Celebrating Pride Month

Incorporating Diversity of Experience into Our Work and Workplace

Cat Strumlauf, Senior Director of Marketing and Communications
5+ minutes

As part of better living out our values, Apex is committed to elevating and educating ourselves on the perspectives and experiences that have been underrepresented to this point in our industry.

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Pride Month offers us an annual opportunity to appreciate each other’s unique identities and reflect on the cultural richness brought by a diversity of gender perspective. Discrimination against LGBTQIA+ communities goes back centuries; some of the most significant strides in the fight for equal rights—from the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy to the historic Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage—have taken place in just the past few decades. And the fact remains that the gay, queer, transgender, and gender-nonconforming communities continue to be daily targets for prejudice and outright violence. This June, we celebrate how far we’ve come while resolving to continue the hard work needed to achieve an equitable future for all.

Gary Nimax, the University of Virginia’s assistant vice president for compliance and chair of the university’s LGBT committee, has held various administration roles at UVA for over 30 years. In that time, he’s lived through positive changes in the school’s nondiscrimination policy as well as a university- and nationwide shift to broader acceptance of LGBTQIA+ communities. Watch to learn more about his experience, and to hear his advice for organizations looking to be more inclusive.

 

Apex seeks to celebrate, raise awareness of, and ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion for all involved in the clean energy transition. This acknowledgment does not begin and end with any month; instead, we intend for this to form a strong organizational foundation on which to build throughout the year, and every year moving forward.

Authors

Cat Strumlauf

Senior Director of Marketing and Communications

Cat leads Apex’s marketing and communications team, with a focus on corporate communications, content creation, and media and partner relations. Prior to joining the company, she worked in broadcast journalism as a reporter. Cat holds an MSJ from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and a BA in marketing and entrepreneurship from the College of William and Mary’s Mason School of Business.