Sam Brett (he/him/his)

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Chair, ROC Pride Collective, ROC Pride Picnic

Years in current role: 2 (5 as co-chair of ROC Pride through a different organization)

What do you enjoy most about your position in your company and/or your role in the community?

I enjoy assuring that our community continues to hold Pride celebrations in our area, especially in the current socio-political climate. Giving my peers the opportunity to see and be seen, to be represented, to be celebrated, to be valued! Working with the highly motivated, driven group of individuals that make up our pride committees is an inspiration; their work is invaluable.

What is one thing you hope to accomplish before the end of the year?

I hope that within the next year, the ROC Pride Collective gets to be an incorporated not-for-profit organization with a governance structure that is representative of the LGBTQAI+ community in Rochester, that can continue to produce programming year-round leading up to ROC Pride.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome in your career?

Being seen and valued by the “mainstream” leadership in Rochester. Leadership at not-for-profits and queer organizations has traditionally been cis-gender, caucasian, “masculine” men. It has always been a challenge as a latinx individual to be considered good enough to take on the roles of leadership (never a bride, always a bridesmaid) without being tokenized.

What are your favorite things about the Rochester area?

Cost of living is lower than most places I’ve lived in before. I went to college here in Rochester, so I have built a network of friends and chosen family over the past 25-plus years that have supported me and lifted me up, and helped me become the man I am today. Rochester has the perfect mix of culture, academia, history and entrepreneurship that makes its communities thrive. While there is still work to do, the diversity of our communities, and their desire to grow socially, makes me feel safer here than anywhere else in the country.

What do you see as the biggest challenges facing Rochester?

Leadership positions in the area tend to have long tenures, and that poses a challenge to empowering new talent, different talent to step up and create new things. “We have always done it this way” is the biggest obstacle in Rochester for its communities to thrive, as we compete with one another for a piece of what is seemingly a small pie. We are currently in a wave of grassroot organizations formation, and we need to be able to provide support for those groups (financial, systemic, social, governmental, etc.) so that they, too, can survive and grow!

This profile is part of Rochester Business Journal's Power List for LGBTQ+ Business Leaders for 2023. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. View the full list at rbj.net.