Eliza Byard

Eliza Byard, Ph.D., is a leading global expert on LGBTQ+ issues in education, and a strategist for movement building and mobilization at the local, national, and international levels. From 2008-2021 Eliza was the Executive Director of GLSEN, an organization recognized worldwide as a pioneering leader in the fight for LGBTQ+ students’ well-being and access to education. During Eliza’s tenure, GLSEN’s work spurred a significant decline in anti-LGBTQ+ harassment and violence in U.S. schools and established a new professional norm of support for LGBTQ youth among educators, school administrators, and school staff in the United States. She has served as a trusted advisor to a broad range of institutions and organizations, including Target, Sodexo, the National Parks Service, the U.S. Department of Education, the CDC, UNESCO, and the World Bank.