Our first in-person national gathering was a success because of you! Thank you! Give yourself a pat on the back! Because of you, USAP's first in-person national conference at the end of January was a resounding success! We're so happy that many were able to join us in Minneapolis for a full weekend of educational and networking opportunities.
A special shoutout is deserved for USAP's Conference Committee, but, in particular, the wonderful on-the-ground team at Twin Cities Pride, without whom our conference planning and preparation for the weekend would have been impossible! Thanks Twin Cities team!
A few highlights from the conference:
Our board gathered pre-conference on Thursday for our first in-person visioning and planning session.
Our conference sessions and keynotes on Friday and Saturday ran the gamut from Pride planning to mental health and other concerns. We were honored to hear remarks from Earl D. Fawkes, Jr., president and CEO of the Center for Black Equity.
On Saturday evening, we gathered together for dinner, with entertainment from Cassidy King and Whatever Mike, remarks from Andrea Jenkins, the first trans female person of color councilperson in the U.S., and raising more than $12,000 in donations for our scholarship and $500 in aid to Ukrainian Prides.
Also at the dinner, we were honored to recognize our USAP founding members, as well as Hall of Fame inductees Linda DeMarco and Perin Hurewitz.
On Sunday, we wrapped up our time together with open-format, roundtable discussions, allowing attendees to talk more about issues of interest to them.
Our planned focus on education and networking — as opposed to governance — was well-received by attendees. We hope it is a model for future conferences.
Be sure to head over to our Facebook page or Instagram to see photos and more from the conference!
Thanks again, all!