Marlon Johnson, PhD, Dean of Community Life and Associate Professor of Counselor Education, was recently named a Board Member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Quality of Life Advisory Commission for the City of Austin.
The LGBTQ Quality of Life Advisory Commission represents members of the LGBTQ community by serving as an advisory body to the city council on issues that affect LGBTQ individuals and the community as a whole. The commission consults with the city council and relevant city departments to help improve the ability of the City to effectively serve, support, and employ LGBTQ residents. It recommends policies and initiatives designed to enhance health, safety, economic opportunity and affordability, mobility, cultural and educational opportunities, and government access and accountability for the LGBTQ community.
“My work on the LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission for the City of Austin feels like a natural extension of our core values of Conversation, Mutuality. and Respect,” reflected Dr. Johnson. “While we train and form people for ministry and clinical practice, a core aspect of our formation involves learning how to advocate for and with others through hearing and addressing the needs of those around us. I’m grateful to be invited to this commission and to bring that culturally-inclusive, spiritually integrated viewpoint to the table. I hope to model what it means to serve others as a community engaged scholar.”
The commission also helps coordinate and participate in educational programs that promote equal treatment, opportunity, and understanding, and may facilitate gatherings such as meetings, forums, institutes, or courses aimed at fostering dialogue and solutions to community concerns. In addition, it collaborates with other city commissions to address issues of intersectionality, helps create and evaluate LGBTQ quality-of-life initiatives, and carries out additional responsibilities as directed by the city council.
The commission was created in 2017 and board members serve for a term of two years.