USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association 30th Anniversary Scholarship Gala

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

PRESENTING SPONSOR – $20,000 (1 available)

• Sponsor listed as “Presenting or Presented By…” on all event collateral, including but not limited to invitations, program book, website, etc.
• Premier seating for up to twelve (12) guests
• Two (2) bottles of premium champagne on the table
• One (1) complimentary hotel room on the night of the scholarship gala
• One (1) hosted parking space
• Recognition from podium
• Full-color spread (2-pages) inside the program book
• Officially listed as a USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association Champion of Pride during Pride Month (June 2023) on both digital and print opportunities.

SIGNATURE SPONSOR – $10,000 (4 available)

• Premier seating for up to ten (10) guests
• One (1) bottle of premium champagne on the table
• One (1) hosted parking space
• Recognition from podium
• Full-color spread (2-pages) inside the program book
• Premier recognition on select event collateral including, but not limited to, program book, website, etc.
• Officially listed as a USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association Champion of Pride during Pride Month (June 2023) on both digital and print opportunities.

GOLD SPONSOR – $7,500

• Premier seating for up to ten (10) guests
• One (1) hosted parking space
• Recognition from podium
• One (1) full-page color ad in the program book, premier placement
• Recognition on select event collateral including, but not limited to, program book, website, etc.
• Officially listed as a USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association Champion of Pride during Pride Month (June 2023) on both digital and print opportunities.

TROJAN SPONSOR – $5,000

• Preferred seating for six (6) guests
• One (1) hosted parking space
• One (1) full-page black-and-white ad in the program book, premier placement
• Recognition on select event collateral including, but not limited to, program book, website, etc.

PRIDE SPONSOR – $2,500

• Seating for four (4) guests
• One (1) hosted parking space
• One (1) half-page black-and-white ad in the program book
• Recognition on select event collateral including, but not limited to, program book, website, etc.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS

INDIVIDUAL GALA TICKET $225
Admission for one (1) guest

INDIVIDUAL YOUNG ALUMNI GALA TICKET $150
Admission for one (1) guest; Degreed alumni age 35 or younger

INDIVIDUAL CURRENT STUDENT GALA TICKET  $125
Admission for one (1) current student guest

A PAIR OF (2) GALA TICKETS $400
Admission for two (2) guests

PROGRAM BOOK TRIBUTE ADS

FULL-PAGE COLOR AD $1,500
Full-page color ad in the program book

HALF-PAGE COLOR AD $750
Half-page color ad in the program book

FULL-PAGE BLACK-AND-WHITE AD $1,000
Full-page black & white ad in the program book.

HALF-PAGE BLACK-AND-WHITE AD $500
Half-page black & white ad in the program book

Dinner sponsorships and tickets are tax-deductible, less the $125 cost per person for food/beverage.

Charitable contributions are fully tax deductible. USC Tax Identification #95-1642394

For questions regarding sponsorship or ticket information and/or individuals who require ADA accommodations, please contact the USC Alumni Association at alumnievents@usc.edu.

USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association Recognition Award (LAARA)

2023 Legacy Award Honoree

Donald Gabard MS ’78, MPA ’88, PhD ’90
(he/him/his)
Founder and Former President, USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association

Donald Gabard is the founder and former president of the USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association. A triple USC alumnus and longtime champion of LGBTQ+ causes, he worked with university leaders and founding USC Lambda board members to create what has become the home of our LGBTQ+ Trojan Family. In addition, he served as co-president of USC Lambda during its first two years—a time of exponential growth for the organization, both in terms of membership and programming.

During his tenure as co-president, USC Lambda hosted its first Homecoming reception, as well as its inaugural Scholarship Awards dinner. Gabard’s exemplary leadership and tireless efforts laid a solid foundation for the USC Lambda of today: a dynamic alumni organization that fosters community, awards scholarships to deserving LGBTQ+ and allied USC students, and promotes education and increased visibility for LGBTQ+ Trojans.

A North Carolina native, Gabard graduated from USC with a master’s degree in physical therapy in 1978; he later returned to earn his master’s and doctorate in public policy. His specialty area in physical therapy was pediatrics, and he was among the first in L.A. to treat pediatric AIDS patients. Gabard also treated adults with AIDS who were refused service by other providers.

