Naomi Goldberg
“I was always good at math, statistics and working with data, but I also wanted to do something that made the world a better place,” Naomi Goldberg tells GO. As the deputy director and LGBTQ program director for the non-profit think tank Movement Advancement Project (MAP), Goldberg has found a way to use her analytical skills as a researcher, communicator, and advocate to improve the lives of people in the LGBTQ+ community. Through her work with MAP, Goldberg utilizes research and data to create compelling stories and visualizations to highlight how issues of equality, nondiscrimination, and religious exemptions impact LGBTQ+ people and their families. She partners with progressive organizations throughout the U.S. to advance equality and enact changes that benefit the LGBTQ+ community. Though progress can be slow, Goldberg celebrates every small shift in thinking, every new connection, and every moment her work is used to make an impact and effect changes within existing systems. “These are microscopic ways to bend the arc of justice,” she says. “I see the opportunities ahead of us to continue the deep public education work that changes hearts and minds.” A self-proclaimed chai latte aficionado, Goldberg lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her wife and son. In addition to her work with MAP, Goldberg serves as the LGBTQ liaison to the Ann Arbor mayor’s office, is the vice president for social action at her local temple, and volunteers with the progressive Jewish action group Bend the Arc. –LC
