Welcoming all LGBT and Ally Students!
Mission: Out in Business (OiB) aims to cultivate a welcoming community for LGBTQ+ students and allies, and advocate for inclusivity in business and society. We strive to pursue this through community-building, professional empowerment, community education, and advocacy.
Out in Business (OiB) aims to cultivate a welcoming community for LGBTQ+ students and allies, and advocate for inclusivity in business and society. OiB strives to achieve this through the following:
Community-building: provide opportunities to connect with other queer and allied individuals at Foster, across UW campus, and throughout Seattle to build a community where all are valued.
Professional opportunities: Connect students with LGBTQ+ leaders and professional development in business by connecting with the dedicated alumni network and engaging with ROMBA programming. Every Fall, many OiB students attend the Reaching Out MBA Conference, which presents a dynamic line-up of LGBTQ+ & Ally industry speakers, workshops and panelists representing all sectors of the business community. The 2022 conference will be in Washington, DC from October 6th - 8th.
Education: Raise awareness for all in the Foster community regarding issues that face the LGBTQ+ community to equip all to be a part of creating and advocating for inclusivity at Foster and throughout their careers.
Advocacy: Facilitate mechanisms for action, from volunteering with local organizations to raising our voices about national policy that impacts the LGBTQ+ community.
Want to Join the Board?
1st Year Rep – Contact the OiB President during the fall of your first year with information regarding your interest in the club, and what events you would like to see, either as an LGBTQ+ student or an ally.
Board Member – Contact the OiB President to discuss how you envision your role. The existing board will then determine whether that makes sense in the context of the club goals.
UW Resources
Out in Business Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/422104561189907/
Request to join!
UW Counseling Center
https://www.washington.edu/counseling/
To schedule an initial appointment, please call the Counseling Center 206-543-1240 or visit the website. All students can sign up for individual counseling via their intake form listed on their website. In addition, the counseling center also sees couples and holds group meetings around various identities and struggles.
The UW Counseling Center also offers career counseling options – https://www.washington.edu/counseling/services/career-exploration/
Q Center
A student-run LGBTQ+ resource center. There are many LGBTQ+ student groups (mainly undergrad focused, but are open to graduate students) that operate through the Q Center. In addition, you can participate in the Q Center Mentoring program. You can opt to be a mentor or mentee, and be paired with someone in the same age/lifestage as you, or be paired up or down (depending on preference) – https://sites.uw.edu/qcenter/virtual-q-center/queer-mentoring-program/
Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center
http://depts.washington.edu/ecc/
The Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center (Kelly ECC) is the largest college cultural center in the nation and their mission is to provide an inclusive space that fosters academic success. Their purpose is to engage diverse populations by providing opportunities for co-curricular and holistic development. Their aim is to engage with a pluralistic community to ensure student development, equity and intercultural skills for life beyond the UW. They focus on leadership, mentoring, and community service.
Student Legal Services
http://depts.washington.edu/slsuw/
206-543-6486
Student Legal Services (SLS) focuses on helping students resolve their legal problems with as little disruption as possible to their educational endeavors. SLS helps students with a wide variety of legal matters. Students often come to SLS with issues involving landlord/tenant, contracts, family law, criminal law, and estate planning, but they also provide assistance in other areas. SLS offers free, 40-minute consultations to students on a broad range of legal issues.
Livewell
206-543-6085
LiveWell empowers students with the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions about their health and well-being while at UW and beyond. LiveWell uses both the expertise of professional staff and passion of Peer Health Educators to provide evidenced-based health promotion, education, and prevention services.
Seattle/WA Resources
Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Center
206-860-6969
Gay City is the leading HIV/STI tester in King County, home to several LGBTQ-affirming services, and provides access to several diverse resources. The organization is also an active force in queer youth engagement and provides LGBTQ-centered trainings that address the needs of the most marginalized people within our community.
Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA)
GSBA is Washington state's LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce, and the largest LGBTQ chamber in North America, representing over 1,300 small business, corporate, and nonprofit members who share the values of promoting equality and diversity in the workplace. GSBA proudly serves as a connector across the state, bringing the community together through business while advocating for civil rights and small business, promoting LGBTQ tourism through Travel Out Seattle, and investing in the next generation of leaders through the GSBA Scholarship Fund.
Out & Equal – LGBTQ+ & Allied Professionals
Out & Equal is an organization working exclusively on LGBTQ workplace equality. Through their worldwide programs, Fortune 500 partnerships and the annual Workplace Summit conference, they help LGBTQ people thrive and support organizations creating a culture of belonging for all.
Equal Rights Washington – LGBTQ+ advocacy & policy
http://www.equalrightswashington.org/
206-324-2570
Lambert House – LGBTQ+ youth services
https://www.lamberthouse.org/
206-322-2515
Ingersoll Gender Center – Trans and Gender Diversity Support
https://ingersollgendercenter.org/
206-849-7859
If you are in crisis, please call Crisis Connections at (866) 427-4747 or the Trans Lifeline at (877) 565-8860.
Seattle Counseling Service
https://seattlecounseling.org/
206-323-1768
Trevor Project
https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
24-Hour Resource Line: 1-866-488-7386
24–Hour Crisis Line
https://www.crisisconnections.org/
866-4CRISIS (866-427-4747)
TTY / TDD for the Deaf: 206-461-2610
Serving King County Residents
Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network
https://www.rainn.org/
1-800-656-HOPE
King County Sexual Assault Resource Center
https://www.kcsarc.org/
888-99-VOICE (888-998-6423)
24-Hour Resource Line
National Domestic Violence Hotline
https://www.thehotline.org/
1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)
MBA Resources
Reaching Out MBA (ROMBA)
https://www.reachingoutmba.org/
Holds Annual Conference in October – https://reachingoutmba.org/romba-conference/
Great for networking & recruiting
Hosts MBA LGBTQ+ Leadership Development Weekend in Spring
Mindful MBA
https://themindfulmba.com/
Helpful for MBA students finding time to catch their breath
If you missed a discussion panel, or just wish you could replay it, we’re here for you!
Check out our recorded events below. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Spring 2018 Intentional Leadership Retreat
May 4, 2018
Empathy and Collaboration Workshop
Exploring Intersections of Identity
Real Talk with Foster Alumni Panel
Leadership Love Language Workshop
Debrief / Wrap Up
Winter 2018 International Ally Training
Simin Sehela, Li-Ann Yap, Kyohei Kanamaru, Ken Sauerbrunn
February 26, 2018
Fall 2017 Ally Training
Monisha Harrell of Equal Rights Washington
November 14, 2017
2017 Foster Communities: OiB Panel
Al Alwis, Amy Franklin, Ken Sauerbrunn, Sparks, Akash Raman
April 24, 2017
2017 Out & Equal Panel
April 6, 2017
Spring 2017 Ally Training
Monisha Harrell of Equal Rights Washington
January 17, 2017