Events & Calendars Alumni-in-Residence: Bringing Your Authentic Self to Work, with Jay Gilliam ’04

Jay Gilliam ’04, Director of the Global Program at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), leads this program, which works alongside advocates, organizations and movements around the world, to advance equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people everywhere.
He majored in political science during his time at Amherst and then went on to gain his master’s in peace studies at International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan.
Prior to joining HRC, Gilliam served in the Obama administration at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for nearly five years, working in the Bureau of Policy, Planning and Learning, the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs, and in the Office of the Senior LGBTI Coordinator. In these roles, he shared how the Agency does more effective work and maximizes its impact in the development space; led USAID communications and public engagement efforts on LGBTI inclusive development work; and developed stories about the hard work done around the world to end extreme poverty.
Gilliam will speak candidly with students about his journey in both government and non-profit work and in mission-driven organizations focusing on how he faced bringing his authentic self to the workplace, as well as the challenges he faced as he moved through his career. He will discuss the intersection of his own identities and discuss strategies for students to bring their own authentic selves as they begin their career journeys.
Please be sure to register via Handshake.