MTSU LGBT Plus Conference Celebrates Advocacy and Achievement at Awards Dinner

By Lauren Means

The Middle Tennessee State University (MSTU) LGBT Plus College Conference concluded with the awards dinner on Saturday, April 6, 2024. It was an evening of celebration, camaraderie, and good food.

The conference is hosted every spring on the campus of MTSU with the support of the college, community organizations, and corporate sponsorships like Nissan and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee. There are various workshops, panels, Q&A’s, a film festival, game night, and community services fair during the three-day event.

The conference ends with an awards dinner where outstanding individuals from the community are honored by MT Lambda and the Conference Advisory Board. During the dinner, hosted by Kayla Gore and Justin Reed, the attendees were treated to a musical prelude courtesy of singer-songwriter Heather Mae.

Michelle Conceison, Associate Professor and Chair of the Recording Industry Department in the College of Media and Entertainment at MTSU gave the keynote. Michelle shared with the audience her coming out story and how it shaped who she is today.

There were also several MTSU Lambda Association Heros Scholarship Winners announced.

This year’s nominees and winners are listed below. The 2025 Conference is already in the works. Visit https://w1.mtsu.edu/mtlambda/LGBTplusCC.php for more details, updates, and to view past conference highlights.

2024 Award Nominees and Winners ^{(Winners highlighted in bold)}

Terry Whiteside Ally in Diversity Award

Troy Yost – Community Organizer
Maigan Wipfli – Director, June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students MTSU
Mirabelle Stoedter – Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Nashville Chapter

Marisa Richmond Civic Advocacy Award ^(*tie)

Jace Wilder – Education Manager, Tennessee Equality Project
Olivia Hill – Metro Council at-Large
Dahron Johnson – Chaplain, Community Education, Outreach, Tennessee Equality Project

Community Excellence Award

Theodore Baker – Youth Organizing Fellow for Rutherford Co., Planned Parenthood of TN and North MS
Zofia Zagalsky – MTSU Professional Counseling Student, IDAC Assistant
Devyn Kelly – University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Diane Easter Corporate Engagement Award

Stephanie Mahnke – Tennessee Pride Chamber
Brynn Plummer – AllianceBerstein
Amna Osman – CEO, Nashville CARES

Academic Advancement Award

Dr. Roberta Chevrette – MTSU
Dr. Jessica Gaby – MTSU
Dr. Eric W. Hughes – MTSU

MTSU Lambda Association Award Presentation for the Wayne C. Rosing LGBT+ Advocacy Award

Danielle Rochelle, Director of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs Center, MTSU