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Comings & Goings
Sanchez joins E&Y’s Entrepreneurs Access Network
The ‘Comings & Goings’ column chronicles important life changes of Blade readers.
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at: [email protected].
Thomas Sanchez
Congratulations to Social Driver CEO and co-founder Thomas Sanchez, selected from a competitive pool of nominees to participate in the inaugural cohort of the Ernst & Young LLP (EY) Entrepreneurs Access Network (EAN). EY EAN is a business accelerator and comprehensive, executive-level program designed to elevate scalable Black and Latinx-owned companies through access to mentors, resources, and networks. The curriculum is designed to take a holistic approach to business growth with a specific focus on deepening customer relationships, improving people strategies, and developing an accelerated journey to market leadership.
Sanchez said, “As a minority-owned company, EY Entrepreneurs Access Network is coming along at a great time for our business. I have met business leaders who are all facing the same challenges. The program is helping us develop the next phase of Social Driver’s strategic plan. Having the freedom to think about the future is a powerful tool.”
Social Driver is a digital and creative agency that launches strategies for many leading corporate and nonprofit brands in the United States. Under Thomas’s leadership, the agency has received wide acclaim for its collaborative culture and cutting-edge client partnerships, including recently being ranked as one of the Top B2B Companies in the United States by Clutch and recognized on the Best and Brightest Companies list as a top national employer.
Before founding Social Driver, Sanchez used his background in software engineering to transform healthcare—first by developing cutting-edge medical records systems used to improve the delivery of care and later by launching digital learning platforms and consulting services used by health systems around the world. Credited as a top minority innovator and entrepreneur, the Financial Times included Sanchez on its worldwide list of the foremost LGBTQ executives, the Washington Business Journal featured Thomas on its list of Minority Business Leaders, and Social Driver was ranked as a Minority Business Enterprise 100 company. Sanchez also serves as secretary of The Trevor Project and chair of D.C.’s Innovation & Technology Inclusion Council.
Congratulations also to Raymond Danny Barefoot named an Orrick Legal Fellow with the ACLU. He said, “The ACLU doesn’t just commit to doing good when it is easy or popular; the organization understands that if we allow the rights of the unpopular to be compromised, that puts the rights of everyone at risk. I am excited to spend the next year fighting for the vulnerable and ensuring that our constitutional rights are protected.”
He has dedicated his career to making sure we elect public servants who have sound judgment, compassionate values, and an understanding that government can and should be a force for good. He worked on many political campaigns and then launched his own consulting firm focused on communications and advocacy before going to law school.
After graduating law school, he worked as a summer associate with Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe, LLP, Washington, D.C. Prior to that he was Founder and Managing Partner Anvil Strategies, LLC, in Washington, D.C.
He received the American Association of Political Consultants Pollie Award twice. He is a volunteer with Whitman-Walker Health, and OneVirginia in Richmond.
Barefoot has his bachelor’s degree in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University and his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, in Washington, D.C.
Raymond Danny Barefoot
District of Columbia
Blade welcomes fall intern
Alexis McLean is student at University of North Florida
The Washington Blade this week welcomed Alexis McLean as its fall intern.
Alexis is studying political science at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. She is interning with the Blade as part of a continued partnership with the Washington Center.
“I am looking forward to spending my time in the fall with the Washington Blade, as this is a new experience for me,” said Alexis. “I have not experienced any journalist jobs in the past so this would be my first time, and I am excited to better my writing and communications skills with this internship.”
Alexis’s internship with the Blade ends in early December.
Rehoboth Beach
SUNFESTIVAL takes center stage as Rehoboth Beach closes out summer
Labor Day Weekend bustling with events, including David Archuleta performance
Labor Day Weekend marks the unofficial end of summer in Rehoboth Beach, but there will be no shortage of LGBTQ events, with CAMP Rehoboth’s annual SUNFESTIVAL taking over town this weekend.
Thursday (9/3)
Get your Labor Day Weekend started early Thursday night with happy hour from 5-7 p.m. at Diego’s Bar & Nightclub, followed by Naughtee Bingo hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 8:30 p.m.
After bingo, the party continues with Dancing at Diego’s from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Aqua Bar & Grill will also kick off its Labor Day Weekend festivities Thursday with a DJ spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Friday (9/4)
The weekend ramps up Friday night at Aqua, where DJ Matt Bailer will keep the dance floor moving from 9 p.m.-1 a.m.
Over at Diego’s, DJ Steve Sidewalk will then take over Diego’s for Freedom Friday from 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
Saturday (9/5)
The main event of the weekend arrives Saturday with the opening night of CAMP Rehoboth’s SUNFESTIVAL.
Billed as the ultimate party to close out the summer, SUNFESTIVAL has become one of Rehoboth’s signature Labor Day Weekend events. The annual celebration sells out each year, with proceeds benefiting CAMP Rehoboth.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with refreshments available at the cash bar while attendees are invited to socialize and find their seats.
Saturday night will feature local singer Ashley Williams as the opening performer, followed by headliner David Archuleta. The event will also feature a live auction.
Back across town Saturday, Aqua will continue its Labor Day Weekend DJ lineup from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Diego’s will also have plenty happening, with ‘Splash Party’ hosted by Magnolia Applebottom at 5 p.m., followed by a Saturday Dance Party with Brett Oosterhaus from 9 p.m.- 1:30 a.m.
The Blue Moon hosts its popular Legends Show at 9 p.m. It’s an all-live singing show by the Blue Moon cast of celebrity impersonators.
Etienne Pilon has taken Rehoboth by storm this summer. Check out the talented singer/pianist at The Pines from 7-10 p.m.
Sunday (9/6)
Sunday’s SUNFESTIVAL event will shift the focus to the dance floor, with globally renowned DJs Robbie Leslie and James Anthony scheduled to perform. Doors open at 7 p.m., with dancing continuing until 1 a.m.
On Sunday, Aqua will throw its annual White Party, with DJs spinning from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Guests are encouraged to dress in white for the holiday weekend celebration.
Diego’s will host its Sunday High T-Dance with Pamala Stanley at 5 p.m. Later that evening, DJ Tannr will be spinning at 9 p.m.
John Flynn is on the piano from 6-8 p.m. at the Blue Moon.
Monday (9/7)
The final day of Labor Day Weekend brings one last chance to hit the dance floor before summer officially winds down.
Aqua will close out its five-day Labor Day Weekend celebration with DJ Biff from 3-7 p.m.
Maryland
Anne Arundel schools now need parent permission to call trans students by preferred names
Conservative groups challenged system’s policy
By JESSICA CALEFATI | Anne Arundel County Public Schools staff cannot use transgender students’ preferred names if their parents oppose it, according to an internal document reviewed by the Banner, a change that comes after conservative groups challenged the school system’s approach to gender identity.
Teachers union president Kristina Korona told members in an Aug. 20 email that the new guidance undermines district policy on acceptance and inclusivity and “will begin harming affected students immediately.”
Previously, the district didn’t require parental permission to use a high school student’s chosen name and pronouns corresponding to their gender identity, the internal document says. Now it does. The change comes as parents challenge the suburban school system’s gender identity policy and regulation in court and the Trump-Vance administration threatens the district’s funding.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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