Southwestern Oregon Community College proudly welcomes Cass Averill, Board President, Founder and Administrator of Trans*Ponder, to speak about Diversity and the Workplace. His presentation will take place on May 31, 2018 from 6:00 – 7:30 pm on the Coos campus of Southwestern, 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay, in Eden Hall. Cass Averill is a computer security specialist by profession and a transgender activist by passion. He founded Trans*Ponder in 2012; has organized countless events catered to spreading support, education, and awareness for the trans/gender diverse communities; and works hard to keep the “T” in the LGBT an active part of the conversation. Mr. Averill is also a sexual orientation and gender identity advocate in the corporate sector. He was the first person to publicly transition on the job in his fortune 500 global corporation, advocated for (and ultimately received) transgender-inclusive healthcare, instituted guidelines for how-to transition within the company, implemented all-gender single-stall restrooms, and continues to author and advise on transgender/transition related policies and procedures. Mr. Averill attends the Out and Equal Workplace Equality conference annually to remain contemporary with what is happening politically for LGBTQIA people in the professional/corporate sector. He works with organizations to provide gender diversity awareness training, policy and procedure consultation, and promotes the inclusive treatment of transgender employees and clientele. Mr. Averill holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Assurance and Security from Capella University. Mr. Averill’s discussion of how to promote a climate of inclusivity in the workplace is free and open to all! For more information on the exhibition and Mr. Averill’s presentation, please contact John Bacon (john.bacon@socc.edu) or Sara Keene (sara.keene@socc.edu / (541-888-7127).
