Executive Director of NEW Pride Agenda

Elisa Crespo is a trans Latina advocate and former public servant who has fought to promote civic engagement and elevate the LGBTQ community’s voice in halls of power. Prior to becoming the first executive director of the New Pride Agenda, Elisa served as Education Liaison to the Bronx Borough President’s Office and made history by becoming the first transgender woman of color to run for public office in the Bronx. Under her leadership, the NEW Pride Agenda spearheaded a statewide coalition whose advocacy resulted in a $3 million dollar Transgender Wellness & Equity Fund, making New York the second state in the country to establish a fund of its kind. Elisa graduated from John Jay College obtaining her Bachelors in Political Science and a minor in Human Rights. Ms. Crespo and her efforts have been featured in numerous media platforms including LGBTQ Nation, OUT Magazine, Marie Claire and NBC News. Most recently, Elisa was recognized for her contributions to social change by being listed in City and State’s 2022 “40 under 40” list. She currently lives in the Bronx with her partner and has no furry loved ones.

They/Them

Program Manager

Kei Williams (they/them) is a BLACK queer transmasculine visual artist and community organizer. Born and raised in Upstate New York and a founding member of the Black Lives Matter Global Network, they have helped build some of the most powerful movements of our time. As a part of Movement Netlab, a practice-centered ‘think-make-and-do tank’, they worked to develop conceptual and practical tools based on decentralization as a framework for organizers, activists, and researchers in order to bring us closer to a society of beloved community. A lifelong responder to injustice (the grandchild of labor activists), Kei is an abolitionist organizer whose work has spanned across issues such as racial and gender violence to mass incarceration and jail building to climate jobs and justice with their aim being to transform culture from the individual into a global systemic analysis of structural oppression through the lens of intersectionality. They serve as a curator, designer, and walking tour guide with Black Gotham Experience, a storytelling project documenting the impact of the African Diaspora on New York City. They are a 2021-2022 Fellow with the Mellon Initiative for Inclusive Faculty Excellence at the New School. Kei currently lives in Queens, NY with his dog Spartacus and 12 inherited plants. Follow Kei @blackboikei on IG and Twitter.

She/Her

Program Coordinator

Jocelyn Bula is a Puerto Rican woman of Transgender experience born and raised in New York. She is a three-time college graduate, with two Associate Degrees and a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Jocelyn is a well-known figure in the Ballroom Scene, which began in New York City and is now a global phenomenon. Jocelyn is the Mother of the International House of Milan and is known for being on the hit show “Legendary” on HBO Max.

They/Them

Statewide Lead Organizer

Shéár Avory (they, them) is a Black and Indigenous nonbinary trans femme, creative visionary, published researcher, and social justice advocate. Since the age of thirteen, Shéár has been a leading voice of youth activism and has become one of the most politically influential youth leaders in America. They’ve previously served President Biden as the 2018 Biden Fellow for LGBTQ Equality at the Biden Foundation in Washington, D.C. and advocated for an equitable New York City as a Policy Associate at the Office of the New York City Public Advocate. They’re credited for co-founding the nation’s first and only Trans Wellness Center in Los Angeles, California through a one-million dollar annual grant awarded by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health; successfully lobbying for the repeal of the Walking While Trans Ban in California and New York; advocating for the passage of New York State’s Raise the Age for Homeless Youth Act; and for contributing to a National PREA Resource Center policy for TGNC young people in juvenile detention. Prior to joining the New Pride Agenda in 2022 as the NYC Community Organizer, Shéár was a Policy Associate and Organizer at the ACLU and continues to serve on the New York City Task Force on Issues Impacting TGNCNBI People In Custody.

He/Him

Community Health Coordinator