Wed, November 2 2011

Cindi Creager, Director of Communications & Marketing
(212) 620-7310, ccreager@gaycenter.org

Women's Event 14 to Honor Out Comedienne/Actress Wanda Sykes, Country Music Star/Out Lesbian Chely Wright and Corporate Diversity Leaders Marla Persky and Nancy Di Dia of Pharmaceutical Company Boehringer Ingelheim USA

Don't Miss Premier Women's Gala on the East Coast!

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center will celebrate its 14th Annual Women's Event on Saturday, November 12, 2011. The evening will include a cocktail hour, dinner and awards program, silent auction, dessert, and dancing.

This year's four distinguished honorees include:

• WANDA SYKES, out comedienne and actress, has been called "one of the funniest stand-up comics" by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly's 25 Funniest People in America. Her smart-witted humor has sent her career in many different areas. In 2009 Sykes made history as the first out, African-American woman master of ceremonies at the White House Correspondents' dinner. Sykes has been also seen on several television shows in the past two years: On her own late night talk show on FOX, "The Wanda Sykes Show," in October of 2009 on her second HBO stand-up special, "I'ma Be Me," and in the CBS comedy, "The New Adventures of Old Christine" as "Barb."

• CHELY WRIGHT, internationally known country singer, released her seventh album, Lifted Off the Ground, and her autobiography, Like Me, in 2010 and announced to the world, in possibly the bravest act of her career, that she is a lesbian. Wright's work in the LGBT community includes the founding of The Like Me Organization, which addresses and works to prevent LGBT bullying and teen suicide, and the creation of The Lighthouse, the new LGBT center in Kansas City.

• MARLA PERSKY, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Boehringer Ingelheim USA. As a straight ally, Persky is the executive sponsor of the LGBT employee resource group, Working with Pride. During her career, Ms. Persky has managed global legal services, been General Manager of an international device business, integrated acquired businesses, designed and implemented legal strategies to manage global mass torts, and led crisis management teams.

• NANCY DI DIA, Executive Director & Chief Diversity Officer at pharmaceutical giant Boehringer Ingelheim USA. She brings more than 25 years of experience in management and diversity practices in corporate America. Nancy has national responsibility for Diversity, Inclusion & Engagement reaching more than 10,000 employees. Under her leadership the company achieved the #1 position from the Association of Diversity Councils as well as a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign for the best places to work for LGBT for three consecutive years.

WANDA SYKES will receive our Celebrity Activist Award. CHELY WRIGHT will receive our Community Award and MARLA PERSKY and NANCY DI DIA will each receive our Corporate Leader Award recognizing a straight ally and out leader partnership.

LISA LINSKY and Center Board member STEPHANIE BATTAGLINO are serving as Event Co-Chairs. Center Board Co-Chair GWEN MARCUS is serving as Honorary Chair. The After Party Host Committee is spearheaded by the Center's YOUNG LEADERS COUNCIL. The event will feature music by DJ WHITNEY DAY.

The money raised at Women's Event 14 will fund the Center's diverse array of programs and services for lesbians, bisexual women and transgender people. These programs include parents-to-be programs in Center Families, young women's groups in our Youth Enrichment Services, counseling and cancer education through our Lesbian Cancer Initiative, and year-round performances and discussions by women authors, artists, entertainers and leaders in our community.

About the Center

A beacon of hope for 29 years, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center builds and supports our community through arts and culture, wellness and recovery, family services and life-saving youth programs designed to foster healthy development in a safe, affirming environment. The Center envisions a world where LGBT people will no longer face discrimination or isolation because of who we are or who we love. We offer a welcoming home to 300,000 visitors each year and we are committed to serving all LGBT people through a variety of programs, services and activities that are designed to meet existing and emerging needs.The Center is many things to many people. We invite you to experience our home at 208 West 13th Street in person and online at gaycenter.org