Saturday Luncheon Keynote Speaker
Donna Rose

Donna Rose is a nationally recognized author, speaker, and advocate for transgender and transsexual issues.

Donna spent the first 40 years of her life as David: a husband, a father, a successful businessman, a nationally ranked collegiate athlete. That changed when she finally confronted gender issues that had bubbled below the surface for her entire life.

Today, Donna speaks around the country at schools, businesses, conferences, and elsewhere about the unique issues faced by transgender people in America, and to put a face to an issue that too often remains steeped in misconception and prejudice.

Donna's leadership role in GLBT advocacy is extensive. She is the first and only openly transgender member of the Human Rights Campaign Board of Directors, where she also serves as National Co-Chair for Diversity. Donna is a member of the HRC Business Council where she plays a significant role in the annual Corporate Equality Index, and in ongoing educational efforts. She is on the Board of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. She is on the Out and Equal Transgender Advisory Committee, and is on the Board of Advisors for the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE). She s a member of the Out and Equal Workplace Advocates Transgender Advisory Committee. She was highlighted as a "Gay Corporate Leader" in the March 2006 edition of "The Advocate", in a June 2005 article in USA Today about Transgender Issues in the Workplace, and in an October 2003 edition of Marie Claire magazine.

Donna's award-winning memoir, "Wrapped In Blue: A Journey of Discovery" remains one of the most personal accounts of the mental and physical issues involved in a gender transition yet written. Her website, www.donnarose.com, is a well-known source of information and support for and about the transgender community.

Donna lives and works in Scottsdale, AZ.