Executive Director

About NEW Pride Agenda

Founded in 2019 by a coalition of established and emerging leaders, the NEW Pride Agenda (NPA) was created with a resolute mission: to champion education and advocacy for the most underserved members of the LGBTQIA+ community, including Black and Brown Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Non-Binary (TGNCNB) individuals.

NPA is committed to advancing justice across economic, health, racial, and gender identity dimensions for marginalized LGBTQIA+ individuals in New York State. Grounded in the belief that LGBTQIA+ rights are fundamental civil rights, the organization addresses critical issues impacting daily life, including housing, employment, and healthcare.

Collaborating with diverse communities and elected officials, NPA educates the LGBTQIA+ community, allies, and the broader public about legal rights and protections. NPA’s advocacy efforts have yielded landmark accomplishments, such as: 

• Obtaining mandated Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) cultural competency training for over 340,000 New York State Executive Branch employees - a national first.
• Securing the repeal of the discriminatory "Walking While Trans" ban in the 2021 Executive Budget.
• Increasing New York State funding for LGBTQIA+ Health and Human Services from $4.5 to $12.5 million
• Securing a historic $3 million dollars for Transgender and Gender Non-Binary New Yorkers and advocating for legislation creating a state-wide Trans Wellness & Equity Fund.
• Ensuring insurance coverage for PrEP access, and more.

Grounded in a commitment to supporting and uplifting the most marginalized individuals within the LGBTQIA+ community, NPA’s programs transform lives and build a stronger, more inclusive future for LGBTQIA+ individuals. From civic engagement to health and wellness, these innovative initiatives address critical needs and create lasting impact. NPA’s programs include:

• Civic Engagement: Through the Civic Engagement and Political Education Project (CEPEP), NPA empowers Queer and Trans Youth of Color with voter education and awareness, fostering greater civic participation among LGBTQIA+ and TGNC New Yorkers.
• Financial Literacy – My Money Mondays: A five-week program that equips LGBTQIA+ individuals with essential financial skills, including budgeting, saving, investing, credit management, and financial planning, providing the foundation for long-term financial success.
• Health and Wellness:
  • Public Health Ambassadors Program: An eight-week initiative providing education on HIV prevention (PrEP/PEP), access to culturally competent care, and tools to support sex workers and high-risk LGBTQIA+ individuals, including formerly incarcerated people.
  • Let’s Talk About It: A seven-week workshop series promoting healthier lifestyles for LGBTQIA+ individuals through sessions on nutrition, harm reduction, fitness, sexual health, and mental wellness. Participants explore the social determinants of health and celebrate their progress in a closing showcase.
  • We Got You Covered: A linkage-to-care program reducing barriers for LGBTQIA+ people of color, connecting them with culturally competent providers, and addressing the unique challenges of marginalized communities.
• Support Groups – Crystal Queer Social Group: A bi-monthly community space that offers queer, trans, and gender nonconforming individuals the opportunity to connect, share experiences, and build supportive networks. Sessions also welcome friends, family, and allies.
• The Empowerment Center: A hub for vital resources, including linkage-to-care services, a food pantry, clothing closet, computer access, safe sex kits, and testing strips.

Learn more about NEW Pride Agenda’s transformative work at https://www.newprideagenda.org.

The Opportunity

NEW Pride Agenda is a vibrant and inclusive organization that works to create a world where every LGBTQIA+ person in New York State, is treated with dignity and respect, and celebrated for being their authentic selves.

After 5 years of history-making organizational successes and growth, NPA is seeking an inspirational, innovative, and human-centered leader to serve as its next Executive Director. This leader will build upon NPA’s five-year legacy of advocacy, education, and empowering LGBTQIA+ voices. With a strong foundation and a secure financial position, this is a unique opportunity for a motivated professional to guide the organization into its next chapter.

The Executive Director will be tasked with advancing NPA’s bold vision, ensuring its continued prominence as a leading voice in the LGBTQIA+ movement. This role will involve shaping and implementing strategies to expand NPA’s impact through transformative programs and policies addressing the critical challenges of health, equity, and gender identity within the LGBTQIA+ community.

This position is ideal for a leader with a deep commitment to racial equity and justice, coupled with a passion for nurturing talent and fostering personal growth. The ideal candidate will possess proven leadership skills, a dedication to empowering a diverse team, and the ability to align individual expertise with organizational goals, creating a collaborative environment where everyone can thrive. Most importantly, the next Executive Director will be guided by an anti-racist and justice-centered approach, inspiring them to serve as a powerful voice for equity-based strategies to end discrimination against LGBTQIA+ communities.

