Jennifer McQueen
Central Valley Pride
Jennifer McQueen
Jennifer McQueen (she/her/hers) is a South Korean immigrant with a background as a youth worker, educator, and small business owner. McQueen served as the Executive Director of the Merced Pride Center from 2019-2021, and now serves as the CEO and co-founder of Central Valley Pride (2021-current). Jennifer has led an incredible CVP Team with the strong focus that CVP can and does make real, tangible, impactful change across the Central Valley and beyond for all in the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition to CVP, McQueen has been heavily involved with LGBTQIA+ advocacy through Free Mom Hugs, the Pride Progress Flags on Main Street project, Oakdale’s 150th Anniversary Parade, and much more.
Outside of a life of advocacy, Jennifer is also married and a parent of three (19, 18, and 8) who are independent study students, volunteers on the school board, swim team board, swim league board, in youth sports coaching, and teaching local PE classes.
SESSION OVERVIEW
Collaborative Advocacy: Tapping into Community Expertise
This presentation highlights the collaborative efforts of driven individuals committed to social justice action—and the shared values that guided their journey—in developing the nonprofit organizations Central Valley Pride and Central Valley Pride Youth Initiatives, which serve the LGBTQ+ community in California’s Central Valley. Workshop participants will learn how the leaders of these organizations leveraged their values of collaboration and community to ensure efforts and expertise in grassroots advocacy and education address the unique challenges of supporting LGBTQ+ individuals in Merced County and other surrounding counties in the Central Valley. Through discussion and practical examples, participants will explore ways to partner with community members and experts in their own areas to turn shared values into action through greater advocacy capacity, sustainability, and lasting change.
Co-Presenter: