Carla Smith Becomes The First Black Person To Head NYC’s LGBTQ+ Community Center

As only the third executive director in the center's 40-year history, Smith will be the first Black person to hold the position.

Carla Smith will serve as the newly appointed chief executive officer of New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center.

Smith, who assumes her new role on Feb. 12, has a long history of service in marginalized communities, according to the Advocate. She draws inspiration from her grandmother, who always welcomed anyone in need to her kitchen table.

She comes to the center after serving as deputy CEO of the Urban Resource Institute, the nation’s largest provider of domestic violence services. She has also held leadership roles at the New York City Anti-Violence Project, My Sisters’ Place, and Housing Works — all major social service organizations.

“I can’t imagine being in any other sector,” Smith stated, according to the Advocate.

As only the third executive director in the center’s 40-year history, Smith has some big shoes to fill. She succeeds Glennda Testone, who has led the organization skillfully for over a decade. Smith will be the first person of color to hold the position. As an African American cisgender lesbian, she reflects the diversity of the center’s constituency.

Having benefited from the center’s services when she first moved to New York City in the 1990s, Smith feels she is “coming home” to the role. “I know what the center offered me,” she said. She is eager to build on the center’s current work in healthcare, career development, youth programming, and more — including an increased focus on racial equity.

However, Smith first intends to consult with staff, board members, and clients to shape a collective vision for the center’s future direction. As she put it, “It’s really important to talk to the community,” the outlet noted. She emphasized the diversity of challenges facing the LGBTQ+ community and the intersectionality of identity. “We have to be nimble,” Smith said.

Smith emerged as the top candidate after an extensive national search that attracted 200 applicants. She holds a doctorate in education with a focus on executive leadership. When her appointment was announced, board president Rahul Tripathi praised her as “an accomplished, visionary, and dynamic leader with 25 years of experience in social services and an unwavering commitment to centering historically neglected populations.”

“I feel privileged to have this opportunity to positively impact New York’s LGBTQ+ community,” the incoming CEO summarized her outlook modestly but passionately.