Responsibilities for this role include, but are not limited to:

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and implement NPA’s next strategic plan, ensuring alignment with its mission, values, and long-term goals.
• Financial Oversight: Oversee the NPA’s financial health, including budgeting, forecasting, and ensuring compliance with financial policies and regulations. Provide regular financial reports to the board and stakeholders.
• Fundraising and Development: Lead fundraising efforts by cultivating relationships with donors, foundations, other partners, and all levels of local, state, and national government. Identify and secure new funding opportunities to support the NPA’s continued sustainability and growth.
• Advocacy and Government Relations: Serve as the key liaison with elected officials, particularly New York State legislators, policymakers, and government agencies, to drive the NPA’s policy objectives and effectively advocate for community priorities.
• Team Management and Development: Inspire, mentor, and empower staff by fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment. Ensure team members are aligned with organizational objectives and supported in their professional development.
• Board Engagement: Collaborate with the Board of Directors, providing them with regular updates on organizational performance, challenges, and opportunities. Support effective board governance, development, and engagement.
• Community and Stakeholder Engagement: Represent NPA in public forums, media engagements, and with community partners to amplify its mission and build strategic alliances.
• Program Oversight: Ensure the successful implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of programs and services that align with NPA’s mission.
• Operational Management: Oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring efficiency, compliance, and alignment with NPA’s goals and policies.
• Equity and Inclusion: Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion within the NPA’s culture, policies, and practices.

Candidate Profile

The Executive Director will embody courageous and authentic leadership, driven by a deep and demonstrated commitment to racial and social justice. They will foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organizational culture, while inspiring transparency and accountability among the team. A seasoned and collaborative leader, the ED will balance openness with decisiveness, ensuring clarity and confidence in every decision. They will bring their whole, authentic self to work and cultivate a space where others feel empowered to do the same, actively shaping an empowering and transformative organizational culture.

The ED will also bring a nuanced understanding of LGBTQIA+ issues, particularly those impacting transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary communities. NPA operates on the principle that the strength of the LGBTQIA+ community lies in its diversity and interconnectedness, underscoring the importance of focusing on and elevating the issues impacting the trans community. Trans individuals, particularly trans people of color, face disproportionate challenges, including violence, discrimination, and significant barriers to healthcare and economic opportunities. Accordingly, NPA seeks an ED who will cultivate a collective sense of responsibility within the broader queer community, ensuring that trans voices are not only heard but also prioritized in advocacy efforts. The ED will champion trans rights and work to amplify both the struggles and achievements of the trans community, reinforcing the unity and resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole.

With a proven record of operational excellence, the Executive Director will demonstrate financial acumen and strategic management expertise. They will lead with a sharp focus on budgeting, financial planning, and reporting while ensuring robust processes and diverse revenue streams are in place to sustain and expand NPA’s mission.

If you are ready to take on this transformative role, you will: 

• Be a Bold and Authentic Voice: Represent the organization with confidence and clarity across all settings, navigating complex societal issues with an unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and justice.
• Lead with Fundraising Excellence: Harness your fundraising expertise to inspire community members, donors, and external partners, bolstering the organization’s impact, reputation, and financial sustainability.
• Be a Skilled Storyteller: Leverage your media savvy to amplify NPA’s mission across multiple platforms, from on-camera appearances and interviews to social media and compelling written narratives.
• Innovate Through Digital Leadership: Use your expertise in digital engagement to expand NPA’s reach, delivering programs and fostering connections to support programs that empower LGBTQIA+ communities like never before.
• Craft a Bold Vision: Collaborate with the Board of Directors to shape and champion an ambitious organizational vision, inspiring others to support and advocate for NPA’s mission.
• Inspire and Empower Your Team: Lead with compassion and confidence, guiding a team of dedicated professionals to deliver high-impact programs, policy work, and fundraising efforts while fostering a culture of growth and accountability.
• Be a Policy Advocate: Use your deep understanding of legislative processes and advocacy to drive meaningful policy changes that uplift and protect LGBTQIA+ individuals.

In addition, you should bring the following attributes and competencies as NPA’s next leader:

Driven to Lead with Purpose and Pride

You have a deep and personal connection to NEW Pride Agenda’s mission to advance the economic, health, racial, and gender identity justice needs of marginalized LGBTQIA+ individuals across New York State. You don’t just understand the systemic issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community—you are committed to being part of the solution. You embody the values of authenticity, empowerment, innovation, resilience and community in everything you do, living them authentically and inspiring others to follow your lead.

