Playwright, author, and LGBT historian Dr. Ronni Sanlo is a well-known keynote speaker at colleges and universities around the country. Ronni speaks not only from her perspective as a higher education/student affairs professor, LGBT center director, dean of students, and faculty in residence but also from her personal life experiences.

She began writing Readers’ Theater plays in just the past few years. Her first, Sing Meadowlark, has been performed around the country. Dear Anita Bryant is her second. Her third play, The Soldier and the Time Traveler are currently being readied for table reads. Now retired, Dr. Sanlo directed the UCLA LGBT Center and was a professor at the UCLA Graduate School of Education. She is the founder of the award-winning Lavender Graduation, a commencement event that honors the lives and achievements of LGBTQ students. Prior to her work in Higher Education, Ronni was an HIV epidemiologist in Florida. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Florida, and a master's and doctorate in education from the University of North Florida. Ronni and her wife Dr. Kelly Watson live in Palm Springs, CA, and Sequim, WA. To learn more about Dr. Sanlo, visit ronnisanlo.com.

When I first met Priya, they were reserved and quiet. However, they grew as a leader in a daily small amount of time making an impact both inside and outside the classroom. Priya assisted in conducting research impacting marginalized communities within the LGBTQ+ community. They also contribute to the awareness of QTIPOC communities by sharing achievements and projects of queer South Asian individuals. They accomplished several projects for the Spectrum Center in an attempt to bring advocacy and inclusion at the forefront.

Eryka's nominators highlighted her recent work as a student supervisor on the Spectrum Center Oral History Project and her past work with University Health Services as a volunteer, Diversity Equity and Inclusion intern, and an independent study student. Her skills in perseverance, taking initiative, and educating others are highly praised by those that have worked with and for her in her many roles. She tirelessly considers how programs, services, and projects land on students across identities, and inspires others to model their approaches around what will work best for the most marginalized individuals in our community. In a nominator's words: "I am incredibly sad to see her leave the Spectrum Center as she graduates, but look forward to hearing news of her accomplishments and pursuits in the future, as I know they will be great."

LGBT+ Michigan was started by students a few years ago in an attempt to create space for queer and trans students regardless of academic and identity affiliations. Since its inception, the organization advanced its mission by providing social and educational programming for its members. Even during the pandemic, the organization brainstormed and provided activities for LGBTQ+ students. LGBT+ Michigan is organized and thriving and has been meeting its mission of supporting LGBTQ+ students better than ever.

Both Julia and Josh are being recognized for their volunteer work in service of elderly LGBTQ+ individuals looking for connection and support through SAGE Detroit. Julia joined SAGE's Friendly Caller program, which matches volunteers with older LGBTQ+ people in the area for weekly phone calls and other forms of contact, within the past year and is noted for being committed to the older adult community. While volunteering as a Friendly Caller, her participant has said: "Julia is genuinely a good listener, she really wants to know about my experiences and what I have to say." Additionally, Julia has stepped up in supporting older LGBTQ+ people during this time of crisis, which is not only increasing the isolation community elders often find themselves in but also create challenges in accessing basic resources. Julia's dedication to intergenerational dialogue and community building is truly outstanding and the Spectrum Center is happy to recognize her as such.

Both Julia and Josh are being recognized for their volunteer work in service of elderly LGBTQ+ individuals looking for connection and support through SAGE Detroit. Josh has been in the Friendly Caller Program since December 2018 and his caller can not say enough of how much their weekly calls mean to him. The caller notes that "Josh was the first gay person I related to after my partner died," and that he has "I have shared more with Josh than I have shared with my own family." Josh's nominator gives extra thanks for his willingness to take on extra work during the crisis as many LGBTQ+ older adults struggle with isolation, food scarcity, and health scares. We agree with another comment from his caller: "He is truly one in a million."

Throughout their time at UM, Alyson has always been involved with Coalition for Queer and Trans People of Color from the start. In their leadership as Co-Chair of Coalition for Queer and Trans People of Color, Alyson clearly displayed skills and strategies to make LGBTQ individuals feel cared for and implemented research on QTPOC communities that were beneficial to the Spectrum Center and Coalition. They also participated in several student conference delegations attending MBLGTACC and Creating Change in an attempt to engage in critical conversations around the current and future development of LGBTQ communities. They are to only invest in the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality but also advocate and support their peers at different margins.

The U-M LGBTQ Alumni Association, as a chartered affiliate of the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan, seeks to bring together alumni, faculty, students, staff, friends, and allies of all gender identities and sexual orientations in support of each other and to promote the objectives of the University of Michigan by furthering communication, especially of issues relating to gender and sexual orientation; providing a forum for the exchange of ideas; extending community and camaraderie; furthering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment; and providing scholarship support, service opportunities, and programming.

To learn more about and/or join the LGBTQ Alumni Association, please visit www.umalumni.com/lgbtq For questions, reach out to lgbtq.alumni@umich.edu