HGSC Board of Directors Candidate Bios 2019
Joseph Barretto
Joseph Barretto is a nonprofit consultant whose practice is focused on organizational strategy and leadership development, building the capacity of organizations to ensure their sustainability and achieve results that maximize their impact.
Throughout his career, Barretto has held positions within LGBTQ+ organizations including deputy executive director at the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project (AVP), director of development at the HIV Law Project, and director of institutional giving for the Hetrick-Martin Institute (HMI). Additionally, as a consultant he has provided leadership development training to managers of several LGBTQ+ organizations including GMHC, SAGE, AVP, and HMI.
An active alumnus, Barretto currently serves as co-chair of the National Advisory Board for Public Service at Harvard College, regularly participates in Harvard’s annual Public Interested Conference, and has served as a mentor for the Center for Public Interest Careers since 2008. Barretto is board chair of Filipino American Human Services Inc. and sits on the board of the Association of Nonprofit Specialists. He is also a member of the Selection Committee for The New York Community Trust Nonprofit Excellence Awards and the advisory board of Trestle Art Space in Brooklyn.
“I have dedicated my professional life to strengthening organizations, helping them achieve short-term goals and formulate long-term strategies. As a Director, I hope to use my skills and experience to help HGSC forge its path for the future, particularly in its work on diversity and inclusion and the critical role HGSC can play in the University’s pursuit of inclusive excellence. I consider becoming an HGSC Director as a rare opportunity that uniquely combines my passion for service, my continuing connection to Harvard, and my identity as a gay Filipino immigrant.”
Meredith Cartwright
Meredith Cartwright MTS ’95 is a human rights lawyer and a private equity investor from Toronto. Meredith graduated with a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from the Harvard Divinity School in 1995. She worked on the Pluralism Project under the direction of Professor Diana Eck. She played on the Radcliffe Rugby Team and was active in LGBTQ politics while at Harvard.
Meredith won same-sex pension rights in Ontario in 1998 in the Dwyer case, and argued for the equal tax –treatment of same in the Rosenberg case. Together with Human Rights Watch (“HRW”) and the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, she advocated successfully against the imposition of Sharia law into Ontario Family Law. She contributed legal argument to “Douglas” (Lesbians and Gays in the Canadian Military) and “M.v.H” (the first gay marriage case to be won in Anglo –American jurisprudence).
Meredith is a member of HRW’s Canada Committee and assisted in protesting unnecessary genital surgeries on children born with an intersex condition. Meredith has taught courses to undergraduates at the University of Toronto in sexuality, law, and religion. She taught at the Ontario College of Art and Design University in business studies and innovation. She is Managing Director at DonBow Capital www.donbow.com Toronto and High Level Capital, Calgary. She is an accredited Corporate Director from the Director’s Program at the University of Toronto Rotman School.
Meredith lives in Toronto with her Partner Vicky Bassett, and her daughter Brooke Darling-Cartwright.
“The HGSC is committed to an intersectional understanding of diversity and inclusion, and so am I. As an "out" Lesbian Mom (with an extended LGBTQI family), I sometimes encounter prejudice from others. As a white woman with privilege I consider it my responsibility to promote and affirm gender atypical young people, young people of colour and young women in general. 25 years ago out I saw most things as a "fight", now I would rather build, create opportunities and provide pragmatic assistance. Utilizing my experience as a Human Rights Lawyer, Private Equity Investor, Corporate Director and Parent, I will support and Fundraise for HGSC.”
Eric Cervini
Eric Cervini is an author and PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge. A historian of queer American history, Eric is completing his forthcoming book, “The Deviant’s War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America,” an exploration of the 1960s homophile movement’s fight against the federal government and its purges of LGBT+ employees. Eric currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the Mattachine Society of Washington D.C., Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of LGBT+ American history. At Harvard, Eric’s digital production, “Before Stonewall,” won the History Design Studio Exhibition Prize and was featured in the Hutchins Center’s Rudenstine Gallery. He also served as co-president and CEO of Harvard Model Congress, Inc. He now resides in Los Angeles with his two plants, Coco Montrese and Fig O’Hara.
