'Cats Well Represented In New Big Ten LGBTQ+ Working Group
6/8/2022 11:01:00 AM | General, Academic Services & Student Development
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Northwestern Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Maria Sanchez and fencing All-American & Director of Operations Alisha Gomez-Shah will represent the 'Cats on a new Big Ten Conference LGBTQ+ Working Group, as part of the Big Ten Equality Coalition, to formulate and recommend ways in which the conference and its 14 member institutions can continue to serve and support the LGBTQ+ community. The purpose of this working group is to further elevate and amplify the voices of the LGBTQ+ community and to foster meaningful dialogue with community members and allies across the conference. The group includes student-athletes, coaches, administrators, conference and Big Ten Network staff, and an NCAA official.
"We are proud to continue to 'Unite as One' in support of the members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community and to amplify their voices as part of the Big Ten Equality Coalition," said Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren. "The formation of the LGBTQ+ Working Group will help inspire more members of the conference's LGBTQ+ community to use their voices to drive change in their respective communities."
Throughout June 2022, the Big Ten Conference is celebrating PRIDE Month through a series of activities including: honoring and recognizing key members of the conference's LGBTQ+ community; collaborating with conference broadcast partners to maximize visibility of member institutions' PRIDE Month celebrations; and engaging and exciting fans, alumni, and allies across the conference's footprint. The conference debuted a PRIDE version of the 'United as One' logo. Throughout June, hashtag #B1GPRIDE will help to expand the conversation on social media. Additionally, the conference will launch a section of bigten.org dedicated to further connect fans and members of the Big Ten Conference family with available resources and activities happening on all 14 campuses.
The Big Ten Conference LGBTQ+ Working Group includes the following members:
*John Doe is a pseudonym for an individual who wishes not to be identified by name.
"Joining the LGBTQ+ working group is very important and personal to me, especially at this time in our country, where a number of anti-LGBTQ+ laws are being enacted," said University of Maryland Assistant AD, Student-Athlete Development Resa B. Lovelace. "The members of this working group have all come together to create spaces where we can uplift, support, and celebrate the LGBTQ+ individuals across the Big Ten Conference. We look forward to sharing our stories globally through programs and resources."
"I am excited to join the Big Ten Conference LGBTQ+ working group and continue to advocate for safety and inclusion of LGBTQ+ student-athletes, staff, and coaches," said Northwestern University Director of Fencing Operations Alisha Gomez-Shah. "As a former Northwestern student-athlete it brings me a lot of joy and honor to help promote the goal of this working group."
Big Ten Equality Coalition features student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors, chancellors, presidents, and other members of the Big Ten Conference family from all 14 member institutions. It has a stated goal of seeking tangible ways to combat racism and hate around the world, while also empowering student-athletes to express their rights to free speech and peaceful protest actively and constructively. Following the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren wrote an open letter on June 1, 2020, officially announcing the formation of the Big Ten Equality Coalition and the United States Library of Congress included the letter in its historic collection. An early product of the Equality Coalition was the creation of the Big Ten Voter Registration Initiative. The nonpartisan, conference-wide collaboration encourages student-athletes to take part in the electoral process and is led by a Voter Registration Committee that includes representatives from all 14 Big Ten Conference member institutions. Big Life Series is the latest example of the Equality Coalition in action that will provide student-athletes from all 14 of its member institutions with transformational educational experiences to help further prepare them to impact the world beyond their athletic careers. The first event is planned for July 15-16, 2022, when the conference will bring a delegation of student-athletes and administrators from its member institutions to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. The trip to one of the epicenters of the civil rights movement will be highlighted by a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the site of the 1965 Bloody Sunday attack.
Big Ten Conference (bigten.org) is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching, and public service. Founded in 1896, Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness, and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men's ice hockey and men's and women's lacrosse since 2013.
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"We are proud to continue to 'Unite as One' in support of the members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community and to amplify their voices as part of the Big Ten Equality Coalition," said Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren. "The formation of the LGBTQ+ Working Group will help inspire more members of the conference's LGBTQ+ community to use their voices to drive change in their respective communities."
