Kei Williams

Kei Williams (they/them) is a visionary Black queer transmasculine leader and the Executive Director of NEW Pride Agenda, New York's leading LGBTQIA+ advocacy organization. Williams ascended to Interim Executive Director in November 2024 before becoming the organization's full-time Executive Director in April 2025, stepping into the role, as one nominator described it, with steady leadership "during a time of increasing challenges for LGBTQIA+ communities."

In that role, Williams has directed NEW Pride Agenda's forceful response to a torrent of anti-trans attacks from the Trump administration, spearheaded multiple intensely covered grassroots actions condemning anti-trans violence, and led state budget advocacy to bolster annual funding and protect access to gender-affirming care. They launched the organization's Public Health Ambassador Program, an eight-week training on sexual health and wellness for transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, and played a central role in expanding the Lorena Borjas Transgender and Non-Binary Wellness and Equity Fund — just the second state-level TGNC wellness fund in the nation. As co-lead of the NYC Trans & Queer Coalition, Williams also helped win $14 million in funding for LGBTQ+ communities.

Born and raised in upstate New York, Williams brings more than a decade of experience as a community organizer, having previously served as a Community Organizer for the People's Climate Movement NY, a National Organizer for the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, a Decentralized Network Coordinator for Movement Netlab, and a founding member of the Black Lives Matter NYC chapter. Their expertise has been sought by institutions including Federal Hall, The New School, Columbia University, and Harvard University, where they have led conversations on abolition, Black trans liberation, and community organizing. As one nominator put it, over the past year Williams has "led with vision, urgency, and care, helping ensure that LGBTQIA+ communities across New York remain engaged, supported, and empowered in the face of growing threats."