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.
