Director, Programming Coordinator, Marketing Director
San Francisco State University, 2016–2018
25+ speakers, 5-day intensive annual institute, multi-year engagement
Overview
The SFSU Annual Summer Institute on Sexuality is the premiere summer program on sexuality research in the United States — founded in 2001 by Dr. Gilbert Herdt, Director of the National Sexuality Resource Center, and produced annually by the Center for Research and Education on Gender and Sexuality (CREGS) at San Francisco State University. Zed served as Marketing Director and Event Producer for the 15th Annual (2017) and 16th Annual (2018) Summer Institutes, and in 2018 held the title of Director. Each Institute ran as a multi-day intensive in downtown San Francisco, drawing students, researchers, and professionals from across the country for a week of keynote presentations, workshops, panel discussions, and community events organized around a distinct annual theme.
The Institutes
15th Annual Summer Institute — Sexuality, Activism, and Social Change May 30–June 3, 2017 — 835 Market Street, 5th Floor, Downtown San Francisco
A 5-day intensive organized around the theme of sexuality, activism, and social change — examining the intersections of sexual politics, social justice movements, and research in the context of the Trump presidency and rising urgency of LGBTQ+ and anti-racist activism. Zed served as Director and wrote the welcome letter for the printed program.
- 5 full days of programming, May 30–June 3, 2017
- 18 speakers across 12 sessions
- Speaker roster included: Darius Bost (SFSU), Aaron Belkin (SFSU), Javon L. Johnson (SFSU), Julia Serano (keynote), Jiz Lee (Pink & White Productions), Richard Sprott (CSUE), KJ Cerankowski (Stanford), Ianna Hawkins Owen (UC Berkeley), Jen Reck (SFSU), Sarolta Jane Cump, Andre Shakti, Nikki Darling, Cynthia El Khoury, Maya G. Sen, Alexis Martinez, Nico Orlandi (UC Santa Cruz), Colleen Hoff (SFSU), Jennifer Glick
- Programming included daily morning and evening sessions, a tour of the GLBT History Museum in the Castro, and a closing reception at the Center for Sex & Culture at 1349 Mission Street
- Community dinners organized nightly by identity affinity groups: Queer Meet-Up, POC Meet-Up, Student Meet-Up (undergrad and grad), and Professionals Meet-Up
- Produced a full printed program booklet including speaker bios, interviews with all 18 speakers, schedule, venue information, recommended readings list, and community resources
16th Annual Summer Institute — Centering Women of Color and Trans Women in the Conversations Around Women’s Sexual Health and Wellness June 5–9, 2018 — San Francisco State University, Downtown Campus
A 5-day intensive organized around an explicitly intersectional framework — examining women’s sexual health and wellness through the lens of women of color and transgender women, with intentional focus on whose bodies and voices are centered in research, clinical care, and advocacy.
- 5 full days of programming, June 5–9, 2018
- 19 sessions featuring 28 speakers
- Speaker roster included: Charlotte Tate (SFSU), Scott Butler (Georgia College), Jae Sevelius (UCSF), Carol Queen (Good Vibrations / Center for Sex & Culture), Colleen Hoff (SFSU), Shine Louise Houston (Pink & White Productions), Rachel Kaplan (UCSF), Cynthia El Khoury, Keiko Lane, Elisabeth Bolaza, Chanel Jaali Marshall, Erica Misako Boas, Jason Laker, Laura Millar, Brittany Chambers (UCSF), Anu Manchikanti Gómez (UC Berkeley), Cole ThreeMoons Richards, Charis Stiles, Aria Sa’id, Jennifer Devine (Superstar Health Education), Danielle Hebner, Hayley Pettit, Danielle Castro, Jenna Rapues, Vanessa Warri, M’kali-Hashiki, Kitty Stryker
- Programming included a behind-the-scenes studio tour and film screening at Pink & White Productions (CrashPadSeries.com), a Community Fair featuring local and national sexuality and gender organizations, and daily seminars for full-week participants
- Community Fair featured organizations including the National Coalition of Sexual Freedom, California Coalition for Sexual Freedom, Bay Area Women Against Rape, the Women’s Building, Peer Health Exchange, SFSU Sexuality Studies, and the California Institute of Integral Studies
- Produced a full printed program booklet including speaker bios, interview series with speakers, full 5-day schedule grid, venue and transit information, and sponsor acknowledgments
Contributions Across Both Institutes
- Served as Director and primary event producer for both the 2017 and 2018 Summer Institutes
- Designed, wrote, and produced the full printed program booklets for both years — including all layout, speaker interviews, schedule grids, venue logistics, community resources, and welcome letter
- Managed all marketing and promotional campaigns for both institutes — developing and executing multi-channel outreach to students, researchers, and professionals nationally
- Coordinated all speaker logistics across 28+ speakers — managing invitations, travel, scheduling, communications, bios, and session coordination
- Coordinated all venue logistics for both years including room setup, accessibility information, transit guidance, and off-site event coordination (GLBT History Museum, Center for Sex & Culture, Pink & White Productions)
- Organized and facilitated daily community dinner meet-ups and affinity group programming
- Managed all participant registration, communications, and on-site logistics across both 5-day institutes
- Coordinated the 2018 Community Fair including outreach to and coordination of 11+ participating organizations
Outcome
Two fully produced 5-day national sexuality research institutes — 19 sessions, 28 speakers, and hundreds of participants across the two years — representing the country’s most prestigious annual summer program in sexuality studies. Each institute required end-to-end event production including speaker coordination, venue management, community programming, marketing, print production, and on-site execution across five consecutive days in downtown San Francisco.
Sexuality, Activism, & Social Change, 2017:
Women’s Sexual Health & Wellness, 2018:
