working with betsy has been a pleasure from her values, perspectives, support and advocacy, especially as a black man in portland + the tech industry.

she has done extensive work with free geek on changing the culture, implementing processes/policies as well as guiding dei initiatives, racial equity and anti oppression work within the organization. one of the more unique but effective approaches to truly changing an organization from the inside out with intentionality.

“betsy changed everything.

our organization hired her because out of all the candidates we wanted, we asked for someone who understood the real nature of accountability. she was the only one that gave us a profoundly satisfying answer. she is a continuously inspiring mentor and genuinely walks her talk. our staff hiring and retention rate of queer people of color dramatically increased after her arrival and her guidance, and many have been given a clear path to leadership positions within the organization because of her changes to our previously harmful policies and practices.

she truly is incredible at paving the way to uplift people who have been traditionally left behind in white supremacist culture. she taught me what it meant to really be an ally, and emboldened me to loudly advocate for policies that would uplift my peers of color when I thought the nature of my internal operations job was inherently broken. ”

betsy is relentless in calling out systems of oppression and challenging people to change them. betsy created an environment that encouraged growth and learning, created boundaries, and inspired leadership to take ownership of culture change at our organization. she pushed people out of their comfort zone and into a critical thinking arena. her work in new policy creation/implementation and operations management led our organization to empower and uplift our black and brown peers, and to elevate the voices of those experiencing harm.

as a mentor, betsy challenged me in numerous ways. she helped me do work to break the cycles of the cis-het white male dominant culture of tech. she empowered me to face my fears of holding a predominantly white male team accountable. she helped me learn when to leverage my power to center the voices that weren't being heard, and when to yield that power to them. she also created the most supportive environment i have ever experienced in my career.

”working with betsy has been a great experience. she has an entire tool chest of knowledge, tactics, and explanations to help navigate workplace interactions.

betsy has a tremendous passion for this work. any time spent with her discussing racial equity and anti-oppressive methods as they apply to the workplace, and honestly, to life in general, is time well spent.”

"i have worked with betsy on facilities projects over the past 2 years at free geek. betsy helped me be more organized and motivated me with her positive attitude and support. with her mentorship, we made projects more organized, with budgets and timelines.

betsy has a knack for giving advice when it's needed, and giving space when that helps a person grow. free geek benefited from her sensitivity to diversity and inclusion.”