“As a scholar of LGBT+ history, I’m excited by the possibility of further promoting the academic study of our community’s history at Harvard. I especially look forward to joining the effort to expand the Matthiessen Professorship: in political times like this, we need full-year faculty representation on campus! As someone with a background in web design, I’m also excited to work with the HGSC Board to expand our online presence so we can reach more students, alumni, and potential donors. Thanks for your consideration!”
Michael Hissey
Michael is a 2018 graduate of Harvard College who lives in San Francisco. During his undergraduate years, Michael studied government and spent much of his free time as the Community Outreach and Finance Director of Boston Foods, a nonprofit that served food insecure communities throughout the Boston area. He was also actively involved in HUBBS, the Harvard Undergraduate BGLTQ Business Society.
Michael currently works in sales and marketing at a software startup called Boomtown. Before taking on this position, he worked as a development intern at the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA), a legal aid nonprofit that litigates on behalf of those who have suffered human rights abuses. He remains active with that organization, serving as a volunteer with their support arm, the Professional Network for Human Rights (PNHR). Michael also volunteers regularly at the San Francisco LGBTQ Center. Finally, Michael serves on the board of the Harvard Alumni Association - Northern California Leaders, and is its youngest member.
Michael is committed to expanding the reach of the HGSC and wants to foster connections between its members both in Northern California and across the world, with the ultimate goal of creating a sense of community and belonging wherever an LGBTQIA+ identified student, alum, or faculty member may go. He has specific plans to launch targeted initiatives with the help of the Harvard Club of San Francisco toward this end.
“Hello members of the HGSC - thank you for considering my candidacy. I am running for a director position because I have a passion for making the world a more inclusive space for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially those tied to Harvard. When I first moved to San Francisco, I knew hardly anyone, often feeling timid and alone. Knowing the difficulties that come with venturing into the world, I want to work so that no matter where they may go, members of Harvard’s LGBTQIA+ feel connected and supported. If you believe in this goal, please consider supporting my candidacy.”
Ryder Kessler
Ryder Kessler is a 2008 graduate of the college. Since then, he has worked primarily in technology and politics (with a four-year foray into pursuing a PhD in English Literature at Columbia). He founded DipJar—a hardware, software, and payments platform that enables credit and debit card generosity in an increasing cashless world—and served as its CEO for six years. Ryder has since worked in politics, most recently serving as campaign manager for a Congressional nominee in upstate New York. Ryder hopes to bring his entrepreneurial and progressive spirit to the work of the HGSC.
“I have so enjoyed the HGSC social events in NYC I've attended over the last year and would love to give back, as well as to help expand and diversify the kinds of engagement promoted amongst members. I’m the founder of the LGTBQ group at the Harvard Club of New York and a youth mentor at The LGBT Center in downtown Manhattan. As a board member, I hope to diversify HGSC social events to include more professional and small-group socializing, and to promote collaboration with other queer-oriented groups like the Harvard Club’s and The Center.”
Nefyn Meissner
Nefyn Meissner (he/him; they/them) is the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Harvard Law School. He is also a Proctor at Harvard College and has previously served as a LGBTQ+ Specialty Proctor for the First-Year Experience Office as well as a Teaching Fellow in the Government Department.
Meissner is a 2014 graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) and a 2012 graduate of the University of Virginia. While at HGSE, Meissner worked part-time in the Office of Admissions at Harvard Divinity School. Since graduating, he has served for five years as a mentor for HGSE’s Student-Alumni Mentorship Initiative.
Originally from the rural South, he is interested in supporting community members from a wide variety of backgrounds including LGBTQ+ and first generation students and alumni, students and alumni from rural communities, and individuals with disabilities. Outside of Harvard, Meissner also serves as a Commissioner on the City of Cambridge’s LGBTQ+ Commission.
