David Kilmnick

David Kilmnick, PhD, MSW has morethan 25 years of experience working on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual andtransgender (LGBT) communities to end homophobia and transphobia, provide ahome and a safe space for the community and advocate for equality under thelaw.

David founded Long Island Gay andLesbian Youth (LIGALY) in 1993 and has led the organization through growing anddeveloping substantially in its 22-year history including the purchase of thefirst LGBT community center on Long Island. The most significant growth was in2005 when David established the Long Island GLBT Services Network (The Network)to expand services for Long Island’s LGBT community throughout the lifespan.The Network, which is now called The LGBT Network, also includes the borough ofQueens and has three other organizations – the Long Island LGBT CommunityCenter (The Center) for adults and families, and Services and Advocacy for LGBTElders – Long Island (SAGE-LI) for seniors and the Q Center: Queens LGBTCommunity Center so that all LGBT families throughout Queens and Long Island ofall ages have access to needed programs and services.

Today, David is the Chief ExecutiveOfficer of The Network that serves tens of thousands annually, reaches anadditional 80,000 through education and outreach and employs 35 full-time staffmembers in four Community Centers on Long Island located in Woodbury, Bay Shore,Patchogue and Sag Harbor.

The Network in the fall of 2014announced the first ever affordable housing in the New York tri-state area forLGBT and LGBT friendly seniors in Bay Shore and just last week formallyannounced its expansion into Queens where their first Center will open inLittle Neck this month with other LGBT Centers planned for Astoria/Long IslandCity, Bayside and the Rockaways. With an annual budget of over $3 million, TheNetwork service region includes close to 6 million people that spans the entirelength of the Long Island Expressway from the Midtown Tunnel to Montauk makingit the largest reach and population size of any LGBT service organization inNew York State.

David has been widely recognized forhis work on Long Island, throughout New York State and across the United States.He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the New York CivilLiberties Union Equality Award and the Lawrence Timpa Humanitarian Award forProfessional Service from the Suffolk County Human Rights Commission. He ispast co-chair of the Board of Directors for Centerlink, the nationalorganization that represents nearly 200 GLBT Centers, was appointed to theSuffolk County Hate Crimes Taskforce in 2009, and was named to the Annual LongIsland Press Power List in 2012 and 2013 as one of the 50 most influential LongIslanders.

In addition to his innovative work inthe LGBT community, David is a professor at several colleges and universities,including University of Maryland-University College in Nonprofit Management,Capella University in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management and atWalden University in the School of Public Policy and Administration. Kilmnickreceived his Ph.D. from the Graduate Center at the City University of New Yorkin Social Welfare, where his dissertation focused on heterosexist attitudes andchanges following contact with an openly gay instructor. David, who was bornand grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens and his husband, Robert, live in LongIsland now with their two Yorkshire Terrier children, Sparky and Petey.