In 1987, Gabard participated in the founding of Caring For Babies With AIDS, as both a program designer and one of the organization’s first providers, pro bono. Based in Culver City, California, this nonprofit was the first pediatric AIDS hospice in the western United States. He later authored the concept paper for AIDS In-Home Care Training Programs, which was funded and implemented by the City of Los Angeles in 1988. That same year, he won the Samuel C. May National Research Award from the Western Government Research Association for his work in AIDS research. In 1994, Gabard was both a panelist and featured speaker at the American Association for the Advancement of Science on the intersection of ethics in sexual orientation and human genome investigations. Over a 20-year span, he served as a medical ethicist on three hospital ethics committees simultaneously, often safeguarding the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2011, Gabard founded By Your Side, a volunteer-based program providing end-of-life support for patients at LAC+USC Medical Center. The program, through funding from the Archstone Foundation, was widely disseminated to hospitals.

A 1996 recipient of a USC Alumni Association President’s Award, Gabard continues to play a vital role in USC Lambda, most notably in scholarship fundraising. Now retired from being a tenured professor, he enjoys traveling—passionately chasing Christmas markets in Western Europe, Canada and the U.K.—as well as gardening, specifically cattleya orchids.

2023 Trailblazer Award Honoree

Alexandra Billings
(she/her/hers)
Actress, Singer, Author, Activist and
Assistant Professor of Acting, USC School of Dramatic Arts

Alexandra Billings is an award-winning actress, singer, author and activist who’s currently an assistant professor of acting at the USC School of Dramatic Arts.

Over the course of her decades-spanning career, Billings has achieved unprecedented success as an openly transgender actress. Her one-woman autobiographical show, Before I Disappear, ran for more than 10 years off-Broadway. In 2005, she became the second transgender actress to play a transgender character on television, when she co-starred in ABC’s Romy and Michelle: A New Beginning. Although Billings is probably best known for playing Davina on the Amazon series Transparent, she has also guest-starred in such series as E.R., Grey’s Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder, and now has a recurring role on Amazon’s The Peripheral.

A dedicated AIDS and LGBTQ+ activist and advocate, Billings received the 2016 Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award, which recognizes LGBTQ+ people who live openly and freely in the public eye. In addition, she has received five After Dark Awards and one Joseph Jefferson Award. Her memoir, This Time for Me, was published in 2022 to critical acclaim.

2023 Community Ally Award Honoree

Danielle E. Harvey ’00, ML ’19
(she/her/hers)
Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations, USC

Danielle E. Harvey is the associate vice president for alumni relations at the University of Southern California. As a senior manager of the USC Alumni Association, she leads a diverse team of professionals responsible for engaging all alumni lifelong and worldwide through a vast array of programs, services and events. Her portfolio includes the award-winning USC Women’s Conference, Reunion Weekend and Alumni Leadership Conference, and she provides leadership to the USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association, regional engagement programs, industry and affinity networks, and generational groups.

With more than 18 years of experience in alumni relations and development, Harvey has a proven record of accomplishment in program development, board and volunteer management, organizational leadership, strategic planning, relationship building and fundraising. Her passions include teaching, mentoring and empowering women and children, in addition to writing and other creative outlets.

Harvey earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the USC Rossier School of Education, an executive master’s degree in leadership from the USC Price School of Public Policy, and is currently pursuing a doctorate in organizational change and leadership from USC Rossier.

2023 Outstanding Scholar Award Honoree

Lucille Warren ’22
(she/her/hers)
Student, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

Lucille “Lucy” Warren is a St. Louis, Missouri native and USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences alum who’s currently pursuing a graduate degree from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Deeply involved in student advocacy, she served as both the student body vice president and chief diversity officer for the Undergraduate Student Government. In this capacity, Warren spearheaded a number of projects, from expanding gender-neutral bathrooms and disability accommodations on campus to leading Title-IX & Title-IV reporting mechanisms.

On the academic front, Warren is both a Presidential Scholar and a USC Lambda Scholar. She served as a research fellow at USC Dornsife’s Security and Political Economy Lab, where she worked on projects focused on education equity, foreign aid allocation and police brutality. She also helped craft the justice and equity strategic plan for the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Science, and is a former member of the Presidential Working Group on Sustainability’s DEI Committee.

Outside of USC, Warren served as a policy intern at both the U.S. Department of Labor and the City of Glendale, California. Passionate about using technology to advance intersectional equity and improve access to public resources, Warren hopes to work in policy analysis and strategic planning after graduating from USC.

