In clear and direct language, Vanessa Sheridan cuts through the noise of the loudest voices and reaches out to those who are simply trying to manage change with fairness and respect. She explains the concept of gender authenticity in accessible language and presents a compelling case for using this concept to improve the organizational culture of any workplace. She provides tools and roadmaps that any manager or human resources professional can put to immediate and effective use. She makes the case for embracing workplace inclusion for gender-diverse employees as a change that will benefit everyone… This book reminds us of what we all, deep in our hearts, know to be true. We are better together. We are stronger together. And, with the vision and help of great people like Vanessa Sheridan, we will get there together.
- Congressman Mike Quigley, US Representative, Illinois 5th District
[Vanessa Sheridan's recent] presentation…provided a wealth of information to the attendees and helped to make the Richmond seminar a worthwhile and must-attend event… Thank you so much for your contribution to the success of this EEOC seminar.
- Marilyn S. Booker, US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Program Analyst
We recently worked with Vanessa Sheridan to help support our transgender education efforts at Ecolab. From the beginning of our work together, Vanessa was a true professional. She responded quickly to questions and requests. It is clear that she has worked across many different types of companies, industries, and settings. She was able to quickly pull together two different education sessions that met the needs of our manager/HR population as well as our broader employee base. She seamlessly incorporated Ecolab values and behaviors into her material to create a more customized and relevant message to our employees. Vanessa also has strong facilitation skills – she came across as a very knowledgeable and credible presenter while creating an environment where questions and discussion were encouraged. We would use her again at Ecolab. I would highly recommend Vanessa to anyone needing education support or consulting on transgender education.
- Cathy Lambert, Director, Culture & Inclusion, Ecolab, Inc.
You’re a great partner and really did a great job for us.
- Deborah Swambar, Vice President HR, Global Supply Chain, W.W. Grainger, Inc.
Vanessa Sheridan was the Subject Matter Expert on the company's Transgender Awareness Training. She helped build and deliver a Train the Trainer session as well as training for managers and teams with transitioning employees. She is the consummate professional and was extremely knowledgeable in educating our HR professionals on this important initiative. She is a pleasure to work with and I look forward to the opportunity for our paths to cross again.
- Melanie Maione, Diversity Initiatives Consultant, HSBC North America
I will definitely recommend you [Vanessa] to other EEOC Program Analysts nationally. I think there is a lot of value in doing so - and you are a shining example of that!
- Elaine M. McArthur, Outreach & Training Manager, U.S. EEOC
Vanessa is a top-notch expert on the subject of transgender workplace issues. Even better, she is highly responsive and committed to her projects, generous with her expertise, and a true pleasure to work with. I would not hesitate to recommend Vanessa, and her book "The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace" is a must-read for any person or company interested in the topic.
- K Jason Bryan, Project Manager - Client Services, Global Novations
[Vanessa] helped us work through a very successful transition.
- Gloria M. Ysai-Diaz, CEO, Zoro Tools, Inc.
Things have continued to go very smoothly here, thanks largely to the foundation you helped build. I am so grateful for the work that you did. As I talk to others, I'm struck again and again at how the education you provided was such an effective solution for my situation [as a transsexual employee who realigned my gender while remaining on the job].
- Naomi Ceder, IT Director, Zoro Tools
You gave a very insightful presentation on transgender issues in the workplace…Your training on this issue [i.e., gender authenticity] was terrific.
- Leonard Bates, attorney, Newkirk Zagerman, Des Moines Iowa, and participant in the Iowa State Bar Association's Labor & Employment Seminar, where Vanessa Sheridan was the keynote speaker
By helping raise awareness, you [Vanessa] are providing an important service to our Office and we are grateful for your leadership.
- Karl Kellner, Director, New York office, McKinsey and Company
Vanessa is an extremely talented and gifted speaker and author. Her knowledge of transgender issues in the workplace can help any organization develop successful strategies and tactics. I recommend her highly!
