Luticha Doucette

Featured Leader: Luticha Doucette

Luticha André Doucette is the author of the groundbreaking book: Cultivating An Intersectional Mindset. She graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in Bioinformatics where she developed protein surface prediction algorithms. After graduating, she was a Fellow at the University of Rochester where she worked in a genomics lab that focused on analyzing the venom of parasitoid wasps to develop new drug therapies for various diseases. In 2017 she authored a report on wage disparities across race, gender, and disability in Rochester and Monroe County in conjunction with the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative and in 2018 authored a follow-up report on employment barriers for disabled people in Rochester and Monroe County. She is a graduate of the Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellowship program and an AUCD Emerging Leader an inductee into the Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame established by the National Disability Mentoring Coalition and the 2020 – 2021 Distinguished Alumni Awardee from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Luticha’s research and writing has been featured in various publications such as Insect Molecular Biology, Toxicon, The New York Times, and Yes! Magazine. She is a former founding member of Rochester Accessible Adventures, and she helped change the landscape, and attitudes, around inclusive recreation in New York State. She is the owner of Catalyst Consulting, which helps organizations, leaders, and advocates examine equity across race, gender identity, and disability in policies, practices, procedures, and relationships. In her spare time, she is a fencer, cyclist and outdoor enthusiast.

Photographer: Erica Jae

With her camera as an advocate, Erica tells the stories of the people within her community and beyond. Her work seeks beauty in hidden gems, balance with the duality of light and dark, and stillness in the poetic rhythm of the streets. Erica Jae’s work has been featured on NBC nightly news with Lester Holt and published in local magazines.

@artxericajae // @ello_yellow

thejaeera.format.com

Essayist: Irene Kannyo

I’m a first generation Ugandan-American artist and creative living in Rochester New York. I love integrating knowledge, connecting stories and sharing wisdom in a way that bridges communities together. You’ve probably heard me doing this on my radio show: No Labels, Included on WAYO 104.3 FM, or at a storytelling event around town. The truth is, I’ve been coming for Diane Rehm’s crown since I was 12 years old and recording my own interviews and nightclub commercials on a tape recorder the size of my head — a true child of NPR and WDKX. I’m also a culture and technical writer and an editor who helps experts bring complex ideas to their audiences with ease and clarity.