The Savvy Ally

Jeannie Gainsburg has worked as a professional ally to the LGBTQ+ communities for 15 years at the Out Alliance in Rochester, NY, first as the Education and Outreach Coordinator and, for the past 5 years, as the Education Director. In the latter role, she was in charge of writing and creating all of the agency¿s educational curriculum, professional manuals, and handouts. She has personally facilitated or co-facilitated approximately 500 trainings and workshops in over 20 different states at corporations, colleges, government agencies, K-12 schools and more. For 8 years, in her volunteer time, she ran the Alliance's bike ride fundraiser, Ride For Pride. She grew a small ride that brought in $4,000 in its first year into a $64,000 fundraiser that became her agency¿s most successful fundraising event. Jeannie has a BA in Psychology from Brown University and a Masters in Social Work and Social Services from Bryn Mawr College. She is the recipient of the Empire State Pride Agendäs Community Champion Award (2015), the Rochester LGBTQ Community Appreciation Award (2019), and a New York State Assembly Distinguished Educational & Human Rights Services Citation (2019). Her writing has been published in Pride Magazine, Metro Justice Newsletter, (585) Magazine, and The Empty Closet, and is currently on several LGBTQ+ websites. The Savvy Ally is her first book.