In the context of the creation and maintenance of small LGBTQ+ associations, many leaders and advocates of small organizations often do not have relevant training in management of boards of directors, budget development, funds management, speaking with the media or strategic planning. In her presentation, Meli Barber provides an overview of key skills needed by the members of this kind of organizations and how they can be developed. The recording in English of this talk is available from AUDIO and VIDEO format.
Marianne Duddy-Burke is the Executive Director of DignityUSA, the world’s oldest organization of Catholics committed to justice, equality and full inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) people in the church and society and the first woman to be its President. She is also Co-Chair of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics has a Masters in Divinity from Weston Jesuit School of Theology (now integrated into Boston College). She has more than 35 years of experience in leadership positions in both non-profit and corporate organizations. She is a frequent speaker at national and regional conferences, and has represented Dignity in over 4,000 media stories, covering print, radio, television, and on-line media. She has spoken on LGBTQI+ issues in eight countries. She has written for The New York Times, National Catholic Reporter, The Advocate, Washington Post, Huffington Post, and numerous other publications. She is featured in the award-winning documentary film Wonderfully Made: LGBTQ+R(eligion), and is profiled in the books Redemption Stories: Unwasted Pain and Catholic Women Confront Their Church: Stories of Anger and Hope. In October 2023, Marianne met with Pope Francis in an historic encounter between the Pope and leaders of LGBTQIA+ Catholic organizations. In 2022, she was recognized by The Tablet as one of the 50 top Catholic global leaders whose talents are lost to the institutional church. She was honored by the National LGBTQ Task Force as one of the 20 faith leaders most responsible for Queering Spaces. During the Obama Administration, Marianne served as a Special Advisor to the State Department on issues of Faith and LGBTQ+ human rights. She has testified before Congress on issues including the need for more inclusive foster care and adoption services, discrimination against LGBTQI+ people in Catholic health care, human services programming, and education, and the misuse of religious exemptions to harm LGBTQI+ people and others. Marianne lives in Boston with Becky, her spouse of over 30 years, and their two adopted children, now young adults, one of whom is transgender.