Shepard Verbas (they/he)

Employment and Housing Rights for Trans and Non-Binary Communities

Shepard Verbas is the Fair Housing Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Westchester County Human Rights Commission where they focus on creating engaging and inclusive educational workshops for community and professionals on fair housing and human rights topics. Shepard has a background in LGBTQ+ advocacy with a professional focus on advocacy for survivors of relationship violence. Before their work at the Commission, they served as The LOFT LGBTQ+ Center's Director of Programs and Services where they spearheaded several initiatives including the development of an LGBTQ+ training curriculum for human service professionals and corporations, an LGBTQ+ Survivor Support Group and advocacy service, increased assistance and support services for trans and NB communities, intergenerational programming, and the Hudson Valley Trans Forum annual conference. They have spoken at trainings and panels for local and national groups, and have been a keynote speaker for GLSEN Lower Hudson Valley and The LOFT LGBTQ+ Center's events. Shepard is passionate about working with others to name and change oppressive structures, they believe that the best education comes when people feel safe enough to learn from each other and use their experience facilitating diverse community support groups to create trauma-informed learning environments.