Growing & glowing
The Stonewall team is growing and glowing! This May, we welcomed a new Major Gifts Officer to our small-but-mighty team. Kazem Ghouchani (they/them) is a Brooklyn-based development and marketing professional with over six years of experience in community building and cultural programming. We’re thrilled to have them on board!
As a queer atheist from Tehran, Iran, Kazem also serves as a fundraising and development consultant for the Emruz Festival. Prior to joining the Stonewall team, they served the Entertainment Community Fund (formerly known as The Actors Fund) as a Major Gifts Manager and Rattlestick Theater as a Development Manager. They hold an MBA from Hult International Business School and are passionate about raising funds to develop programs for LGBTQ grassroots initiatives and communities. They are currently enrolled in NYU School of Professional Studies for their Fundraising Certificate, and have also been selected for the fall 2023 Learning Communities Cohort at Nonprofit New York.
As a queer and nonbinary asylum seeker, Kazem understands the importance of intensive capacity building through training programs that equip local leaders with the tools they need to be effective change agents. Additionally, promoting social, environmental, and racial justice has always been a driving force that has pushed them to remain focused on their community and the wellbeing of its people. With this mindset, Kazem spends time asking questions like "How might we design for communities with fewer resources so they are empowered and engaged to answer the challenges that face them?" This shared passion is why they got involved with initiatives such as the Emruz Festival. They want to keep learning about development and fundraising and partner with philanthropists to raise funds for the projects that support the full spectrum of LGBTQ+ identity.
“I really admire how Stonewall Foundation is committed to lifting up all communities of color and transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people; embracing disability justice; working to end racism and anti-Blackness; and supporting organizations and work that serve undocumented immigrants and people involved in survival economies,” Kazem said. As a principal, they wanted to join the leadership team of an organization that strives to model and build equity and to be accountable, transparent, and trustworthy in all its practices and the advancement of its mission.
It’s only been a couple months, but Kazem has already proven to be an invaluable asset to the Stonewall team. To get in touch, you can send them an email at kazem@stonewallfoundation.org.