Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet is the Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Sr Specialist for the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the City of Orlando. In this capacity, he proposes policy recommendations, programs, advocates for best practices on LGBTQ issues, immigrant and refugee affairs; as well as, outreach in the Muslim, Brazilian, Arab American, and Haitian communities to encourage greater participation in city services.
Previously, he was the Manager of Collaborative Partnerships at the City of Orlando. In this role, he served as the point of contact on behalf of the City on all issues focused on the long-term recovery from the Pulse tragedy.
Felipe managed deliverable, removed barriers, and created qualifiers and quality standards for those served at the Orlando United Assistance Center (OUAC), a program created to serve those directly impacted by the Pulse tragedy. The OUAC was made possible by a collaboration between the City of Orlando, Orange County, and Heart of Florida United Way. He advocated and supported the various stakeholders of the mental health and social service systems, the LGBTQ community and communities of color, all whom are integral in the creation of a successful support system.
Felipe is an immigrant from Brazil and he came to Miami when he was 14 years old. In 2010, he walked on the Trail of Dreams, a 1,500 mile walk from Miami to Washington, DC, to share the stories of immigrant youth. He also worked with Presente.org, an organization seeking to solve some of the most pressing issues impacting the Latino community through communication strategies.
He co-directed GetEQUAL, a national social justice LGBTQ organization, and he served as the Deputy Managing Director at United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth network in the country. He worked at ThoughtWorks, a multinational software company, working at the Office of Social Change Initiatives as the Director of Strategic Partnerships. He graduated from Miami-Dade College with an Associates in Arts in International Relations and Bachelor’s Degree in Business Studies and a Minor in Economics from St. Thomas University.