TransNewYork Staff

TransNewYork is managed by fiercely dedicated individuals who bring expertise, compassion and thought leadership and empowerment.

Dr. Gennifer Herley PhD

Founder and Executive Director
gherley@transnewyork.org

Dr. Gennifer Herley PhD is the founder and executive director of TransNewYork. Gennifer is a proud transgender woman who recently transitioned and earned her doctorate degree in 2014. TransNewYork’s mission is to bring awareness to the issues facing the transgender non-conforming (TGNC) community and give guidance and support to individuals and their loved ones within an open and safe environment. It provides individual and group counseling and monthly meetings that address issues such as gender dysphoria and encourage transgender individuals to share their stories, and wishes to be an informative source for transgender resources, activities, and events. Dr Herley and TransNewYork work with allies of the transgender community to provide Transgender Non-Conforming educational training seminars, guest speakers, and other resource materials to help maintain and expand diversity and inclusion within organizations, along with helping raise public awareness on transgender issues through hosting and sponsoring speaking engagements, featuring prominent transgender leaders, and organizations.

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Dr. Herley’s career has taken two paths, corporate management roles and business and personal coaching, and both have merged into nonprofit organizational leadership. Her leadership experience includes managing all operational activities, such as finances, business development, sales, marketing, and fundraising. Dr. Herley excels at developing and monitoring budgets and resources, planning and executing short- and long-range goals, and redesigning programs to respond to the changing needs of the LGBTQ Community with a focus on members of our community who are transgender.

In addition Dr. Herley is a Board member of I’m from Driftwood, which aims to help LGBTQ people learn more about their community, straight people learn more about their neighbors, and everyone learn more about themselves through the power of storytelling and story sharing. She is also an adjunct professor of Sociology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Dr. Herley is a tireless advocate of the transgender community and has spoken at many Transgender Conference focusing on group dynamics.

Dr. Herley organized the first transgender Conference in New York City, New York Coming Out in 2019. This 3-day conference had over 350 attendees 100 workshops, a vendor room and hosted keynote speakers such as Sarah McBride from the Human Rights Campaign.

Amy Lavine

Director of Program Development and Fundraising
alavine@transnewyork.org

Amy Lavine is an experienced Foundation Relations and Institutional Giving Specialist with 20 years working at nonprofits in New York City. Amy is dedicated to raising funds to support progressive causes, particularly grassroots organizing and policy initiatives. Understanding the broad progressive movement is a critical goal in achieving equality in all arenas and asserting the importance of intersectional voices in all public policy discourses. Amy values foundation relations as a means to securing support for progressive programs, with an emphasis on LGBTQ people. Amy has worked at the LGBT Community Center, Hudson Guild and the National LGBTQ Task Force. Amy likes spending time with her dog Memphis and going to the theater.