ETS Celebrates Pride Month

“In my various roles working with educators, educational organizations, and students, ETS has provided me with the opportunity to help with the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion of underrepresented populations, including but not limited to the LGBTQ community. Through my involvement with both NACAC’s (National Association of College Admissions Counseling) LGBTQ networking group and NAFSA’s Rainbow Special Interest Group, I have been a voice for ETS in support of our mission to advance quality and equity in education, which includes opposing legislation and any policies that allow for discrimination in any form related to higher education.”

“An important aspect of any job is having a safe and supportive community and the ability to be your authentic self at work. I try to be very visible as a queer and nonbinary person at ETS so that other people who are LGBTQ+ (or LGBTQIA-adjacent) know that this is a place where they can do just that. I’ve had the opportunity to work with many people here who are committed to making a change in education. As a person of lived experience with a background in LGBTQ-affirmative research and teaching, I have been able to advise on projects throughout the enterprise, including expanding gender options for test-takers, ensuring fairness in test items, and identifying opportunities for research on educational disparities. In 2020, I worked with the Center for Advocacy & Philanthropy (CAAP) to host a ‘lunch and learn’ session to highlight HiTOPS, a local LGBTQ+ youth organization that I work with. Working for ETS has given my efforts a much broader reach and allows me to help create a more just and equitable experience for learners at all levels.”

“ETS’s generous tuition assistance program afforded me the opportunity to pursue a doctorate in Educational Leadership. Having spent decades involved in LGBTQ+ rights activities, I focused my dissertation research on New Jersey’s recently passed LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum legislation. In addition to working with a local school district on their planning and implementation of an LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum, I have presented my research to the Institute for Student Achievement (ISA) staff, a division of ETS, and to ISA’s Principal Support Network. I recently earned my Ed.D. and am now in the process of writing/publishing journal articles on LGBTQ+ topics in K-12 education. My LGBTQ+-related efforts at ETS go beyond my doctoral research. As the Internal Communications Leader for our Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (#DEI), I am responsible for promoting and sharing DEI’s important work across the organization, including their Pride Month activities and the LGBTQ+ Business Resource Group’s (BRG) initiatives. I am also a member of ETS’s LGBTQ+ Business Resource Group and have taken part in the BRG’s meetings and events.”