Draft:Chloé Hollett

Chloé Collette Hollett (born December 8, 1983) is an American entrepreneur, lawyer, and thought leader. Hollett is an acclaimed public speaker and author, with contributions including The Huffington Post. Hollett consults on legislation and political campaigns, advances innovative business solutions, and is actively engaged in LGBTQ+, youth, and ovarian cancer philanthropy.

Education and early life

Raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Hollett attended Webster University, where she studied political science, business management, and media communications, St. Louis University School of Law, graduating with distinction from both, and the University of Missouri St. Louis graduate program for adult education and women and gender studies.

Raised by a liberal and artistic mother battling ovarian cancer throughout her youth, Hollett came from humble roots in the Midwest allowing her to see first-hand the impact of homogenized culture and motivating her interest to correct the imbalances in access to social, psychological, and physical benefits which should be inherent to every life in a developed nation. With a family of inventors, iconoclasts, business leaders, and educators, at an early age, Hollett recognized the value of education and community engagement to secure social and economic interests.

Professional career

Missouri

Origins

Though introduced to public engagement as a child model for Talent Plus, Hollett coupled this interest with business and law by way of learning from her grandfather, a nightclub owner and active member of the Teamsters who ran for the Missouri House of Representatives, and her Step-father, an entrepreneur, inventor, polio survivor, and attorney involved in the campaigns of Dick Gebhardt and Bill Clinton.

In 2008, Hollett was a US Senate intern for United States Senator Claire McCaskill, organizer for the Barak Obama, Russ Carnahan, and Jay Nixon campaigns, and spearheaded youth voter registration events at St. Louis area LGBTQ+ social venues. Nearing graduation from law school and inspired by Democratic elected leaders' messages of change, Hollett's first policy contribution was in 2010, where, with the sponsorship of Alderperson Shane Cohn and Board President Lewis Reed, she encouraged the City of St. Louis to unanimously adopt Board Bill 67, addressing the City's failure to afford legal remedies for discrimination based on gender identity and expression.

Civil Rights

Following Board Bill 67, Mayor Francis Slay appointed Hollett Commissioner of the State’s oldest official human rights organization, the City of St. Louis Civil Rights Enforcement Agency, charged with monitoring, investigating, and prosecuting complaints of discrimination, becoming the first transgender executive-level political appointee in the State of Missouri. There, Hollett, in collaboration with PROMO, launched the region’s first LGBTQ+ rights study to gauge employers’ comprehension and compliance with nondiscrimination laws. With the results, the City used targeted service announcements and public events to broaden awareness of the newly afforded protections. Hollett, alongside her fellow commissioners, secured the Agency's future by authoring its first governing documents.

Following her term, Hollett transitioned into civil service for the Mayor of St. Louis' Neighborhood Stabilization Team. There she navigated public crisis communications during the unrest following the Mike Brown Shooting and devastation from floods impacting vulnerable populations. Responsible for developing relationships with elected officials, government organizations, and private sector employers, Hollett was recruited by the White House Presidential Personnel Office and endorsed by the Victory Institute for a Presidential Appointment. Hollett was slated for appointment by President Barack Obama as the Executive Director of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of State, County, and Municipal Government Relations, a division of the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, making her one of the first transgender individuals considered for Presidential Appointment.

Sexual Harassment

In 2017, Hollett sued the City of St. Louis for discrimination, retaliation, and constructive termination. Hollett alleged that the City refused to promote her, subjected her to harassment and discrimination, and retaliated against her for filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under the MHRA. In 2022, Hollett dismissed this potentially landmark case to focus on her mental health.

California

Civil Rights

Hollett's legal action prompted her relocation to Long Beach, California, where preceded by her reputation for advancing groundbreaking policy, State Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens) requested Hollett join him in developing a legislative solution to strengthen transgender employment rights, which gave birth to the Transgender Work Opportunity Act, Sen. Bill 396, 2017-2018 Reg. Sess. (Cal. Stat. 2017). Guiding the lifecycle of SB-396, Hollett obtained the support of California political officials and national LGBTQ+ organizations, including the National Center for Transgender Equality and the City of Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, represented the initiative before regional and national press, and provided statement before the California Senate Committee on Labor and Industrial Relations.

Entrepreneurship

Hollett's portfolio includes media, consulting, and technology. Hollett, through her firm Hollett-Billingsley Consulting, realized an opportunity to take this legislative solution to the next level, prompting her to found Employment Equality®, a Social Purpose Corporation (EE®) as California’s source of SB-396 compliant training. EE®’s virtual learning products, were launched in a mobile ready virtual supported environment several years before the COVID-19 Pandemic. Hollett successfully encouraged the California Fair Employment and Housing Council to adopt regulations conforming with legislative intent. EE® received the support of numerous LGBTQ+ and workplace rights organizations, including several affiliates of the LA LGBT Center, the League of California Cities, and personal investment by transgender leaders including Bamby Salcedo. EE®'s values included reducing transgender employment discrimination by way of job and corporate ownership opportunities, developing a new source of funding for non-profit organizations, directly introducing transgender people to the employees and management of American and international corporations through its virtual learning and trainer-training programs, and innovating harassment prevention compliance and continuing education technology. EE® has yet to reap the financial benefits of tackling this novel approach.

Even with numerous legal certifications and competitor learning plans' failing to fulfill the EEOC’s Compliance Training Checklist EE® failed to turn a profit. Despite EE®'s support from LGBTQ+ and allied communities, compliance trainers, and cannabis organizations, the State launched a free downloadable training curriculum instead of expanding upon the contract originally secured by EE® with the State of California Department of Justice, .

Politics

In 2022, Hollett, a registered Democrat, launched a campaign for US Senate in the State of California.

Change in circumstances

Hollett's business and political interests ultimately forced her into seclusion. Hollett continues to rebuild her public and value-driven life.

Personal Life

In 2010, Hollett married Brian Andrew Hollett, and although the couple divorced a few years later, Hollett retained her married name. In 2017, Hollett married Brittany Ann Billingsley of St. Louis, Missouri, and the couple divorced in 2020.