Join a panel of guest speakers who are discussing their firm's LGBTQ+ employee resource groups and what it means to be Proud at Work
About this event
Our event will kick off with each presenter sharing a bit about their firm's employee resource groups (ERG) and this will be followed by networking and a virtual happy hour.
Our speakers:
Rajas Karnik - Rajas is an Associate and Project Architect at FXCollaborative. He grew up in Mumbai, India where he also attended school at the Academy of Architecture, then moved to the United States to attend graduate school at Texas A & M University. He currently lives in the Bronx with his boyfriend, Phil, and their dog, Bacio. When asked the question “Why are you proud of Build Out” he replied, “growing up in India I had never thought I would ever come out, but did so after moving to the US. Since I didn’t see many out professionals in the industry, it took a while. Even today I do not see many out leaders and, on the construction site, I believe there is even more pressure to adhere to “norms” this is even more of an issue Through this group I would like to create visibility for out LGBTQ professionals and help create a safe environment for them to celebrate who they are.”
Tracy J Passarella - Tracy is a licensed Superintendent turned Project Manager and a proud employee of Gilbane Building Company. Her love for building started when she’d play hooky from school to stay home and build her newest Lego set. Tracy grew up on Long Island and lived in North Carolina for 5 years before moving to Manhattan to attend film school and to run her Mom’s new bar and restaurant in Gramercy Park aptly named, “Tracy J’s.” During this time, she enrolled in the Construction Project Management program at NYU. Tracy has been married to her soulmate, Lauren, since 2016. They have two cats and two 22-year-old turtles. When asked, “Why are you proud of Build Out?” she replied, “I believe that our careers can be a very lonely place if we are forced to hide who we are. Build Out gives a voice to those who may feel isolated at the workplace or even at home. When I began working with a company that supports the LGBTQIA community, I blossomed in my career because I no longer had the distraction of protecting my identity.”
Jesse Vernon - As a communications manager and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) leader at Arup, Jesse collaborates across contexts and cultures to help cultivate the firm’s EDI ecosystem, sharing insights and leveraging collective power to shape change. Jesse has led Connect Out, Arup’s LGBTIQ employee resource group, since 2017, working with Arup members to enhance inclusion, meaningful relationships, creative collaboration, and lasting impact.
Rami Abou-Khalil - Rami is a Lebanese-Canadian architect at the New York office of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, with a body of work spanning mixed-use and institutional work.
Matt Hyde - Matt is a Project Manager at Turner Construction Company where he specializes in commercial office fit-outs. He is also the co-creator and lead of Pride Alliance, Turner’s LGBTQ employee resource group. He grew up in Fairfield, CT, and now lives in Chelsea with his boyfriend, Miska. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Cornell and his Master’s from Columbia. An avid runner, he’s looking forward to running his very first NYC Marathon in 2019! When asked the question “Why are you proud of Build Out” he replied, “Build Out allows the LGBTQ community to gain more visibility in the design & construction industry. Through additional awareness, I hope we can make a positive impact for those who identify as LGBTQ and are either new to or hope to join the industry.”
Lok Chan - Lok Chan (she/her) is a designer at Robert A.M. Stern Architects. After graduating from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Architecture in 2017, Lok has worked on numerous institutional projects at RAMSA including the College Academic Commons at Wake Forest University and the recently completed College of Dentistry at Ohio State University. Lok is a founding member and Chair of RAMSA Q+, an active leader in the firm’s recruiting and Diversity and Inclusion efforts, and a proud lesbian practicing in the field of architecture.
Quinton Turner - Quinton Turner (he, him) is the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Coordinator at Thornton Tomasetti. He has a B.A. in Political Science and History from Vanderbilt University. In January 2020, he founded Spectrum (ENG), an LGBTQIA+ employee network group at their firm.
Pedro Camara - Pedro Câmara is an Associate Principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox, where he has worked since 2017 designing high-rise projects and master plans. Prior to that, he worked at Bernard Tschumi Architects in New York for 3 years and at offices in Switzerland and Brazil. Câmara is a founding member of KPF Pride Group and curates the IncluCity’s lecture series that focuses on issues of inclusivity, accessibility, and community engagement in the design of cities. He collaborates with artists Gerard & Kelly designing exhibitions and installations for performances like Modern Living, an exploration on queer intimacy and domestic space within legacies of modernist architecture. He is also a co-creator of the Brazilian collective @arquiteturabicha, an ongoing research into the intersection between architecture, sexuality and gender identity.
Thomas Schiefer - Thomas Schiefer is a Senior Staff Engineer at Langan with over five years of experience in environmental consulting. Thomas has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Brown University and a M.S. in Urban Development from the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany. In January 2021, Thomas co-founded Queer@Langan, an LGBTQIA+ employee resource group at his firm.