi to launch a groundbreaking trans-inclusive advertising campaign to recognize its recent partnership with Mastercard’s True Name initiative, which allows transgender and nonbinary people to use their chosen name on eligible credit cards across the U.S.
- GLAAD worked closely with Google to produce a film highlighting gc2b, an company founded and run by Marli Washington, an Afro-Latinx transgender man. The partnership also debuted some revealing data illustrating how Americans are using Google search to learn about the trans community and become better allies.
- GLAAD and Getty Images launched their first collaborative effort with contributor guidelines to improve visual representation of the transgender community. The Getty Images and GLAAD Transgender Guidelines include accurate terminology for use in tagging and captions, clichés to avoid, as well as ways to create a safe and welcoming set when shooting transgender and non-binary models.