“As a director, I want to work with folks from oftentimes overlooked backgrounds to make the Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus an increasingly inclusive and equitable space. My favorite part of my Harvard experience has been the people – we can only get stronger as we include more people in our community. I hope to foster this by encouraging stronger ties between our members and by facilitating mentorship between students and alumni.”
Mandi Rice
Mandi Rice, M.Div. ’18, is a writer and scholar of queerness and religion. That work grows out of years of local queer and trans advocacy. Since coming out in 2001 Mandi has trained and advocated with teachers, principals, and school district leaders in Missouri and Indiana. She previously worked as Assistant Director of Alumni Relations at Earlham College, connecting early career alumni with current students and the broader alumni community. Mandi is currently based in Boston and works on LGBTQI+ equity training for hospitals around the U.S. and Canada. She is at work on her first book: a how-to guide called Queerituality.
“As a director I want to empower queer and transgender Harvard alumni to create transformative relationships with one another and with students on campus. I see opportunities for HGSC alumni to impact current students (and vice versa!) through intergenerational queer/trans mentorship. I bring expertise in alumni relations that will help make that a reality. I am also committed to LGBTQ+ participation in broader Harvard coalitions that work for justice. I want to connect HGSC with student campaigns for stronger mental health resources, on-campus food pantries, and other resources that can help marginalized students thrive.”
Daniel Stephens
Daniel is a Pediatrician and non profit leader with a career of working with marginalized youth. He studied History at Harvard and has an MD from Columbia University.
While at Harvard, he was an active member of the then named BGLTSA, also of the BSA (Black Students Association), and served as a co-director of CONTACT a peer counseling group focused around issues facing LGBTQIA+ students. Since leaving Harvard, he’s worked on intersections of sexuality, race, ethnicity, gender and class that affect queer youth in various roles from an Americorps classroom teacher to clinically serving youth in Harlem and the Bronx. He has benefited from HGSC over the years has allowing him to connect with friends old and new.
Currently a Vice President at Children’s Aid in NYC, he is committed to integrating clinical services and health programming in underserved communities. Recently, as the director of Adolescent Medicine at a health center in the Bronx he lead community outreach and program support including an LGBTQ youth group in the Bronx.
He’s interested in the intersectional experiences of students of color in the LGBTQIA+ community as well as mentoring for students by the HGSC.
“I am excited by the work of the HGSC as I recall my time on campus surrounded by great opportunity and community but I also recall the challenges in terms of resources and guidance. I’d like the chance to better connect the students and community on campus to the immense opportunity available to them and to partner with them to help face current challenges.”
Tom Watson
Tom is a lawyer, activist and community organizer. As an undergraduate at Harvard, he was involved in what was then BGLSA and concentrated in Social Studies, writing his Senior Thesis on ACT UP. After graduating, he spent a year in Eastern Europe studying emerging LGBTQ and AIDS movements following the fall of communism as a Pforzheimer Public Service Fellows. A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, he is currently a Principal in the Los Angeles office of the law firm McKool Smith with a practice focusing on complex commercial, white collar, and international human rights litigation. His work has ranged from advising high tech startups to helping to recover nearly $1 billion for taxpayers from companies that defrauded the government. He has a long history of work for LGBTQ rights. He co-founded Love Honor Cherish, the largest grassroots organization in California dedicated to achieving marriage equality, and led its efforts against Prop 8 and to put repeal of Prop 8 on the ballot. He as authored amicus briefs in LGTBQ rights cases and is currently advising a sodomy law repeal effort in an African nation. In addition, he frequently speaks on LGBTQ issues, serves on the UCLA Williams Institute Legal Council, and advises Democratic candidates for office and elected officials.
“As a current HGSC Board Member, I seek reelection to expand my work with the Caucus. Having learned how HGSC functions, I want to build on that knowledge to increase our efforts to provide benefits and activities of interest to all our members, both in Cambridge and around the world. Specifically, I want to foster a feeling of community among all Harvard LGBTQ alumni, faculty, staff and students, especially those who have not always felt that they belonged, because we have so much to offer each other – friendship, networking, support, and shared interests. I would very much appreciate your vote.”