Throughout June 2022, the Big Ten Conference is celebrating PRIDE Month through a series of activities including: honoring and recognizing key members of the conference's LGBTQ+ community; collaborating with conference broadcast partners to maximize visibility of member institutions' PRIDE Month celebrations; and engaging and exciting fans, alumni, and allies across the conference's footprint. The conference debuted a PRIDE version of the 'United as One' logo. Throughout June, hashtag #B1GPRIDE will help to expand the conversation on social media. Additionally, the conference will launch a section of bigten.org dedicated to further connect fans and members of the Big Ten Conference family with available resources and activities happening on all 14 campuses.
The Big Ten Conference LGBTQ+ Working Group includes the following members:
| Name | Entity | Title |
| Dr. Jim Borchers | Big Ten Conference | Chief Medical Officer |
| Omar Brown | Big Ten Conference | SVP, People & Culture Officer |
| Monika Czinano | Iowa | Women's Basketball Student-Athlete |
| "John Doe" | NCAA | Sports Official |
| John J. Ferreira | Maryland | Women's Gymnastics Assistant Coach |
| Anna Hansen | Minnesota | Women's Rowing Student-Athlete |
| Raina Harmon | Iowa | Women's Basketball Assistant Coach |
| Resa Lovelace | Maryland | Assistant AD, Student-Athlete Development |
| Nicole Matheson | Big Ten Network | Crew Supervisor |
| Mya Perez | Big Ten Conference | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Intern |
| Maria Sanchez | Northwestern | Senior Associate AD/Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer |
| Alisha Gomez-Shah | Northwestern | Director of Fencing Operations |
| Jon Schwartz | Big Ten Conference | SVP, Communications, Marketing, Digital & Social Media |
| Marc VandeWettering | Wisconsin | Men's Basketball Director of Basketball Operations |
| Kevin Warren | Big Ten Conference | Commissioner |
"Joining the LGBTQ+ working group is very important and personal to me, especially at this time in our country, where a number of anti-LGBTQ+ laws are being enacted," said University of Maryland Assistant AD, Student-Athlete Development Resa B. Lovelace. "The members of this working group have all come together to create spaces where we can uplift, support, and celebrate the LGBTQ+ individuals across the Big Ten Conference. We look forward to sharing our stories globally through programs and resources."
"I am excited to join the Big Ten Conference LGBTQ+ working group and continue to advocate for safety and inclusion of LGBTQ+ student-athletes, staff, and coaches," said Northwestern University Director of Fencing Operations Alisha Gomez-Shah. "As a former Northwestern student-athlete it brings me a lot of joy and honor to help promote the goal of this working group."
Big Ten Equality Coalition features student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors, chancellors, presidents, and other members of the Big Ten Conference family from all 14 member institutions. It has a stated goal of seeking tangible ways to combat racism and hate around the world, while also empowering student-athletes to express their rights to free speech and peaceful protest actively and constructively. Following the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren wrote an open letter on June 1, 2020, officially announcing the formation of the Big Ten Equality Coalition and the United States Library of Congress included the letter in its historic collection. An early product of the Equality Coalition was the creation of the Big Ten Voter Registration Initiative. The nonpartisan, conference-wide collaboration encourages student-athletes to take part in the electoral process and is led by a Voter Registration Committee that includes representatives from all 14 Big Ten Conference member institutions. Big Life Series is the latest example of the Equality Coalition in action that will provide student-athletes from all 14 of its member institutions with transformational educational experiences to help further prepare them to impact the world beyond their athletic careers. The first event is planned for July 15-16, 2022, when the conference will bring a delegation of student-athletes and administrators from its member institutions to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. The trip to one of the epicenters of the civil rights movement will be highlighted by a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, the site of the 1965 Bloody Sunday attack.
Big Ten Conference (bigten.org) is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching, and public service. Founded in 1896, Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness, and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men's ice hockey and men's and women's lacrosse since 2013.
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