Ashley T Brundage is the Founder and President of Empowering Differences. While seeking employment at a major financial institution, she self-identified during the interview process as a male to female transgender woman and subsequently was hired. She was offered a position and started as a part time bank teller, then became VP Diversity & Inclusion in less than 5 years. Ashley recently celebrated 18 years of marriage to Whitney and together they have two sons; Bryce, 15, and Blake, 13.

Since beginning transitioning in 2008, she has worked tirelessly to promote awareness and acceptance of gender identity and expression. She works to accomplish this goal by volunteering in the community, and holding education sessions for corporations. She serves on the Corporate Advisory Council for the NGLCC-National LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Also is the co-chair for NGLCC's global TGNC Inclusion Task Force. She chaired the successful bid to host the NGLCC convention in 2019, and Visit Tampa Bay named her their Tourism Champion for 2017. In 2018, she started serving on the board of the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts. In 2019, she was voted on the National Board of Directors for GLAAD. GLAAD works to accelerate acceptance for the LGBTQ+ Community through media advocacy.

Ms. Brundage speaks locally and nationally about her transition, workplace equality, and leadership. She has also been interviewed in several publications and media outlets, including Tampa Bay Times, Watermark Magazine, Creative Loafing, The Tampa Bay Business Journal, The Miami Herald, Fox 13 News Tampa, ABC News 7 Ft Myers, CBS 10 Tampa, Las Vegas Review Journal, Milwaukee Biz Times, the Daily Beast, Fairygodboss, and a feature story with Bloomberg Businessweek in 2019.

Ashley has been recognized in many areas and has received numerous awards including: The University of South Florida 2014 Community Pride Award, 2015 St Pete Pride Grand Marshal, 2015 Commendation-City of Tampa, 2016 Tampa Bay Business Journal Business Woman of the Year, 2016 Voice for Equality Award from Equality Florida, and LGBT Leadership Award from the Florida Diversity Council. In 2017, she was awarded a Leadership Award from Metro Inclusive Health. Also in 2017 she was a winner of the Inaugural People First Award by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, and the TBBJ Power 100 list, the most influential and powerful people in business. In 2018, she was given the Champion Award from international non-profit Out & Equal as well as named one of Florida's Most Powerful and Influential Women from the National Diversity Council. In 2019, she was named one of the Top 40 under 40 in the LGBTQ community nationally by Business Equality Magazine, TBBJ Outstanding Voice for the LGBTQ community and the Inaugural Transgender Rising Star by Trans New York.

Brandi is the Founder and Owner of Best Laid Pens. She is an open transgender woman who made the change while she was in college. During her time she realized how many opportunities that she had that many other trans and nonbinary people didn't. She made it her mission and goal to do what she can to help uplift the voices and people in her community and through her work to help create change. She is a writer, ghostwriter, and developmental editor and has used her passion for writing to help others tell their stories and to tell her own.
Best Laid Pens is a ghostwriting, developmental editing, and consultancy company. It was founded and is owned by Brandi Lai. Best Laid Pens works with diverse people to help share their stories. We uplift the stories of underrepresented and marginalized people who may not have the opportunity to share their thoughts, ideas, and backgrounds. We work closely with our clients to from beginning to end, guiding them throughout the process, ensuring that what is written is full approved by our clients and told through their perspective. Brandi, being a transgender woman, knows the importance of having your story told the way you would tell it to a friend and how trans and LGBTQ+ voices are often unheard and untold. She created this company to help change and make sure that people in her communities had the opportunity and platform to speak their truth.