One of the founding members of the USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association, Amy Ross has been active in the Los Angeles-area LGBT community for over 30 years. While working as a lab technician at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, she joined the Los Angeles Gay Scientists and helped co-found the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP); NOGLSTP provides education, advocacy, professional development, networking and peer support and scholarship assistance. In 2012, Ross received NOGLSTP’s Walt Westman Award in recognition of her dedication and commitment to the advancement of the organization’s mission.

After earning her PhD in experimental pathology from the Keck School, Ross started a cancer diagnostics lab in Reseda, California; she later served as the CellPro’s director of diagnostics before retiring.

In addition to serving as the co-president of USC Lambda from 1994 to 1996, Ross endowed the Amy Ross Scholarship in Health Studies in 2012. That same year, she co-chaired USC Lambda’s 20th Anniversary Campaign, which exceeded its $250,000 goal and raised over $400,000. In 2014, Ross made USC history, when she became the first openly gay president of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors. Ross currently serves on the USC Board of Trustees.