Columbus Pride Lighting Ceremony 2022 [Video]

Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and Council President Shannon Hardin announce that the 2022 Steven Shellabarger Illuminator Award will be presented to Siobhan Boyd-Nelson for her outstanding activism in the Columbus community and nationwide.

The Steven Shellabarger Illuminator Award recognizes an individual within the Columbus community who has demonstrated outstanding initiative to promote LGBTQ+ rights and, in doing so, has created a more inclusive Columbus.

Siobhan Boyd-Nelson serves as the deputy director for Equality Ohio. She received her BA in legal communication from Howard University in 2002. She returned home to Columbus and earned her JD from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 2005. Her involvement in Columbus’ LGBTQ+ community began shortly thereafter and has included leadership positions on the boards of LinkOUT, Scarlet & Gay (the OSU GLBT Alumni Society), and the Legacy Fund of the Columbus Foundation.
Siobhan practiced law in the domestic, probate and appellate fields prior to entering the nonprofit sector in 2012. At Kaleidoscope Youth Center, Siobhan served as the development and marketing manager before moving to Stonewall Columbus where she led the community center’s capital campaign. Siobhan joined Equality Ohio as the director of development in 2018.

Siobhan has served on numerous community boards and is currently serving as a board member for Black, OUT & Proud. She is a member of the Columbus Business First 40 Under 40 Class of 2019 and a recipient of the Create Columbus Visionary Award. Siobhan has lent her voice to discussions about LGBTQ+ identity, race and the intersection of identities in forums across the state including at Cincinnati Black Pride, United Way of Central Ohio, the Ohio State Bar Association, and the Ohio Diversity and Leadership Conference