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Thomas Krever, MPA
Chief Executive Officer

Thomas KreverThomas leads the organization to provide safe and supportive environments for young people to achieve their full potential, as well as advocacy and capacity building efforts for community partners and decision-makers. When he arrived at HMI in 2003, Thomas’ first task was to create the Comprehensive Education Plan (CEP) – a blueprint that expanded the then “Harvey Milk School” program into a fully functioning, independent Department of Education transfer high school for at-risk youth.

Thomas led the expansion of HMI into HMI: New Jersey, as well as the establishment of HMI’s Center for LGBTQ Youth Advocacy and Capacity Building, which works to educate and inform decision and policy makers throughout the country and across the world with regard to issues confronting LGBTQ youth. He also pioneered “HMI Goes Citywide for LGBTQ Youth,” a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to reach LGBTQ youth in all five boroughs of New York City in their own communities.

Prior to joining HMI, Thomas served as Vice President of the Council for Unity, an national violence prevention program working with gang-involved youth.

Thomas has appeared and been quoted on a variety of media outlets including CNN, Dateline NBC, The Huffington Post and The New York Times.

He has served on the Board and Executive Committee of the Human Services Council, New York City Police Commissioner’s LGBT Liaison Panel, and Governor Cuomo’s LGBT Memorial Commission among other positions. Thomas currently serves on the Nonprofit Resiliency Committee convened by Mayor Bill De Blasio, as well as the Board of the Human Services Council where he is the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee.

Thomas, a Brooklyn native, holds a BFA in Dance from the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College, an Executive Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Hofstra University.

      

Lillian Rivera
Executive Director, New Jersey

Lillian is responsible for ensuring the growth and quality of our New Jersey organization. As the largest LGBTQ youth service provider in the state of NJ, she leads a dedicated team providing services to youth from various cities and counties.

Lillian joined HMI in 2002 as a Training Associate in our New York office responsible for building the capacity of youth serving professionals in education and the non-profit sector to serve LGBTQ youth in a culturally fluent manner. Throughout her tenure, Lillian assumed additional responsibilities via a series of promotions leading up to oversight of the After-School department, the largest program area, for which she successfully helped increase funding enabling the department to double its number of staff members. In 2012, she spearheaded the establishment of the Center for LGBTQ Youth Advocacy & Capacity Building which she led until 2018, when she was appointed to her current role in New Jersey.

With two decade’s worth of experience in LGBTQ youth work, Lillian has dedicated her life work to creating environments that promote authenticity and empowerment. She has conducted workshops and trainings across the country to agencies seeking assistance in working with at-promise youth population – particularly LGBTQ youth of color.

Prior to HMI, Lillian worked for the New York City Department of Education, Court Appointed Special Advocates of Hudson County, and Fossil.

Lillian has appeared on numerous media outlets including MIC, AOL’s Bold, CNN en Español and NBC Latino, offering her expertise on issues impacting the lives of minority communities. She has had articles on her work with LGBTQ youth and her life as a Latina Lesbian Mom published on the Huffington Post, the Advocate and the Feminist Wire. Lillian is often sought to speak on panels to share her insight on issues of Diversity & Inclusion.

Lillian is a recipient of the Rockwood Fellowship on Race and Gender and National CDC/ASPH Institute for HIV Prevention Leadership Fellowship. She has a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Public Health from Rutgers University.