LANSING, MI—Today, we’re delighted to announce that Jamal King, Alan Toussaint, and Gigi Wickline have joined the Board of Directors of the Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity. With their expertise and involvement in higher education, advocacy, and social justice, this represents a critical step in the development of the Institute as an organization and in better serving students throughout the region through a diversity of academic, professional, and personal experiences.
Jamal King (they/them) has a professional and personal passion for creating and maintaining safe, affirming, and transformative spaces for the queer and trans community. Their formal education and research has centered around gender and sexuality justice, community and sense of belonging, and the diversity of family and relationship structures. With ten years of experience in higher education and queer-centered diversity work and as a proud and unapologetically Black, queer, trans/nonbinary person living with PTSD and anxiety, Jamal plans to serve the board of the Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity by bringing even more intentionality, authenticity, and care to the organization and the work the Institute does for the community.
Alan Toussaint (he/him) is the Pride Center Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He has a strong passion for providing resources and spaces for LGBTQIA+ folks within the Twin Cities, especially for marginalized and rural folks. Alan enjoys the outdoors and usually visits the various state parks to hike in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Gigi Wickline (she/they) is an experienced diversity and inclusion coordinator with years of LGBTQIA+ advocacy, education, training, and mentorship. A proud first-generation college graduate who studied psychology at Manhattanville College in New York, Gigi relocated to Michigan two years ago. Much of Gigi’s professional career has been serving in higher education through DEI and residence life; within the last year, Gigi transitioned into the corporate world as a full time DEI manager.
We are looking forward to working with Jamal, Alan, and Gigi, and we’re grateful for the wisdom, perspectives, and guidance they’re already bringing to bear at the Institute, in their communities, and around the country. Please join us in welcoming them to the Institute team.
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The Midwest Institute for Sexuality and Gender Diversity empowers students of diverse sexualities and genders to inspire sustainable change; leads higher education colleagues in relevant and inclusive practices; and advances knowledge of sexuality and gender through advocacy and expansive programming.
Contact: Nick Pfost, director of marketing and communications (nick@sgdinstitute.org)
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