For four years, Angela Hughey has been handing out awards to heroes for equality as part of her company’s annual Spotlight on Success luncheon.

But Hughey herself has been a leader in the campaign for LGBT equality in Arizona in the six years since she and her wife Sheri Owens founded One Community.

The company that Hughey calls a “for-profit with heart” acts as a bridge between the LGBT community and business.

“We’re trying to give everyone a voice from our diverse community,” said Hughey, 46, of Phoenix.

Known for hosting networking events, One Community has increasingly become involved in promoting LGBT-friendly policy.

“Equality is not political,” Hughey said, but she acknowledged that One Community is working to help move Arizona from center-right to “purple.”

Last year, Hughey introduced the Unity Pledge, an effort to get Arizona businesses and organizations to support diversity. Since Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton became the first to sign the pledge, more than 1,000 businesses employing more than 500,000 have endorsed it, Hughey said.

“The business community really gets it,” Hughey said. “If we want to grow as a state, we have to be a fully inclusive state.”

Hughey said the Spotlight on Success awards are designed to tell the story of the year, which this year included opposition to Senate Bill 1062, which would have allowed discrimination based on religious belief.

Hughey was instrumental in the “Open for Business to Everyone” sign that became a symbol of the SB 1062 opposition.

For more information about One Community, visit www.onecommunity.co.