AT&T is celebrating the accomplishments of 10 employees who are positively impacting the LGBTQ+ community and demonstrating what it means to Turn Up the Love.

These team members stand for the values of AT&T and uplift their colleagues and local community by championing LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion. We thank them for all the work they are doing to make a difference. Let’s get to know our 2023 Turn Up the Love winners.

Keith McCoy

Keith is the Associate Director of the AT&T Discovery District, a place where people of all backgrounds spend time with family and friends safely and openly. It’s fitting that Keith himself embodies these same values of equity and equality that the Discovery District represents.

In his role, Keith reviews all events that take place in the Discovery District to make sure they are welcoming and inclusive to all. He’s been part of many heritage month celebrations including Black History Month, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month and Pride.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, he advocates for inclusivity and creates a safe space for his team and guests at the Discovery District through actions like instituting an open-door policy for his team to voice their concerns and ensure everyone’s comfort.

Matt Cook

As an Area Retail Sales Manager, Matt oversees several different stores and is responsible for fostering inclusion throughout his teams. He encourages his store teams to bring their authentic selves to work and speak what they believe in proudly.

For the managers he oversees, he empowers them to participate at events and parades of several different communities to celebrate people of all backgrounds. Matt himself attends similar events and rallies to speak his truth. For him, turning up the love is speaking for himself and others, and encouraging his team to do the same.

Rosario Duque

Rosario turns up the love by being there for her team. She does it in the big ways, like making sure they have the tools to do their best work and leading by example, and the small ways, like taking the time to catch up personally every morning.

She’s quick to ask how everyone is doing or if there is anything they need and makes comfort and acceptance a priority in the office. A moment that really underlined her support and dedication to her team came during Pride Month. Typically, one team member would set up a table and decorate for the occasion and was a one person job. This year, Rosario took the responsibility herself and purchased new decorations and had the whole office take part in the celebration. To the members of her team, it showed that she really cared for the LGBTQ+ community and lives the values of AT&T.

Nicole Pearce

Nicole Pearce is turning up the love through activism. In the office, she brings her authentic self everyday and encourages others to do the same. As member of our LGBTQ+ employee group, LEAGUE, Nicole helps organize events like the Dallas Pride Parade — which she’s represented AT&T two years in a row. She also created a newsletter celebrating LGBTQ+ history, events, and more.

In her personal life, she donates to several LGBTQ+ organizations, such as a shelter for Black trans women. She also advocates for young trans people and makes calls to government officials in support of LGBTQ+ issues, like gender-affirming care.

Nicole speaks up and speaks out for what she believes is right because turning up the love isn’t just about being comfortable herself, it’s about making others comfortable to be themselves, too.

Kathryn DiNardo

Kathryn turns up the love through advocacy and allyship. Her team is built on the principles of diversity and openness. She uses her position to enable her team to speak up for those in need and frequently takes part in difficult conversations to push for acceptance and equality when needed. She offers mentorship to others and is a voice for positive change.

It’s not all about difficult conversations, though, and Kathryn is also a key part of celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. She takes part in local Pride Month celebrations. All year round, she attends community events and supports local LGBTQ+ businesses.

She lives AT&T’s values in and out of the office and truly practices what she preaches.

Jo Gardner

Jo proves that turning up the love can be about small gestures as well as big ones. While she’s not a member of the LGBTQ+ community herself, she still wears AT&T pride gear to show her support proudly. Whether or not she’s a part of the group, she believes in supporting everyone on her team.

For Jo, equity is the name of the game. Regardless of backgrounds, beliefs, or appearances, her team is built around comfort and acceptance for all.

 

Melanie Thomas

Turning up the love is about representation to Melanie, and she is happy to represent her community at AT&T and in her community. She is out and proud, but realizes many do not have the same ability to go to work or even leave the house openly. Melanie is working to change that through her platform.

Since winning the Turn Up the Love award last year, she’s become an even greater resource to her team. The spotlight has led to leaders and colleagues reaching out to her and asking how to better support the community. She is a member of LEAGUE locally and nationally and takes part in organizing events and group resources. She recently started a support group for women and nonbinary team members to help support acceptance within the company.

Outside of AT&T, she serves on the board of several organizations dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community and takes part in ensuring public events are safe spaces for all, just like she does at work. Her driving force in all that she does is being the example she wishes she had.

Daniel Paxton

Like all of our winners, turning up the love is a year round mission for Daniel. Overseeing several retail teams, he is dedicated to promoting love and acceptance across his organization. He takes the time to listen and provide resources to his team members when they need them. He encourages open conversation and volunteerism. The biggest effort came in coordinating a sponsorship of Utah and Denver pride events. He also logged 200 volunteer hours in 2022 with the National Crisis text line and is working to repeat in 2023.

A moment that illustrates his commitment occurred at Utah Pride, where a group was harassing someone at the event. Daniel stepped in to diffuse the situation and escorted the person to a safe space. This is just one example of how Daniel turns up the love each and every day.

Crystal Segura

To Crystal Segura, turning up the love is about serving the underserved and representing the underrepresented. As a Hispanic member of the LGBTQ+ community, equality and inclusion is very personal to her.

She is a member of our Hispanic employee group, HACEMOS, and takes part in several volunteer initiatives, many that overlap with the LGBTQ+ community. She is also on the board of two nonprofit LGBTQ+ organizations where she has been part of several projects in past two years.

She partnered with a local brewery to create a Pride Beer to support trans children and raise awareness for families with LGBTQ+ children. She also helped put on one of the first drag shows in the area and takes part in an LGBTQ+ book club. As a member of her local chamber of commerce, she has worked with local businesses to create safe spaces and voice their support of the community.

Turning up the love goes beyond her own communities as she also takes part in several other charity events from toy drives to food drives and beyond.

Jack Bechtold

Jack is the president of LEAGUE Dallas and turning up the love is what the role is all about. Jack has led events, including the pride parade, to promote inclusivity and celebrate the community. His passion extends beyond his work at AT&T as he lives a life of service.

His team members refer to him as creative, insightful, and team-oriented. He often speaks openly and knowledgeably about issues facing the LGBTQ+ community and what others can do to help.

 

Inclusion for all is a core tenant of #LifeAtATT. Our 2023 award winners live that every day as they Turn Up the Love. Congratulations to the winners and thank you for the inspiring work.

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