With a strong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, you champion anti-racist and justice-centered practices within and beyond the organization. You’re deeply attuned to dismantling inequities rooted in systemic injustice and White cis-dominant practices, leading with empathy, compassion, and respect for diverse cultural values and lived experiences.

Vision, Strategy and Impact

You’re a forward-thinking leader who can align diverse stakeholders to develop and implement a bold, unifying vision for NPA’s next chapter. Partnering closely with staff and the Board of Directors, you ensure the organization thrives with a culture and infrastructure that supports sustainable growth. Your strategic mindset enables you to identify critical priorities, build shared understanding, and craft innovative plans for advocacy, programs, and fundraising.

You bring fresh ideas to engage the Board of Directors and empower them as active contributors, particularly in fundraising and advocacy efforts. Your ability to think big and execute actionable strategies positions NPA for long-term success.

Connecting Communities, Amplifying Voices

You excel at building authentic, meaningful relationships and are a natural connector who uplifts and amplifies the voices of others, particularly LGBTQIA+ individuals with lived experience and expertise. Your exceptional communication skills enable you to connect across a wide spectrum of stakeholders—from elected officials and policymakers to grassroots community members and organizational partners.

As an engaged listener, you value transparent, open communication and foster trust at all levels of the organization. With political acumen and humility, you navigate complex conversations and adapt seamlessly to different audiences, whether rallying funders, collaborating with government agencies, or advocating for policy changes. Your network and understanding of federal, state, and local systems make you a powerful force for advancing LGBTQIA+ rights.

Fundraising to Inspire Support and Secure the Future

You are an inspiring storyteller who can articulate NPA’s unique history and role in the LGBTQIA+ rights movement to potential supporters. A proven fundraiser, you actively seek out opportunities to diversify revenue streams, engage individual donors, and build relationships with sponsors, foundations, and state and federal agencies. Working collaboratively with the Board, you strengthen financial sustainability and ensure NPA’s work continues to thrive.

Through your fundraising expertise, you enhance NPA’s visibility and reputation as a leading voice in the LGBTQIA+ rights movement. By cultivating strategic partnerships and leveraging opportunities to amplify the organization’s impact, you position NPA as a trusted and influential advocate. Your ability to connect fundraising efforts with NPA’s mission not only drives financial growth but also fosters deeper community engagement and support. By aligning storytelling with data-driven outcomes, you ensure donors see the tangible impact of their contributions, inspiring long-term investment in the organization’s vision.

Empowering Teams, Driving Success

You are a compassionate, inclusive leader who prioritizes equity and social justice within the workplace. Your human-centered approach fosters a warm, empowering environment for staff, creating a culture where individuals can bring their authentic selves to work.

You believe in collaboration and continuous learning, ensuring that team members feel supported while holding yourself and others accountable. You have a strong track record of attracting, developing, and retaining talented individuals with diverse skills and experiences, cultivating an inclusive workplace that offers growth opportunities for everyone. 

Catalyst for Change and Growth

You thrive in times of transformation and are energized by the opportunity to lead NPA into its next chapter. You understand the power and potential of NPA as a leader in the LGBTQIA+ movement, and you bring innovative ideas to harmonize and strengthen processes, practices, and priorities.

As a bridge-builder, you unite diverse teams and stakeholders around a shared vision. You embrace change, listen to feedback, and empower others to accomplish strategic goals, all while preserving NPA’s reputation as a bold and leading voice in LGBTQIA+ advocacy.

Above all, you are an agent of change, ready to help NPA realize its vision for the future and continue to lead the movement for LGBTQIA+ justice, both locally and nationally.

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS & WORK ENVIRONMENT

The salary range for this position is $140,000, to $155,000. 

Through the Fund for the City of New York (FCNY), NEW Pride Agenda offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employees' health, financial well-being, and work-life balance. This includes a selection of four national medical plans, dental and vision coverage, and flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses. Staff can also take advantage of retirement plans with an exceptional employer match, commuter benefits, and group term life insurance. Additional resources include an Employee Assistance Program providing counseling and financial planning services, access to emergency child and elder care through Bright Horizons, legal services, and both short-term and long-term disability insurance. FCNY also supports families with a childcare leave policy offering up to 20 days of leave.

NPA’s full-time staff have a hybrid work schedule. Staff are in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and have the flexibility to work from home on Mondays and Fridays.

NPA’s Executive Director is expected to spend about 20-25% of their time traveling, with a significant portion happening from January to June. The travel is primarily focused on building relationships across the state, including in metro areas like Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, and the Long Island region.