2022 LAARA Honorees

We proudly salute the 2022 honorees of the USC Lambda Alumni Association Recognition Awards (LAARA).

LAARA for Merit

Presented to a member or ally of the LGBTQ+ community who serves as a role model; whose personal and/or professional achievements have advanced the causes of the LGBTQ+ community; and who has heightened the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community at large.

Kristen Kavanaugh MSW ’12
Senior Director, Inclusion, Talent & Learning for Tesla

Kristen Kavanaugh graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps in 2002. She was ultimately promoted to the rank of captain, and her service included one combat tour in Iraq’s Al Anbar Province. After completing her military service, she earned her master’s in social work (emphasis in military social work) from the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. While at USC, she co-founded the Military Acceptance Project (MAP), one of the first U.S. Department of Defense-funded studies of active-duty LGBTQ+ service members’ behavioral needs, which helped lead to the military’s repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

In 2016, Kavanaugh joined the staff at Tesla, Inc. She is also a member of the Truman National Security Project’s Defense Council, a national security-focused development program for leaders who strive to continue their public service beyond the battlefield.

LAARA for Service

Presented to a member or ally of the LGBTQ+ community who serves as a role model by dedicating their time, talents or resources to advance USC Lambda’s mission in support of USC LGBTQ+ students, alumni and the LGBTQ+ community at large.

Bridgette Austin MBV ’19
CEO of B. Austin Consulting, LLC

Bridgette Austin is a retired U.S. Navy veteran and the CEO of B. Austin Consulting, LLC (BAC), a training & development company specializing in professional services for veterans and service members transitioning to civilian life. A recipient of the Combat Action Ribbon for serving multiple tours of duty in various conflict zones, she serves as a business coach and mentor to veterans, transitioning service members and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Austin has served on the advisory boards of the Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise for the California Department of Veteran Affairs, the San Diego Veterans Coalition, the US for Warriors Foundation and the Veteran Chamber of Commerce. Currently on the executive board of the San Diego Equality Business Association, she earned her master of business for veterans from the USC Marshall School of Business.

LAARA for Staff

Presented to a USC faculty or staff member whose work demonstrates the values of USC Lambda’s mission to support USC LGBTQ+ students, alumni, faculty, staff and the LGBTQ+ community at large.

Lindsey Morrison MHA ’16
Process Architect for Keck Medicine of USC

Lindsey Morrison joined Keck Medicine of USC in 2009 and currently works in the academic medical center’s Value Improvement Office. As an out and proud bisexual queer woman, she leads the health system’s efforts to create a more welcoming and affirming environment for LGBTQ+ patients, family members, faculty members and staff.

For six years, Morrison has successfully led the USC hospitals’ efforts to achieve the Human Rights Campaign Healthcare Equality Index designation of “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality.” She created and currently chairs the Keck Pride Committee, and recently helped guide the creation of Keck Medicine’s comprehensive Gender Affirming Care Program. Morrison, who earned her master’s in health administration from the USC Price School of Public Policy,  has provided more than 2,300 hours of LGBTQ+ training throughout the Keck health system.

LAARA for Outstanding Scholar

Presented to a current USC Lambda Scholar who has gone above and beyond to advance USC Lambda’s mission in support of USC LGBTQ+ students, alumni and the LGBTQ+ community at large.

Justin Kawaguchi ’21
Graduate Student, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

Justin Kawaguchi is a SoCal native and Class of 2021 graduate of the Keck School of Medicine of USC with a BA in global health. A USC Lambda Scholar, he served as the president of Society 53, the governing board of the Student Alumni Society, and held leadership positions in the USC Asian Pacific American Student Assembly and the Residential Housing Association, and served as a campus tour guide.

Outside of USC, Kawaguchi is co-chair of Okaeri, an organization dedicated to creating visibility, compassionate spaces and transformation for LGBTQ+ Nikkei and their families. He’s currently pursuing his master’s in health administration from the USC Price School of Public Policy, and hopes to eventually work in the areas of global health, health equity and strategic communication.

Previous LAARA Recipients:

• Sheila Kuehl
• Thomas Becktold ’87
• David C. Bohnett ’78
• John Heilman MPA ‘07, JD ’82, MRED ’09
• Tina Mabry MFA ’05
• Carole Migden
• David Mixner
• Stephen Soucy MPW ’00
• Lily Tomlin
• Nancy Warner