Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights Program Founders

Julie Allen is a 2020 Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow and served as partner at Proskauer Rose, an international law firm where she co-chaired the global capital markets practice. Julie currently serves as the board chair of Read Ahead, a reading-based mentoring organization focusing on New York City’s underserved public grammar school children. 

Linda Dakin-Grimm is a senior consulting partner at Milbank LLP, where she handled numerous jury and bench trials in courts across the United States. In 2016, Ms. Dakin-Grimm concentrated her practice on pro bono immigration matters. Since then, she has taken on more than 100 cases helping unaccompanied children and separated families in immigration proceedings.

The David Bohnett Foundation is committed to improving society through social activism. They provide funding, state-of-the-art technology, and technical support to innovative organizations and institutions that share their vision.

Michael Dillon is a board officer, strategic advisor, and former executive. As a former partner at PwC, Michael helped clients attain their goals through his advice concerning mergers and acquisitions, audits, and accounting. In 2016, he was chosen for a three-year term on PwC’s senior leadership team as Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer.

Michael Fleming has served as executive director of the David Bohnett Foundation since 2000. He works closely with Mr. Bohnett to promote the foundation’s mission of improving society through social justice, developing quantitative and qualitative goals for funding progressive programs in education, LGBT issues, arts, gun violence prevention and cognitive animal language research.

Gary E. Grimm, PhD, received a B.A. in Physics from the University of Chicago, an M.S. in Physics from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Oregon. In his aerospace industry career, he participated in building satellites and instruments for remote sensing, including the collection and interpretation of electromagnetic radiation and contributing to the Chandra X-ray Observatory satellite.

Debra Mayer is a 2020 Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow and co-founded of the law firm Shatzkin & Mayer, focusing on entertainment litigation representing creator-clients. A long-time volunteer, she has served as a trustee of Classic Stage Company and Calhoun School.

In 1987, members of the Harvard Gay & Lesbian Caucus (now the Harvard Gender & Sexuality Caucus) established a private charitable foundation, The Open Gate, Inc.: a Fund for Gay and Lesbian Life at Harvard University, which provides funding for a variety of activities and events.

Marc Porter is a 2021 Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow who brings senior leadership experience in the arts, working with foundations, ministries of cultural affairs, and museums. He has worked for almost 30 years in increasingly senior roles at Christie’s, the world’s leading arts business.

Andrew Zellermeyer is a 2020 Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow and served as a director (shareholder) in the Boston office of the law firm Goulston & Storrs. He currently serves as an executive committee and board member of Greater Boston Legal Services and a board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council.