July 17, 2017
Mass. Commission on LGBT Youth Announces New Director
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The Massachusetts Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Questioning (LGBTQ) Youth announced Corey Prachniak-Rinc�n as its new Director on Monday.
"The Commission is proud to welcome a strong leader with extensive knowledge of LGBTQ issues and a diverse set of advocacy and service experience at the local, state, and federal levels," said Commission Chair Michel Anteby. "We are confident that Corey will advance the Commission's commitment to reducing disparities for LGBTQ youth in health, safety, housing, and economic security."
"I am honored to come on board as director of the Commission, which is a model for the nation in making schools safer and public services more equitable," said Prachniak-Rinc�n. "As someone who first came to Massachusetts to be closer to my young niece and nephew, it's powerful to think that the policies the Commission develops today will build the community that my family grows up in tomorrow."
Prachniak-Rinc�n joins the Commission after a fellowship through Harvard University on health and human rights in Colombia. Previously, they launched a LGBTQ legal clinic at Whitman-Walker Health in Washington, D.C. and worked with state and federal agencies on healthcare and social service reforms to improve the lives of LGBTQ people, especially low-income individuals, people of color, and the transgender community.
Prachniak-Rinc�n has also consulted on a national effort to prevent and reduce tobacco use among LGBTQ youth and has interacted with state and national officials. They hold a JD from Georgetown University Law Center and a MPH from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and they trained as a Zuckerman Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
The�Commission on LGBTQ Youth�is established by law as an independent state agency to recommend and advocate to all branches of state government effective policies, programs and resources for LGBTQ youth to thrive. Founded in 1992 as the first body of its kind in the nation, the Commission has been advocating for LGBTQ youth wellbeing in and out of school for more than 25 years.
For more information, visit www.mass.gov/cgly or follow them on Twitter�@MassLGBTQyouth
