About NPA
Our Purpose
Our purpose is civic engagement and public policy advocacy on behalf of New York’s diverse LGBTQ community.
We recognize the disproportionate representation within our community and strive to empower the voices of the most vulnerable among us by organizing our community’s unique talents around our shared values across the state.
The NEW Pride Agenda (NPA) advocates across the State of New York for LBGTQ rights awareness, particularly for the most vulnerable members of the queer community.
NPA believes that LGBTQ rights are civil rights and impact the most important aspects of everyday life from housing to employment. Working with a diverse network of communities and elected officials, NPA serves to educate members of the LGBTQ community and allies, as well as the general public, about our legal protections and rights.
History
Building upon New York’s history of leadership regarding LBGTQ advocacy, and working in collaboration with the existing network of invaluable queer organizations, the NEW Pride Agenda aims to organize our resilient community around the rights and experiences of the most vulnerable among us, acknowledging that while marriage equality is a fundamental legal right for our community, we must go further to ensure true equality.
Our Vision
To develop a Civic Engagement and Public Education Project (CEPEP) for the LGBTQ community and its allies; and to develop a sophisticated advocacy network, the New Pride Advocacy Network (NPAN) to advance public policy issues for vulnerable and poor LGBTQ communities in New York State.
Staff
Ahmed Mohamed
Community Organizer for The NEW Pride Agenda; graduate student at New York University studying Business and Economic Reporting. Received a bachelor of arts in from Duke University in Public Policy, with a certificate in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. Before joining the team, Ahmed was a research intern with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
Jason Walker
Civic Engagement and Public Education Project (CEPEP) Consultant for The NEW Pride Agenda; As an experienced community organizer, Jason focuses his engagement with the LGBTQ community through an intersectional lens or race, class, and gender. Before joining the team, Jason was the HIV/AIDS Campaign Coordinator for VOCAL New York, where he organized homeless LGBTQ youth and people living with HIV for nearly seven years.
Cynthia Dames
Project Manager for The NEW Pride Agenda; principle at Cynthia Dames Consulting, LLC; former senior VP at Kasirer NYC, senior advisor to Malkin & Ross, and a lobbyist for ESPA. Cynthia is experienced in government affairs and program development for health and human service non-profits in Albany and New York City.
Board of Directors
Cecilia Gentili
Co-chair of The NEW Pride Agenda; founder and CEO of Trans Equity Consulting; former intern for the LGBT Center of NYC; coordinator of Apicha Community Health Center’s Transgender Health Program; managing director of policy at GMHC. Cecilia also sits on the board of Translatina Network.
Paul Butler
Secretary and Treasurer of The NEW Pride Agenda; COO at Sparks and Honey; former chair—and former chair of The Brotherhood Sister-Sol; Paul used to be an executive for ASPIRE and VH1 and is experienced in strategic social media communications and corporate culture.
Joe Pressley
Deputy Commissioner to NYC Department of Homeless Services; former Chief of Staff for NYC Council speaker and executive director for the NY AIDS Coalition. Joe is experienced in city government and has focused on issues plaguing African Americans and the LGBTQ community—such as HIV and homelessness.
Sara Throne
Attorney for Sonnenschein, Sherman & Deutsch; founder of NYU Outlaw; former co-chair and board member of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. Sara has extensive knowledge of corporate culture as well as issues that impact the LGBTQ community and women.
Liz Cooper
Professor at Fordham Law School, where she teaches Fordham’s Legislative and Public Advocacy Clinic; faculty director of the Feerick Center for Social Justice and faculty co-director of the Stein Scholars Program in Public Interest Law. Liz has extensive knowledge of public policy and issues that affect women, LGBTQ people, and people living with HIV/AIDS.
Daniel W. Tietz
Nonprofit consultant and government executive; former CEO of Bailey House and chief special services officer for NYC HRA; executive director of the AIDS Community Research Initiative and COO of the Coalition for the Homeless. Dan is an expert in health, human services, and housing.
Nancy Wackstein
Director of Community Engagement at Fordham Graduate School; former CEO of United Settlement Houses. Nancy’s expertise ranges from topics such as city government, social services, and non-profits to issues impacting the LGBTQ community, the elderly, and those who experience homelessness.
Doug Wirth
Co-Chair of The NEW Pride Agenda and CEO of Amida Care; member of the Governor’s Task Force on Ending the Epidemic. Doug is experienced in city and state government, issues of governance, corporate culture, LGBTQ health, and human services.
Victor Sanchez
Virtual design and construction systems administrator for Wegmans Food Market; also sits on the board of Trillium Health, an organization that supports those living with HIV. In addition to working on the LGBTQ+ Political Caucus’ steering committee, Victor is a member of Out Alliance’s philanthropy committee.
Imara Jones
Creator of TransLash; journalist and intersectional news-producer; host at The Last Sip; host on-air news analyst, writer focusing on the full range of social justice and equity issues. Fellow at Soros Equality; board member of the Anti-Violence Project. Winner of Emmy and Peabody Awards.
The NEW Pride Agenda has currently made introductory trips to Rochester, Buffalo, and Albany, to introduce The NEW Pride Agenda, meet upstate colleagues, hear local perspectives on LGBTQ priorities, and recruit local board members.
Special Welcome to Victor Sanchez of Rochester, and Imara Jones of NYC, who just joined the board in December!