Karla Gilbride to Keynote 34th Anniversary Gala

Berkeley, 04.14.26 – The Impact Fund is delighted to announce that Karla Gilbride will be the special guest and keynote speaker at its 34th Anniversary Gala on May 13, 2026. Karla will be honored with our Social Justice Hero Award in recognition of her extraordinary dedication and impact.

“It is a true privilege to have Karla Gilbride as our keynote speaker,” said Lindsay Nako, Impact Fund Executive Director. “Karla is a brilliant lawyer, committed advocate for justice, and trailblazer in the legal profession. She has dedicated her career to protecting the rights of workers and keeping the courthouse doors open to all, and she does it with authenticity and humanity.”

Karla Gilbride joined Public Citizen in February 2025 as deputy director of the Litigation Group. Her practice focuses on access to justice, civil and workers’ rights, and corporate and government accountability. Before joining Public Citizen, she served as General Counsel of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, where she led the agency’s litigation and amicus program to combat discrimination in the workplace.

Prior to joining EEOC, Karla litigated access to justice, workers’ rights, and consumer protection issues with Public Justice for nearly nine years, obtaining a victory for workers at the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 and arguing many other cases in federal and state appellate courts. Before that she worked at Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley, California, and at a plaintiffs’ labor and employment firm in Washington, DC.

“We are living through a moment where abuse of power threatens the bedrock of our democracy. Legal action is one of the most effective tools we have for checking those abuses and standing up for justice,” said Karla Gilbride. “Litigation to preserve our civil rights has never been more important.”

We will also be honoring our grantee Transgender Law Center with our Grantee Hero Award for its success — along with co-counsel from Greisen Medlock and Arnold & Porter — in litigating Raven v. Polis, a class action brought on behalf a class of transgender women incarcerated in Colorado state prisons. The case sought to redress decades of violence and discrimination.

“The work of Transgender Law Center is vital,” said Lindsay Nako. “In the face of great wrongs being committed by our government and society, they have not wavered. Their bravery and commitment inspire all of us.”

In March of 2024, Transgender Law Center achieved a consent decree with the Colorado Department of Corrections that required comprehensive policy changes. The consent decree included providing gender-affirming healthcare and establishing two new housing units to provide safer housing options for transgender women. The settlement also included $2.15 million in damages for harmed class members.

Managing Attorney Shawn Thomas Meerkamper will be accepting the award on behalf of Transgender Law Center.

“Today, transgender people are increasingly under attack by our governments. As these cruel and illegal policies ramp up, so too must our efforts to fight back,” said Shawn Thomas Meerkamper. “We all have a responsibility to stand up for the people being unjustly targeted.”

Join us on Wednesday, May 13 on the top floor of the Westin St. Francis, Union Square, San Francisco, famed for its floor to ceiling panoramic vistas of San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Impact Fund 34rd Anniversary Gala 2026 - Tickets & Sponsorship — Impact Fund

ENDS

For more information and photography, contact:

John Henry Frankel /communications@impactfund.org