2018 BayMEC Brunch

Sunday, September 30, 2018
10AM - 2PM
Rotary Summit Center - SaN Jose

Toni Atkins-Headshot.jpg

Keynote Speaker:
State Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins

Toni G. Atkins was born and raised in southwestern Virginia, the daughter of a miner and a seamstress, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Emory & Henry College in Emory, Va.

In 1985, she moved across the country to San Diego, California, to help care for her sister’s young son while her sister served in the U.S. Navy. In San Diego, before becoming involved in public service, she worked as director of clinic services at Womancare Health Center.

Atkins served as an aide to San Diego City Councilmember and LGBT trailblazer Christine Kehoe, and, in 2000, was elected to replace Kehoe as the council’s District 3 representative. During her eight-year tenure, Atkins provided steady leadership as interim Mayor of San Diego amid a challenging and tumultuous time at City Hall.

"Throughout her career, Atkins has been a champion for affordable housing, the natural environment, healthcare, veterans, women, and the LGBTQ community."

Elected by voters to the state Assembly in 2010, Atkins served there for six years. In 2014, her colleagues selected her to be the Speaker of the Assembly – she became the first San Diegan and the first lesbian to hold the position. Atkins counts a major $7.5-billion water bond and creation of the state’s first Earned Income Tax Credit among her proudest accomplishments.

In 2016, Atkins was elected to represent the 39th District in the state Senate and was appointed to the prestigious Rules Committee, in addition to the committees on Transportation and Housing, Health, Labor and Industrial Relations, and Natural Resources and Water. Among the bills she got passed and signed was SB 2, which created a permanent source of funding for affordable housing, a signature piece of legislation she had worked on for seven years.

In January 2018, after just one year in the Senate, she was elected by her colleagues to be the next Senate President pro Tempore. In March 2018, she was sworn in, becoming the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ person to lead the Legislature’s upper house.

Throughout her career, Atkins has been a champion for affordable housing, the natural environment, healthcare, veterans, women, and the LGBTQ community. She lives in the South Park community of San Diego with her spouse, Jennifer, and their dog, Joey.

AWARDS

BAYMEC Service Award

The BAYMEC Service Award is for LGBTQ-identified individuals who have done exceptional work in service of the LGBTQ community in their region or locality.

Featured
Cassie Blum
Cassie Blum

Cassie Blume’s nearly 12-year career of serving LGBTQ youth in Santa Clara County began in October 2006 when she started overseeing the DeFrank Youth Program. Two years later, under the auspices of Family & Children Services, she oversaw the creation of the LGBTQ Youth Space and built it into a thriving center that provides critical resources and support services for our community’s youth, their families and their schools.

Read More →

Stan Hajduk Ally of the Year Award

The Stan Hajduk Ally of the Year Award is for non-LGBTQ-identified individuals who have done exceptional work in service of the LGBTQ community in their region or locality.

Featured
Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith

As the CEO of a twenty thousand-employee organization, Jeff Smith genuinely cares about all his employees as people.  He treats all people with dignity and respect.  He does so consistently and without fanfare. When it comes to supporting the LGBTQ community at-large, Jeff has never feared political ramifications.  In fact, he has sometimes acted bolder than we even dared to ask. 

Read More →

Legislator of the Year

Featured
Evan Low
Evan Low

At the age of 31, Assemblymember Low became the youngest Asian American legislator to have been elected to the Assembly in state history. In 2015, together with Assemblymember Ian Calderon (D-Whittier), he launched the first in the state California Legislative Technology & Innovation Caucus. The Caucus comprises of a bi-partisan group of Senators and Assemblymembers who view this as a statewide effort to ensure that California remains the global leader in technology and innovation. As chair of the state LGBT legislative caucus he has elevated and increased the visibility of LGBT issues in our state and around the country.

Read More →

Yeager / Sivertsen Lifetime Achievement Award

Featured
Ken Yeager
Ken Yeager

Ken was the first openly gay elected official in Santa Clara County. He was first elected to public office in 1992. He has served as a Trustee of the San José Evergreen Community College District, Councilmember of City of San José, District 6, and as Supervisor of Santa Clara County’s Fourth District where he served as Board President in 2010 and 2013.

He has chaired the San José City Council’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Ethics, Caltrain Joint Powers Authority Board, Valley Transportation Authority, Health and Hospital Committee, and FIRST 5 Santa Clara County. 

Read More →

Menu

Location

Rotary Summit Center
88 S. 4th Street
San Jose, CA 95113

 

Tickets

Tickets are no longer available. This is a past event. Should this be a current event, a ticket widget would be here.

Sponsors

2018 brunch sponsors.png
2018 brunch table sponsors.png

Brunch Gallery