- Kari Davis, COO, Bolder Options
Vanessa Sheridan was the guest speaker and she was awesome! She spoke on transgender issues in the workplace. She has written a book on the topic and is a much sought-after speaker. She is America's leading authority on transgender in the workplace, helping business leaders solve problems by overturning the mysteries and cutting through the myths that surround the transgender phenomenon. She has vast experience in helping to craft transgender-inclusive employee policies and/or organizational guidelines.
- Lisa Viqueira Snyder, Korn-Ferry Global Novations
Vanessa is one of the most articulate, and certainly the most consistent and reliable presenters that I have ever worked with. Evaluations of her teachings have been consistently very good. What stands out is her professionalism. Her knowledge and experience in the area of gender identity and transgenderism is extensive… Perhaps her most important asset is her ability, in a very respectful and non-threatening way, to stimulate audience members to actively examine their attitudes and values regarding gender variance. I can think of no better person to facilitate a diversity seminar around the topic of transgender. I highly recommend Ms. Sheridan, without any reservations.
- Walter Bockting, Ph.D., Coordinator of Transgender Health Services, Program in Human Sexuality, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota Medical School
On behalf of healthcare professionals across the Southeast, [we] want to express [our] sincere gratitude to you… Your presentation, “Community to Commerce – Transgender in the Workplace,” was very well received… We look forward to working with you again.
- Irene Jurczk, Director, Interdisciplinary Education, and Jennifer Abbott, MD, Medical Course Director, Southeastern Transgender Health Summit
Thank you for providing the Wilder Foundation with an excellent presentation on transgender issues. We took your recommendation to heart and will include the terms “gender characteristics” and “gender expression” in our employee handbook/supervisors manual.
- Tony Rivera, Human Resources Director, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
Thanks so much for collaborating with me in our training [for Best Buy at their corporate headquarters]! It was wonderful. I'd do it again anytime!
- Allyson Robinson, West Point Graduate and former Associate Director of Diversity, Human Rights Campaign
We are so lucky to have you as a messenger, Vanessa. You are a true prophet.
- Brian McNaught, "the Godfather of LGBT sensitivity training"
You are such a gifted educator and so generous with your story. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
- Deena Fidas, director of the Workplace Equality Program, Human Rights Campaign
The information in your speech and the additional resources you provided were a timely and well-received primer on transgender issues. Employees with little experience around transgender people and issues left the presentation with a better understanding of both, and have been very interested to learn more. In addition, your willingness and openness in sharing your personal experiences in the workplace made for a very rich and engaging presentation.
- Matthew Thiede, Wilder GLBTA Employee Resource Group, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
The discussion by Vanessa was a very helpful overview of a transition from near one end of the gender spectrum to the other. It was certainly valuable for an employee like me.
- Allison Heebsh, 3M Corporation
Sheridan has spent the past several years collecting impressive credentials. Two of her three books have been nominated for Lambda literary awards, including her most recent, "The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace.”
- Minneapolis Star Tribune
Thank you so much for providing our staff with such an inspirational message. All of the reviews were very positive.
- Sherry Pittman, R.N., Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
It is my pleasure to recommend Vanessa Sheridan as a speaker/facilitator on transgender issues… I have worked closely with Vanessa on many occasions and have always found her to be professional, articulate, and skilled… Vanessa is an articulate and engaging speaker who cares passionately about sharing accurate information with her audiences. She is a highly knowledgeable source for transgender information, always doing her best to help others gain a greater understanding of the transgender phenomenon…. You will be informed, enlightened and inspired by Vanessa Sheridan’s transgender diversity seminar. I am pleased to recommend her to you.
- Eli Coleman, Ph.D., Professor and Director, Program in Human Sexuality, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Minnesota
[Vanessa’s] presentation was phenomenal… I fully recommend Vanessa Sheridan as an experienced speaker for any group of individuals committed to learning about the transgender population.
- Becky Landenberger, Area Coordinator, Office of Residential Life, University of Minnesota Morris
“Very informative.” “Organized.” “Great lesson, strong learning environment.” “Great information.” “Good personal example.” “Clear information.”
- Unsolicited comments from participants who attended Vanessa Sheridan’s presentation at the Multicultural Forum on Workplace Diversity in Minneapolis, MN
I am really impressed by [Vanessa’s] credentials and her plan for helping us… Vanessa, you are a rock star!
