“Living Out Loud: Pride, Joy, and the Power to Shape Culture” July 16th at Schafer Condon Carter

This 35-minute moderated discussion will explore what it means to live out front—with authenticity, courage, and joy—while shaping culture across media, politics, advocacy, and journalism. The conversation will center on how your lived experiences and public visibility influence storytelling, representation, and the evolving role of LGBTQ+ voices in media and advertising.

Event Details

Thursday, July 16, 2026

6:00-9:00pm

Schafer Condon Carter (SCC)

176 S. Racine, Suite 300

Chicago, IL 

Laura S. Washington is a contributing columnist for the Chicago Tribune and political analyst at ABC-7, Chicago’s ABC-owned station. She previously served as a long-time contributing columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. In 2015 and 2019 she served as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics. Washington brings more than two award-winning decades of experience as a non-profit professional and multi-media journalist. She specializes in African American affairs, local and national politics, race and racism, and social justice. From 2003 to 2009 she served as the Ida B. Wells-Barnett University Professor at DePaul University and fellow at the DePaul Humanities Center. From 1990 to 2002, Washington served as editor and publisher of The Chicago Reporter, a nationally recognized investigative monthly specializing in racial issues and urban affairs. She has been a commentator on National Public Radio and Chicago Public Radio. In 1985 Washington was appointed deputy press secretary to Mayor Harold Washington, Chicago’s first African American mayor. She also served as a producer for the investigative unit at CBS-2/Chicago, correspondent for “Chicago Tonight” on WTTW-TV and previously wrote a contributing column for the Chicago Sun-Times. Newsweek magazine named Washington one of the nation’s “100 People to Watch” in the 21st Century. Newsweek said: “her style of investigative journalism has made (the Reporter) a powerful and award-winning voice.”  Washington is widely quoted and featured in the national media, including Time Magazine, the Associated Press, New York Times, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC, PBS NewsHour, and the BBC. She is a frequent lecturer and moderator before local and national audiences.

Susan Betteridge is Chief Creative Officer and Partner at dame creative, a female-led advertising agency she helped found in early 2020. Prior to starting dame, Susan led teams at Chicago’s largest ad agencies including FCB, Ogilvy and dentsu for 20 years including brands like Volkswagen, Disney, State Farm and more. Susan began her career as a Copywriter after graduating from Michigan State University’s Honors College. Susan is active in the advertising community, especially mentoring young female and LGBTQ+ creatives and has served in various roles with the American Advertising Federation, Do The WeRQ, Chief a women’s leadership organization, and was named a Working Mother of the Year by She Runs It in 2019. Susan also served on the Board of Directors as Vice Chair at the Center on Halsted, the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ+ community center. Susan is a proud working Mom and wife; she has two amazing daughters who are seven and eight. 

Precious Brady-Davis is an award-winning advocate, communications strategist, public speaker, and the celebrated author of I Have Always Been Me. She currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer at Center on Halsted, the largest LGBTQ+ community center in the Midwest, where she leads organizational strategy, cross-sector partnerships, and initiatives that drive measurable impact across multiple sites. A trailblazer in American politics, Precious is the first openly Black transgender woman elected to public office in Cook County. She serves as a Commissioner at the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, elected by over one million voters. In this role, she champions clean water access, environmental justice, and the protection of Lake Michigan—drinking water source for more than five million people. Precious began her nonprofit career at Center on Halsted as Youth Outreach Coordinator, where she launched a $1.6 million CDC-funded initiative reaching more than 3,000 African American and Latinx LGBTQ+ youth with HIV prevention, education, and leadership programming. She went on to lead diversity recruitment and policy initiatives as Assistant Director at Columbia College Chicago, advancing inclusive excellence across higher education. She later held multiple senior roles at the Sierra Club, including Associate Regional Communications Director. Her work spanned national campaigns promoting renewable energy, environmental justice, and corporate accountability, crafting communications strategies that mobilized grassroots action and influenced federal policy. With over a decade of experience at the intersection of racial, gender, and environmental justice, Precious Brady-Davis brings authenticity, vision, and impact to every table she joins. Her dynamic career has included collaborations with global figures such as President Joe Biden, Jennifer Hudson, Miley Cyrus, HBO, and MAC Cosmetics. As a sought-after speaker, she has delivered powerful talks at leading institutions including the University of Cambridge, Loyola University Chicago, Northwestern University, Hampshire College, Reed College, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

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