This Year’s Reaching Out MBA LGBTQ Conference Arrives in Boston
The ROMBA LGBTQ MBA and Graduate Student Conference, the largest annual gathering of LGBTQ graduate school students in the world, takes place Boston this week, running from October 12-14. It is presented by Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping create the next generation of out business leaders by educating, inspiring, and connecting the student and alumni LGBTQ MBA and graduate studies communities.
The 20th annual three-day conference offers thousands of attendees an incredibly unique opportunity to connect and expand their careers with a close-knit and inclusive community. Included in the ever-expanding event are multiple case competitions, high-profile keynote speakers, information chats with MBA programs, the first inaugural “Professional Day” session and much, much more.
Day One
Those in attendance on Thursday, Oct. 12, will have the chance to join the first of two Boston LGBTQ MBA Treks. Through a competitive application process, 20 students are selected to join each of the treks. One trek will make stops at two of the city’s more prominent biotech companies and the other will visit two leading management consulting firms.
Throughout the first day, which runs from 2 to 11 p.m. at the Boston Seaport World Trade Center, corporate partners are invited to meet with Reaching Out’s staff and Board on future ROMBA events, both in the United States and in international locations like Brazil and China. An Out Women in Business event will run from 3 to 7 p.m., featuring “short-form talks, a panel discussion, and structured workshop, designed to bring together our LGBTQ attendees and to focus on issues that specifically apply to and interest them.” It will be followed by a formal reception.
As well, the first day will feature multiple panel events designed to help attendees navigate the recruiting process. These panels will address potential first-year grad school anxiety, how companies can appropriately measure and expand inclusive practices, interview assistance, and more. The first night concludes with the aforementioned Out Women In Business ceremony, a ceremony for active and previously enrolled military veterans, and the invitation-only ROMBA Fellowship Recipient Reception.
Day Two
Day Two, Oct. 13, begins with a breakfast and opening keynote panel, featuring three of the business world’s most prominent LGBTQ C-suite members: Jim Fitterling, president & chief operating officer of Dow Chemical; Beth Ford, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Land O’ Lakes; and Jan Siegmund, ADP chief financial officer.
Several informative industry panels will take place throughout Day Two, covering topics such as coming out and thriving in the workplace, handling big data, inclusive networking, diversity in the tech industry, and much more. Later that afternoon, McKinsey Global Management Partner Dominic Barton and United Therapeutics’ CEO Martine Rothblatt will speak at the Leadership Lunch, sponsored by McKinsey and Co.
The 2015 ROMBA Conference
The centerpiece of Day Two is the three-hour Career Expo, which will feature nearly 100 of the world’s largest companies looking to recruit the best and brightest of LGBTQ graduate talent. At the same time, ROMBA will host an Entrepreneurship Expert Zone, which allows entrepreneurs to present their startup ideas to potential venture capitalist partners.
The night will conclude with the LGBTQ MBAs of Color Reception, taking place at from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by a pre-entertainment networking reception, and an “Evening With” popular LGBTQ comedian Margaret Cho at 9 p.m.
Day Three
Day Three will perhaps mark the most important of the conference as it relates to earning admission into the country’s best MBA programs. At 10 a.m., more than 40 business schools will join the Pre-MBA Admission Expo. The event “will have a mix of admissions officers, LGBTQ MBA alumni, and current LGBTQ MBA students on-site to share information about their programs & experiences on campus with our pre-MBA attendees.”
The afternoon will be filled with pre-MBA sessions on why some students may want to consider dual-degree programs, regional networking, alumni discussions, and more. At 5 p.m., many schools will host their own private sessions with current students, alumni, and administrative officials..
The final night culminates with the 7 p.m. ROMBA Gala Reception and the sold out GALA Dinner, featuring CNN journalist Anderson Cooper, the conference’s keynote speaker.
To find out how to register for this weekend’s event, along with a more in depth look at the three-day schedule, head over to the ROMBA official website.
Home Depot Offers Student Scholarship for 2017 Reaching Out Conference
Six second-year MBA students will be given the opportunity to attend the 2017 Reaching Out LGBT MBA & Business Graduate Conference in Boston thanks to a sponsorship through Home Depot.
Stanford Lecturer Advises LGBTQ Leaders How to Lead Out Loud
Stanford’s Graduate School of Business recently published an article on a webinar from J.D. Schramm, a lecturer in organizational behavior, about the professional impact of LGBTQ leaders staying in the closet. As part of the webinar, Schramm—a Stanford GSB alumnus, MBA ’78—shared “communication strategies” to “lead out loud.”
“Every LGBTQ person has one thing in common with every other LGBTQ person, and that is the journey that we’ve all gone on in order to be ready to communicate who we are,” Schramm writes. “You can lead from any box but you can lead stronger if you lead out loud, which means leading from the top right quadrant.”
Schramm articulated that LGBTQ leaders can “control their stories” in a multitude of ways—“private at work but out among friends” is one common method. Others use their high-profile professional positions to develop LGBTQ-friendly media and content, such as Stanford alum, former Google employee and one of Forbes’ 2016 30 Under 30 All-Stars Raymond Braun, who helped develop Youtube’s LGBTQ strategy.
Schramm advises people to understand how their employer “works with its LGBTQ employees” before deciding to come out. He also made the following helpful checklist of suggestions:
- Consider where you live, where you work, and your industry.
- Privately share with a smaller group of key colleagues to gauge reactions.
- Look for your best allies in the straight world.
- Consider more indirect ways to come out, such as demonstrating an affinity with LGBT groups on your LinkedIn profile or resume.
- Bring your significant other to a work event where spouses/partners are invited.
- Add a line about your spouse and family to your company bio.
- If single, find simple ways to share stories about your life. For example, “When I was a leader in the undergrad gay pride group…”
- Seek out gay leaders in senior management who have a transparent presence.
SDSU Raises Rainbow Flag for LGBTQ+ Community
For the 9th year in a row, San Diego State University held its Rainbow Flag Raising Ceremony, which symbolized the pride and diversity of the SDSU LGBTQ+ community. This year’s event kicked off on July 13 at the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union flagpole. Continue reading…
University of Washington Ranked Top LGBTQ-Friendly College
The University of Washington is ranked as one of the top 15 best universities in the US for LGBTQ students. Over the last 20 years, universities all over the United States have started addressing the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students, staff, and faculty. For many schools it’s about running special programs, changing public policy, and hosting student activities. That’s exactly what the University of Washington has done according to a ranking by CollegeChoice.net. Continue reading…
Support for LGBTQ Community Grows on MBA Campuses
Since the release of the cover of the July issue of Vanity Fair Magazine, the world has been erupting with news about Caitlyn Jenner. According to TIME, there were more than 10 million Google searches for “Caitlyn Jenner” from May 29 to June 5. Caitlyn, formerly known as Bruce, has become the most well-known transgender woman. According to the official Google blog, “Her high-profile transition has put Jenner at the center of an active national dialogue about transgender equality and rights.”
In a preview of the VF story “Call Me Caitlyn,” the magazine reveals some of the conversations that contributing editor Buzz Bissinger had with Jenner over the course of her transition. The two discuss her upcoming eight-part documentary series on the E! network, “I am Cait.” Jenner comments that she is prepared for criticism about creating a show that could be perceived as a publicity stunt. “You don’t go out and change your gender for a television show. O.K., it ain’t happening. I don’t care who you are,” Jenner told Vanity Fair. “I’m doing it to help my soul and help other people.” The E! documentary series will focus on the issues that the transgender community faces.
