JAZMIN SUTHERLIN
Administrative and executive assistant
Washington, D.C. // 29

White House visits and elbow-rubbing with members of Congress and Beltway staffers—these are the job perks for Jazmin Sutherlin, who works for Mara Keisling, the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, an advocacy and lobbying group in Washington, D.C. “Being at NCTE allowed me to not only visit the White House but also to share in some of the meetings on the Hill and attend the think tanks where legislation is really born,” Sullivan says. Previously working at the Transgender Health Empowerment organization, the eloquent Sutherlin was recruited by the NCTE staff, which she says is filled with “brilliant and humble minds,” who readily invite her input. “I’m included in important decisions regarding legislation and federal guidelines,” she says. Sutherlin prides herself on being a positive transgender role model, especially to the young people who intern at NCTE. She is considering going back to school so she can continue working in the civil rights field, though she’s in no rush. “I love my job,” she says.