Our People

Laura Belmonte, Ph.D.
Chair and Co-Founder
lbelmonte@theequalitynetwork.org

Raised in New York and Atlanta, Laura Belmonte has lived in Tulsa since 1997. After graduating from the University of Georgia, she earned a doctorate at the University of Virginia. She is currently Director of American Studies and Professor of American History at Oklahoma State University. Her publications include Selling the American Way: U.S. Propaganda and the Cold War and Speaking of America: Readings in U.S. History. Her latest research project examines U.S. foreign relations and AIDS. Laura’s non-profit experience includes service in a variety of academic, non-profit, and LGBT organizations. She currently serves on the Historical Advisory Committee for the U.S. Department of State, the national council for the Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations (SHAFR), the national board of the Equality Federation, and the board of the Mid-America American Studies Association (MAASA). Her interests include Buddhism, meditation, yoga, running, working out, golf, hiking, travel, and film. She and her partner, Susan M. Arrington, live in midtown Tulsa with their Westie, Truman.

---

David Scruggs, CPA
Treasurer
dscruggs@theequalitynetwork.org

David Scruggs is the Chief Financial Officer of Montereau, Inc., in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His experience in the financial management of senior living communities spans nearly two decades. He moved to Tulsa from Hartford, Connecticut, where he was a Principal and Chief Financial Officer for Retirement Living Services, a full-service developer and manager of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). In addition to his consulting work, David has served as the CFO for both single-site and multi-site CCRC organizations, as the Director of Continuing Care for the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, financial analyst for as the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission (now CARF-CCAC) and a pastor in the United Methodist Church. In a volunteer capacity, he has worked with HIV/AIDS service organizations and served on the Financial Advisory Panel of CARF-CCAC. David is a Tennessee-licensed CPA with a degree in accounting from Baylor University and a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University. David is the father of two sons. His interests include bicycling, swimming, reading and traveling.

---

Jen Macken, M.S.
Secretary
jmacken@theequalitynetwork.org

Born and raised in Rochester, Minn., Jen Macken graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 2003 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Women’s Studies and Philosophy. She then earned her M.S. in Women’s Studies from Minnesota State University and worked for two years in finance at Mayo Clinic. In 2008, she accepted a position as the Coordinator of Women’s Programs at Oklahoma State University and is glad to be back in the field that she has such passion for. At OSU, she is also an adjunct lecturer in Gender and Women’s Studies and Co-founder/Vice Chair of Employee Queers and Allies League (EQuAL). Jen’s non-profit experience started in Madison working with Hostelling International and the Madison Hostel, and she has continued volunteering her time over the years with Outfront Minnesota, Rochester Diversity Council, and Wings of Hope. Jen currently lives in Stillwater with her partner, Mika, and their “kids” (a cat named Lono and a dog named Echo).

---

Kathy L. Williams, Ph.D.
Co-Founder
kwilliams@theequalitynetwork.org

Kathy L. Williams has been involved in non-profit organizations and the field of education for over twenty-five years as a volunteer, a teacher and an administrator. Currently, she is engaged in innovative changes in alternative education at the high school level. She serves as an executive board member for Oklahomans for Equality, an advisory board member for Health Outreach Prevention Education, and a board member for Tulsa Partners. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma in Organizational Leadership. As a post-doctorate fellow, her research is focused on the design and implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative at the Center for Risk and Crisis Management at OU. She also has a Masters in Education Administration, Curriculum, and Supervision from the University of Oklahoma, a Masters in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and her Bachelors of Science from the University of Tennessee. She served as the Executive Director of The Leadership Academy at Holland Hall, a board member for Habitat for Humanity, and an executive board member for the Tulsa Association of Volunteer Administrators. Her interests include reading, writing, spinning, weight training, and golfing. She is the mother of a son and a daughter. She and her husband, Tom, live in midtown Tulsa.

---

Kate Neary-Pounds, MPH
knearypounds@theequalitynetwork.org

Kate Neary-Pounds is currently the Executive Director of Reproductive Services, a non-profit health center in Tulsa that provides women’s reproductive services.  She is also an adjunct faculty member with Tulsa Community College, teaching health education courses to incarcerated populations in Oklahoma.  Prior to Reproductive Services, she served as the executive director of Health Outreach Prevention Education (H.O.P.E.), a Tulsa-based non-profit organization which provides HIV prevention and health promotion services.  Kate has worked for several non-profit and public health organizations including the National AIDS Fund AmeriCorps National Service Program, the Girl Scouts, and the Tulsa Health Department.  After moving from Texas, Kate received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Tulsa and her Master of Public Health from the University of Oklahoma.  She is also a graduate of the Health Care Executive Program at the University of California Los Angeles, an HIV Prevention Leadership Institute Fellow with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a graduate of Leadership Tulsa.  In addition to TEN, she is active with OKWatchdog.  She and her husband, Jeff Pounds, live in mid-town Tulsa.

---

Lamont Lindstrom

Lamont Lindstrom is Kendall Professor of anthropology at the University of Tulsa where he continues his research interests in local knowledge systems, governance, the drug kava (Piper methysticum), millenarian movements, and the ethnohistory of the Pacific War.  He is faculty advisor of the student group BLGTQA.  He is also a research partner in Q2 Consulting, LLC, that applies quantitative and qualitative research methods to solve contemporary business and organizational research problems including program evaluation, needs assessment, and analysis of customer understandings and satisfaction.

