JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Consultant

Strategic Thinking for Organizational Transformation

L Tantay supports individuals, organizations, and agencies to create sustainable practices promoting justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI)

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Services

Strategic planning

SMART, goal-oriented planning that includes sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and measuring success.

Project management

Managing major project development processes for organizations lacking the expertise or capacity.

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Presentations and Webinars

Improving understanding around race, gender, sexuality, and other identities to foster humanity in all working environments.

Theatre-based strategies

Utilizing interactive and creative activities to promote dialogue, encourage innovation, and visualize solutions.

"Confident and personable workshop facilitator"

I interviewed L for L’s first position at APICHA a few years back and I knew from there that they were sincere to their passions and would be an asset to the mission of APICHA. L is a dedicated and diligent worker who manages people and projects well. L is a confident and personable workshop facilitator and an excellent writer. I would definitely hire L again for any position in management, training, or sexual health.

Diana C Girhotra
Project Manager
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

"True model of an effective intersectional equity leader"

L Tantay is a thoughtful, values-driven leader and collaborator for organizational equity work. Their practice is grounded in community and stakeholder engagement, centering the voices, experiences, and solutions of those most marginalized by multiple systems of oppression. L is very skillful at designing and implementing plans and processes that build and maintain relationships and strengthen organizational culture and practices, while also achieving results. L has a strong intersectional racial equity lens, which they use to inform all aspects of their approach – from goal setting, to data analysis, to stakeholder engagement, and implementation. They are also an engaging trainer and facilitator on many equity related topics, taking care with their curriculum design to attend to diverse learning styles. I have learned and grown so much through my work with L; I deeply admire how they continually work to deepen their own practice, reflecting on themself, and listening to and learning from others. They are a true model of an effective intersectional equity leader for organizations. I hope to have another opportunity to work with L again in the future!

Rebekah Gowler
Senior Director
Equity in the Center

"Standing up against injustice"

“JEDI Rockstar” is the phrase that comes to mind when I think about L! Over the years, we’ve collaborated on a plethora of JEDI-related work at the NYC Dept of Health. L was a vital leader of the agency’s Race to Justice internal reform initiative. In an agency with over 6000+ staff, L was always the go-to person on anything related to racial equity and social justice. L had no problem standing up against injustice and challenging racist norms. I saw L as a true advocate for BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ staff. I appreciate L so much and can’t thank them enough for all of the wisdom and support they provided to me on my own JEDI journey! Any organization looking to create some real systemic change would be lucky to work with L.

April Aviles, MPH
Director of Equity and Inclusion
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

"Creating real change in...immovable institutions"

L has the uncanny ability to simultaneously manage a fast-paced, results-oriented environment while also maintaining a deep commitment to advancing racial and social justice in all that they do. They were an integral partner in the implementation of New York City’s first interagency initiative for LGBTQ+ young people. L’s deep subject matter expertise, skillful facilitation, and approachability helped ensure our success with this new and critical programming. I personally have learned so much from L regarding gender and racial justice, managing a room, and creating real change in what feel like immovable institutions.

Sara Shoener, DrPH
Director, Equity NYC
City of New York

"Expertly building...deep rooted equity channels of wellness"

L Tantay is a gift! From working with them when they were part of Race to Justice at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to witnessing their expansion and growth as the Acting Director of the team – L can be relied upon to “get things done…” and get them done well! I was so comfortable, impressed and connected to L that they have assisted my organization in the creation of a manual, guidebook, reference section, and flow chart for our “Politicizing Your Practice” series. L’s conscious and Justice-oriented savvy and sheer presence has been invaluable!

L is a gentle force of nature creating change, weaving alliances, tending to structural and systemic transformation, and expertly building to create deep rooted equity channels of wellness- for all!

Dr. Jennifer Mullan, PsyD
Founder
Decolonizing Therapy

ABOUT

L Tantay supports individuals, organizations, and agencies through difficult processes of social justice transformation and growth. Utilizing anti-racist and applied theatre practices, L creates spaces for strategic thinking and open dialogue.

Approaches

L received their Masters in Applied Theatre at CUNY School of Professional Studies where they learned how to use the reflective and transformative power of theatre to create opportunities for growth and change. Paulo Freire and his Pedagogy of the Oppressed is central to applied theatre, recognizing that oppression can only be defeated through raising consciousness utilizing the values of faith, hope, trust, and love. Through applied theatre, L is able to create facilitated spaces for honest and open discussions.

Throughout their career, L has worked tirelessly to dismantle racism in systems and structures that continued to perpetuate racial inequity. Their work as Acting Director of the Race to Justice Management Team helped them recognize that racism must always be central to conversations of injustice and inequity, undergirding and intersecting with all oppressions. Collaborating with organizations such as RaceForward, the Interaction Institute for Social Change, Decolonizing Therapy, and the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, L learned key ways to operationalize anti-racist practices and key measures for social justice.

Since high school, L has been a health educator, primarily about sexuality, gender, and diversity. In college, L received professional training to be a health educator and has since expanded that knowledge through training with multiple experts, including the Transgender Training Institute, Cicatelli Associates, the CDC, and NDRI. They have used their expansive understanding of sexuality and gender to train and provide technical assistance to agencies, organizations, and professionals across NYC, NY state, and NJ.

L has managed a number of programs supporting community organizing and development. In various roles – from Board Member to coordinator to facilitator – L has led multiple programs utilizing identity-based self-reflection for community building. Blending applied theatre and counseling techniques, L developed groups and programs for many communities, particularly among BIPOC LGBTQ+ people and Filipino/AAPI youth. L has supported multiple actions and organizing spaces, including GAPIMNY (the Gay Asian Pacific Islander Men of NY) and FAHSI (Filipino American Health Services, Inc.) in NYC. They also used their talents as a co-manager for the only transgender/GNC/NB intergenerational theatre troupe in NYC – the TransGenerational Theatre Project.

Experience

20+ years of experience in public health and healthcare, which includes:

Working in clinical and social service settings
Anti-racist organizing and community development
Training others for community empowerment and anti-racist institutional transformation
Strategic planning, goal setting, and project management
Program and curriculum development for youth serving organizations and agencies

Presentations and panels for:

NYC Bar Association
PrideWorks Westchester
The National Queer Asian and Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) Conference
Rockland County School Districts
NY Presbyterian Hospital Network
Asian American / Asian Research Institute
NYKnows Network

Organizational collaborations with:

RaceForward and the Governmental Alliance for Racial Equity (GARE)
The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
The Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity
Interaction Institute for Social Change
People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond
Decolonizing Therapy
APICHA Community Health Center
Charles B. Wang Community Health Center
Callen-Lorde Community Health Center
NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation
NYC Commission on Human Rights
NYC Department of Social Services

Download Resume

“This symbol comes from the Kalinga people – an indigenous group of people in the Philippines – and is used in batok, which is traditional ceremonial tattooing. It represents the scorpion, which is given to fierce warriors to show their strength. I was born under the zodiac sign of Scorpio, and its primary symbol is a giant scorpion. As an astrological sign, the scorpion represents many things – including sex, death, and inevitable change. It represents passion and the generative spirit, finding innovation in pain and darkness. I’ve found a way to channel my own pain into growth. The path of justice is difficult, painful and yet inevitable to ensure equity for all. Using passion and creativity, I hope to bring this change to the world.”

L Tantay