- Alenda Young, HR Business Partner, Ecolab
We deeply appreciate everything you have been able to do on behalf of Stonewall National Museum as a valued Board Member…Thank you for your fine and capable service to Stonewall.
- Tom Tabor, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Stonewall National Museum and Archives
Praise for Vanessa’s First Book “The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace”
I’m a 47-year-old transsexual woman that recently transitioned successfully at work at Telefónica R&D, in Spain. Your book, “The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace,” has been vital in the success of my transition at work. I am eternally grateful to you for having written it.
- Amanda Azañón, Madrid, Spain
Your book is a terrific source of information.
- Carmen Quiles, EEO Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration
This is simply a wonderful book- painstakingly written, organized, and researched! To be sure, it is chock full of practical guidance and tips for the transgender in transition and her/his employer. But it is so much more: it is a powerful appeal to empathy, understanding, and justice for transgender people of all sorts. It gives to all of us a sense of dignity and hope. One of her important messages is that inclusiveness in the workplace is more than being a good corporate citizen: it is good business. Diversity stimulates creative energy for all employees. And it creates an open atmosphere that sends a positive message that all are valued for what they contribute.
- B.J., online reviewer at www.amazon.com
Vanessa Sheridan’s comprehensive guide for employers, coworkers, and transgender individuals in the workplace marks an invaluable resource in a field where many gray, confusing areas still exist. “Transgender” is a concept that frequently is difficult to understand, sometimes even for the transgender individual, so it is both calming and instructive to see it discussed so thoroughly and clearly as Sheridan has done. The book has explanatory chapters on being transgender; what it means for that individual, and for those sharing the same workplace; how to work with and for transgender customers; and what legal protections are currently in place for the transgender worker. It has tools for coming out at work and for organizational leaders. Sheridan herself is transgender, thus able to bring a lifetime of experience, as well as nearly 20 years of research, writing, and speaking nationally on transgender issues. She works as a corporate consultant, speaker, and transgender awareness trainer.
- E.B. Boatner, Editor Emeritus, Lavender Magazine
The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace is an awesome resource. It has helpful information for people who are unfamiliar with transgender issues, but it’s also a useful tool for those of us who know about transgender issues but want to do more as an ally.
- Serena Freewomyn, QueerCents
As The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace demonstrates, there is a strong business case for treating transgender workers with dignity. Its tips, guidelines, and policy examples will help organizations enhance the bottom line, while keeping the workplace harmonious. The most in-depth and informative volume on transgender workers ever written, the book offers useful tools, practical information, and a variety of resources that will enable business leaders and organizations to deal effectively with the transgender phenomenon. It will also help workers struggling with their identities and will give strength to those who are secure, but have yet to come out. There is no doubt that this guide will become the leading resource for every business owner, CEO, manager, HR/EEO professional, and transgender worker. Better yet, it will improve the cultural climate and quality of life for transgender workers and the organizations that employ them, resulting in increased productivity and improved profitability.
- Editorial Review, www.amazon.com
Ms. Sheridan’s new book is an excellent guide. Beginning with chapters entitled “What is Transgender?” and “Who Are Transgender People?” she goes on to explain why transgender inclusion DOES matter to your business. [Various] chapters deal with the restroom debate, coming out at work, and benefits of transgender-specific awareness training. Her book includes a series of tools and tips for managers and human resource professionals. All these topics are covered thoroughly, often in both her own words and quotes from other referenced articles and books. “The Complete Guide to Transgender in the Workplace” is written not only to educate, but also to be used as a reference… This book is also useful for the transgender employee who needs to show his or her management that inclusion IS possible without excessive distraction, and that inclusion WILL lead to higher productivity.
- Dave Parker, Director, PFLAG
An excellent resource for the person transitioning as well as their company and coworkers. A must-have for anyone counseling transgender people to assist them in making the adjustments at work. Highly recommend.
- Kathryn Davis, online reviewer at www.amazon.com
A great resource for any employer, period.
- Aubrey, online reviewer at www.amazon.com
