Ed Cannon (1) & Troyann Gentile (2) | CU Denver
Faculty Council LGBTQ+ Committee
(1) Clinical Associate Professor, School of Education & Human Development 

Ed Cannon, FC LGBTQ+ Co-Chair

Troyann Gentile, FC LGBTQ+ Co-Chair

What does shared governance mean to you? Why is it important?

To us, shared governance means that members of the institution (faculty, staff, administration, and students) have a say in how it runs and what it’s priorities should be. The benefit of shared governance is that it leverages the shared wisdom, experience and knowledge of diverse groups and people, with the goal of resource sharing and identifying meaningful opportunities to move the institution forward.

Tell us about your role on the Faculty Council, how long you have served in this role, and what your initial motivations were for engaging in this type of service.

We were looking for ways to get involved, so we both joined the faculty Council. Soon thereafter we were elected as co-chairs of the faculty council. We have been a co-chair pair since 2014. We were fortunate at the time to have a very supportive dean within the School of Education and Human Development at CUDenver, the late Dr. Rebecca Kantor. Our new and current dean, Dr. Marvin Lynn has continued to be supportive of faculty being involved in faculty governance.

What would you want the CU community to know about the work that you are doing on the FC? For example, can you share some of your committee’s or the Council’s initiatives that you are particularly proud to have contributed to? 

A few of the initiatives the committee has taken on in the recent years have been:

• The committee is proud to have worked with CU system HR to include transgender health related services in University insurance coverage.
•  Coordinated CU Systems ongoing sponsorship of and representation in Denver’s PrideFest, since 2016. 
• Additionally, since 2012 the committee has hosted multiple symposia focusing on equity in healthcare, allyship, and intersectional community building. This year’s upcoming symposium on May 22, 2023, will be in Colorado Springs focusing on “Queer Futures & Higher Education in the Rocky Mountain West”
• We are currently advocating with CU System HR, for all CU system campuses to provide the opportunity for all faculty and staff to voluntarily disclose information regarding sexual orientation and gender identity.
• We have worked to provide safe zone/brave space trainings to all CU school and departments who have requested inclusivity trainings. It is gratifying to see this work continuing at the campus levels with our Faculty Assembly LGBTQ+ committees. 
•  Over the years that we have served on the Faculty Council, we have been able to create a working relationship with other diversity committees; the Faculty Council Committee of Racial and Ethnic Equity (CREE); Women’s Committee; and Disability Committee to address and eradicate systemic inequities.