Annual Diversity Awards
Paul Hastings ’84 Honored at URI’s 13th Annual Diversity Awards
As president and chief executive officer of California-based OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Paul Hastings has helped improve the lives of people around the world through his work in the biotechnology industry.
As the first member of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender community to receive the University of Rhode Island’s Diversity Award for Lifetime Achievement, Hastings is hoping to change the culture on campus.
“It was a surprise, a pleasant surprise,” Hastings said. “In my career, I have been on the receiving end of recognition for a few things, but I have never been recognized with my sexuality being the reason.”
The nomination for the honor came from URI President David M. Dooley, who met Hastings during a trip to San Francisco last summer. The two hit it off through a mutual interest in molecular biology and discussed the science field at length before Dooley turned the conversation more personal in nature.
“In the middle of the conversation, he turned and said, ‘I understand you are interested in other types of issues on campus, and that you have a rich and diverse background.’”
Understanding what Dooley was asking, Hastings confirmed that he was gay, and that he was interested in helping with any issues on campus. URI did have some issues, Dooley explained. He told Hastings about some unfortunate incidences on campus that targeted members of the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender community. Several of these incidents led to a peaceful, eight-day sit-in by the GLBT community at the Carothers Library on the Kingston campus.
Hastings is an active supporter of StartOut, a California-based, non-profit organization that fosters leadership and economic empowerment among LGBT entrepreneurs, and combats discrimination against the LGBT community in the business world. A champion for underrepresented groups, he also runs a summer camp called Youth Rally (www.rally4youth.org) for youths with bladder or bowel dysfunction.