Jennifer L. Levi (pronoun flexible)
Director, Transgender Rights Project
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)
Event Panelist

Jennifer L. Levi is the director of GLAD’s Transgender Rights Project and a nationally recognized expert on transgender legal issues. Levi is one of two transgender attorneys leading the legal fight against President Trump’s transgender military ban in both Doe v. Trump and Stockman v. Trump.

Levi is a law professor at Western New England University, co-editor of Transgender Family Law: A Guide to Effective Advocacy (2012), and serves on the Legal Committee of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. Levi is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and a former law clerk to the Honorable Judge Michael Boudin at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Click here for Jennifer L. Levi’s full bio and precedent-setting trans rights cases.

Irene Brank (she/her)
Workplace Trans Inclusion Coach
Brank Consulting
Event Panelist

Irene is a storyteller, consultant, and advocate for the transgender community. She specializes in transgender education, transition at work consultation, and leading gender transitions in the workplace.  Irene is a frequent speaker for corporations and non-profit events, often partnering with her transgender daughter who is promoting change as a social media influencer and content creator. Irene brings her unique experience in Human Resources and Diversity and Inclusion together with her journey in raising a transgender daughter to tell stories that will change hearts and minds.

Click here to learn more about Irene Brank’s work.

Ellen LaPointe (she/her)
Chief Executive Officer
Fenway Health
Event Panelist

Ellen LaPointe has been Chief Executive Officer of Fenway Health since March of 2020. LaPointe has held numerous leadership roles in the nonprofit and public health sectors, working in social justice, research, LGBTQIA+/HIV activism and advocacy, health policy, law, and equity over the last three decades.

She began her career as Coordinator of the Brown University AIDS Program, where she was involved in some of the earliest efforts to ensure access to promising experimental AIDS treatments and life-saving care. LaPointe moved to San Francisco to become Director of Clinical Research at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital and later practiced law at a large firm, where she represented pro bono clients in cases involving marriage equality, wrongful eviction, end-of-life liberty, and other matters.

Click here for Ellen Lapointe’s full bio.

Colleen Simonelli (she/her)
Chief People Officer
Wolf & Company, P.C.
Event Moderator

Colleen serves as Chief People Officer for Wolf and Company, one of the top regional certified public accounting firms in the Northeast, New York and New Jersey.  She is responsible for the Firm’s people strategy and talent programs. Her duties aim to attract and inspire a diverse and inclusive culture where employees can share their passion and thrive in their careers.

Colleen joined the Firm in 2020 and has over 25 years of experience in human resources. Prior to joining Wolf, Colleen’s work included leading global culture and people programs to drive innovation and transformation across multiple industries including software, pharmaceuticals, accounting, and telecommunications.

Click here for Colleen Simonelli’s full bio.

About Pride in Our Workplace:

Pride in Our Workplace provides all LGBTQ+ professionals with ways to amplify their voices and create thriving workplace cultures. By centering the LGBTQ+ perspective within our most important conversations, we help LGBTQ+ professionals and allied businesses to drive positive change in the workplace.

Learn more about Pride in Our Workplace by visiting www.piow.org.