 

 

 

 

---

Brittany M. Novotny

Brittany graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. in Sociology in 2002 and embarked on a career in law. She earned her J.D. from the University of California – Hastings in 2005. Brittany kept up with Oklahoma while in law school and took note of the change in attitude and atmosphere in the newly renovated and thriving Oklahoma City. She subsequently moved back to Oklahoma City and was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar in 2005. In 2007, she started her own law practice in Oklahoma City.

As a member of the Young Democrats of Oklahoma (YDO), she has served as the National Committee Woman and is currently Executive Vice President. In 2009, RAIN Oklahoma presented Brittany with the Leadership Award for Community Action. Brittany also serves on the community advisory board for S.K.I.L. (Supporting Kids in Independent Living). She was honored by her colleagues with the YDO 2010 Woman of the Year award.

In 2010, Brittany became the first openly transgender political candidate in Oklahoma history, taking on incumbent Rep. Sally Kern (R-OKC) for the House District 84 seat.  Despite coming up short in the election, Brittany raised eyebrows all over the country with her positive, progressive, pro-Oklahoma campaign.  She remains committed to working toward a brighter future for all Oklahomans.  Her political philosophy can be summed up with one of her favorite phrases, “Stop hating and start trading!”

---

James Cooper

An Oklahoma native, Cooper began his writing career in summer 2003 as the film critic for Hardnews Online, a gay online newsletter in OKC, and he continued with the newsletter until it ceased publication in 2009.

In 2007, Cooper graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in Film Studies and Political Science, spending his final semester studying abroad at the University of Bologna, Italy.

That same year, Cooper became a proud member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle and he remains with the organization today.

Upon returning to Oklahoma in 2007, Cooper started his graduate work in Screen Studies and English at Oklahoma State University where he taught as an English instructor, as well.  In fall 2008, he began writing for the The Daily O’Collegian as an opinion columnist, providing news analysis and covering the presidential election.

By summer 2009, Cooper took over as the Opinion Editor for The O’Collegian and in early 2010, the Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalism awarded him second place for his 2009 column “Yep, I’m Gay, Can I get my food now?” on the necessity for federal hate crimes legislation.  In Spring 2010, the English Department awarded him the Audre Chapman Scholarship for Teaching Excellence in Composition for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Cooper remained with The O’Collegian as its Opinion Editor until December 2010.

This year, Cooper finished his masters thesis, “From Bates to Bush: The New Slasher Film,” on the contemporary American horror genre and completed his degree.

His two-part essay on this history of Oklahoma City’s gay and lesbian community for the Oklahoma Gazette, “From Closet to Community,” appeared on newsstands this November.

Earlier this fall, he began teaching as an adjunct English instructor at the University of Central Oklahoma.

---

Will Weir

Throughout his professional and personal life, David “Will” Weir has worked with people from all walks of life, empowering them to take their rightful place as equal, vital, and productive members of society.  Will has worked for over 20 years as a case worker for the State of Oklahoma, including work in Protective Services for both children and adults. He has also worked within the justice system with the Office of Juvenile Affairs and is a volunteer for the Department of Corrections. He was a First Offender Group Facilitator for Crossroads Youth and Family Services in Norman for a number of years, and is currently a trained facilitator for the “Within My Reach” program promoted by the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative and provided to TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) clients at the Department of Human Services. He has facilitated many groups through the years, including groups for Teen Parents at the Center for Children and Families, Inc., in Norman, and Outdoor Adventure and Anger Management Groups for McClain-Garvin Youth and Family Center in Purcell, just to name a few.

In addition to his professional commitment, he has worked on his personal time, with many vulnerable people helping connect them to support systems to create a stable and safe environment for them while respecting their autonomy. In conjunction with those efforts, he, and his dog, Sandor, became a member of the Delta Society and Paws for Friends, operating a “visiting dog” program for Hospice patients and others. His work with vulnerable adults has also included providing training, advocacy, and guardianship services for incapacitated individuals, victims of crime, and for individuals with developmental disabilities.

He has served on the ACLU of Oklahoma Executive Board, co-chaired GLSEN Oklahoma, (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), chaired the Gay and Lesbian Ministry at St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church in Norman, and has conducted and produced hundreds of presentations to diverse groups, including the conference: Building Better Relationships for Sexual Minorities.  He worked on the Children’s Medicaid Legislative Taskforce to decrease the number of uninsured children and pregnant women in Oklahoma. He worked with the Perinatal Taskforce of South Central Oklahoma, collaborating with service providers and institutions to provide additional school nurses and other programs to assist high risk individuals in obtaining treatment and preventative services.  In 2007, he was awarded the City of Norman’s Human Rights Award.

Will and his husband, Tom, reside in Norman and are active in politics. They also enjoy traveling to their ranch in New Mexico, Ranch Camp LLC, where they enjoy the enchantment of Kiowa Valley.

---

Penny J. Reynolds

A native Oklahoman, Penny has experienced both the small town challenges and metropolitan complexities of growing up LGBT in Oklahoma. She has been actively involved in the LGBT politics of Oklahoma since the grassroots push against State Question 711 in 2004 defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman. As an employee of BNSF Railway she worked to change corporate benefit policy to include same-sex families and in 2010 she founded the first Gay-Straight Alliance at Rose State College in Midwest City. Penny is currently working toward a degree in LGBT family law, maintains the web based organization Allied Oklahoma, and she and her partner Amber are the foster and adoptive parents of 6 brilliant kids, 3 well-fed cats and 2 wonderful red dogs.