Issuu

Saturday, April 25 , 2026

VISIONARY LEADER AWARD

Honoring

Dallas Dishman MA ’97, PhD ’03

Executive Director,

The David Geffen Foundation

EQUITY LEADERSHIP

AWARD

Tony Hoang ’11

Executive Director, Equality California and Silver State Equality

TRAILBLAZER AWARD

Remi Wolf ’18

Singer/Songwriter

OUTSTANDING STUDENT

SCHOLAR AWARD

Michael Amato ’26, MPA ’27

Student, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

WELCOME

Peter Young

Director, USC Lambda LGBTQ+ Alumni Association

Kyle Lynn ’08, MS ’14

President, USC Lambda Board of Directors

Terrell Green MS ’23 & Jay Prewitt-Cruz EdD ’23

Co-Chairs, Annual Scholarship Benefit

SPECIAL REMARKS

Beong-Soo Kim

President, University of Southern California

OUTSTANDING STUDENT SCHOLAR AWARD

Michael Amato ’26, MPA ’27

Student, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

EQUITY LEADERSHIP AWARD

Tony Hoang ’11

Executive Director, Equality California and Silver State Equality

LUNCHEON MISSION MOMENT

Kim Milliken Hayden MS ’96

President-Elect, USC Lambda Board of Directors

DESSERT

VISIONARY LEADERSHIP AWARD

Dallas Dishman MA ’97, PhD ’03

Executive Director, The David Geffen Foundation TRAILBLAZER AWARD

Remi Wolf ’18

Singer/Songwriter

CLOSING REMARKS

Terrell Green MS ’23 & Jay Prewitt-Cruz EdD ’23

Visionary Leadership Award Honoree Dallas Dishman MA ’97, PhD ’03

Executive Director, The David Geffen Foundation

Dallas Dishman brings decades of experience and activism to his role as executive director of The David Geffen Foundation, where he oversees the foundation’s philanthropic efforts across five key areas: HIV/ AIDS, civil liberties, the arts, Jewish community services and health care. The David Geffen Foundation was also the largest donor to the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which advanced efforts toward national recognition of same-sex marriage.

A double USC alumnus, Dishman has a storied connection to the university and its LGBTQ+ community. While pursuing his degrees, he developed several important areas of study — most notably, his groundbreaking work on the rise of LGBTQ+ communities on the internet, and the development of a nascent psycho-social model of anti-gay violence.

Beyond his studies, he was a leader in USC’s LGBTQ+ community. He served on the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Student Assembly; helped found the LGBT Mentoring Program; campaigned for formal representation of the LGBTQ+ community within the Office of Student Affairs; collaborated with the Office of Student Health to develop and deliver HIV prevention programs; and led an effort to ban the Red Cross’ discriminatory blood drives from USC. He also advocated for the establishment of the ONE Archives at USC. In recognition of his service, Dishman received the GLBA’s Legend’s Award.

In both his personal and professional life, Dishman remains deeply committed to supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Post graduation, he played an integral role in bringing “Gays and the Holocaust” — the firstever touring exhibition dedicated to telling the stories of gays and lesbians in concentration and forced-labor camps under the Nazi regime — to the Holocaust Museum LA. He also served multiple terms on the City of West Hollywood Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission, as well as on the boards of the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit LGBTQ+ think tank, and the Kinsey Institute, a global leader in the study of human sexuality.

Trailblazer Award Honoree

Remi Wolf ’18

Singer/Songwriter

Remi Wolf is a musical risk-taker who continues to shatter the traditional rules across genres and in the industry. Since releasing her full-length debut album, Juno, in 2021, the singer/songwriter has amassed more than two billion global streams, performed at Coachella, Lollapalooza and Outside Lands, and opened for such artists as Olivia Rodrigo, Lorde and Paramore. Along the way, she’s collaborated with Nile Rodgers, Beck, Still Woozy, Sylvan Esso, Dominic Fike, Thundercat and more.

A USC Thornton School of Music alumna, Wolf blends funk, disco, soul and pop in surprising ways that result in idiosyncratic, catchy songs, like “Photo ID,” “Sexy Villain,” “Cinderella” and “Disco Man.” In July of 2024, she released her second album, Big Ideas, which earned rave reviews from Billboard, Rolling Stone, the New York Times, Vogue and Pitchfork, among others.

In addition to her festival appearances, Wolf has performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and the NPR Tiny Desk Concerts.

Wolf is also a socially conscious artist who regularly gives back to a wide range of nonprofits and organizations, including Feed the Children, Make-A-Wish and Planned Parenthood. While touring in 2025, Wolf hosted food pop-ups before concerts to build community and support local businesses. Identifying as queer, she partners with The Ally Coalition to donate to LGBTQ+ youth groups.

Over the course of her career, Wolf has become a favorite among critics and fans. In 2022, she was nominated for the MTV Music Video Award PUSH Performance of the Year. More recently, Wolf received a 2025 GLAAD Media Award Outstanding Breakthrough Artist nomination. That same year, she received USC Thornton’s Outstanding Alumni Award and served as the school’s commencement speaker.

Equity Leadership Award Honoree Tony Hoang ’11

Executive Director, Equality California and Silver State Equality

Tony Hoang, a longtime leader in the LGBTQ+ equality movement, serves as executive director of Equality California and its Nevada affiliate, Silver State Equality.

The proud son of Vietnam War refugees and the first in his family to graduate from college, Hoang brings a lived understanding of the intersections of sexuality, race, gender and immigration to his work. Since joining Equality California in 2009 as an intern, he has served in numerous roles in the organization before being named executive director in 2021. Throughout his career, he has helped pass groundbreaking civil rights legislation in California, Nevada and Washington, D.C.; led statewide public education and ballot measure campaigns; and supported the election of hundreds of openly LGBTQ+ and pro-equality leaders. Under his leadership, Equality California has significantly expanded its budget, staff and programs, growing to more than 900,000 members nationwide.

Beyond his work at Equality California, Hoang serves on the board of the California Community Foundation and mentors emerging leaders through the UCLA Luskin Senior Fellowship Program. He previously served on the boards of the Equality Federation and DTLA Proud, as well as on the City of Los Angeles’s Innovation and Performance Commission.

Hoang earned a BA in international relations from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. An avid concertgoer, cook, cyclist and traveler, he lives in Downtown Los Angeles with his husband, Ian.

Outstanding Student Scholar Honoree Michael Amato ’26, MPA ’27

USC Sol Price School of Public Policy

Michael Amato is currently pursuing both a BS in public policy and an MPA in public administration at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Originally from Naperville, Illinois, he grew up as the middle child in a family of five, where he developed an early knack for conflict resolution and community-building.

In addition to his studies, Amato serves as the president of the Public Policy Undergraduates, a studentrun club. He’s also a member of the Open Dialogue Project student advisory board, as well as a student worker at the USC Center for the Political Future.

After graduation, Amato hopes to begin his career in public sector consulting before ultimately turning to local public service. His long-term goal is to become the mayor of his hometown and help strengthen local government.

Outside of school, Amato enjoys exploring new brunch spots, practicing yoga and keeping his family updated on how much sunnier Los Angeles is than Illinois. He also cares for a sourdough starter named “Rye-n Gosling.”

Axel Aguilar