Dear Members of the AVP and LGBTQ+ Communities,
Today, we share with you the news that AVP’s Executive Director, Beverly Tillery will be stepping down after eight years of dedication and service to survivors of violence, and the greater LGBTQ+ community. Her last day at the organization will be July 31, 2024. We are excited to celebrate Bev’s leadership and AVP’s accomplishments during her tenure and to begin the search for the next dynamic leader who will shepherd the organization into the future.
A hallmark of Bev’s leadership is that she fearlessly champions the needs of those in our community who are most impacted by violence and most marginalized by our society. AVP has adapted its work to reflect a focus on violence prevention, seeking to create a world in which all LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected people are safe and free. AVP also became more nationally recognized, launched innovative programs like the TGNC Leadership Academy, and drove change across New York and nationally by advocating for LGBTQ+ communities and with local and state policymakers, members of Congress, and federal officials. Bev initiated important work to modernize AVP’s hotline and expand its capacity to provide legal services to meet the growing needs of our communities, including hundreds of asylum seekers.
“I am so proud of the work we have done over the last eight years, years which have been some of the most difficult our community has experienced in decades. Despite the real threats that have steadily increased since I started as Executive Director, I am grateful for the many ways our staff has come together to meet challenge after challenge. We helped our communities respond to the increases in hate violence attacks and came together with other targeted communities to protect each other. We listened to our community and created the TGNC Leadership Academy, one of the first of its kind in the nation, and our increased focus on decriminalization to improve the lives of all LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected community members,” says Tillery. “But the most rewarding part of this work is that I have had the privilege to work side by side with AVP’s talented and compassionate staff to respond to and support survivors and the families of victims of violence, helping them to heal and working to make the world safer for generations to come.”
“Over the past eight years, Bev has helped AVP grow into an organization that is poised for a national role,” said Board Chair Stephanie K. Blackwood. AVP is now recognized for model support services to survivors and their families, innovative policy and advocacy work, and impactful community organizing. Under new leadership, AVP will focus on strengthening its organizational infrastructure, deepening its local service and advocacy work, and scaling its talent, technology, and financial resources to meet future challenges we will face within the LGBTQ+ community.”
In AVP’s new strategic plan, AVP Vision 2026 and Beyond Building a Safer LGBTQ+ Future, the organization outlines a road ahead to meet the real and ever-present threats of violence that LGBTQ+ communities and people living with HIV experience. AVP has set a course to strengthen its local client support, client advocacy, and legal services work, expand its national engagement through reporting, training, and policy advocacy, and elevate its thought leadership as a disruptor and innovator in the antiviolence movement.
AVP is proud to partner again with executive search firm McCormack + Kristel to select AVP’s next Executive Director. The search is expected to kick off in March of 2024.
“McCormack + Kristel is excited to support the NYC Anti-Violence Project’s search for its next Executive Director! Our practice serves mission-driven organizations with expertise in placing leaders from diverse identities and backgrounds in foundations, advocacy, social justice, health, and human service organizations,” said Michelle Kristel, Managing Partner, McCormack + Kristel. “We strongly believe diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are essential pillars of healthy, thriving organizations and crucial components of dynamic and engaged teams. Core to our firm’s values is the belief that all organizations, including our own, should reflect the rich diversity of the communities they serve and the world in which we live.”
We invite the community to recommend candidates for the Executive Director’s position. Nominations may be submitted to:
Michelle Kristel, Managing Partner, McCormack + Kristel
Phone: 212.531.5003 | Fax: 212.203.9599
Email: search@mccormackkristel.com
AVP is a critical and vital part of our local and national LGBTQ+ infrastructure, and as such, we invite the entire community to join us in thanking Beverly for her service, helping us to find AVP’s next visionary leader, and supporting AVP in its mission to create a world in which all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected people are safe, respected, and live free from violence.
Beverly Tillery, Executive Director
Stephanie K. Blackwood, Board Chair
The New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) is an expert in building programs and solutions to help keep LGBTQ and HIV-affected people safe. For over 40 years, AVP has championed the safety of our communities through direct client support, legal and political advocacy, and community organizing. We are dedicated to uplifting our communities, centering those most marginalized, and dismantling the systems of oppression and layers of violence that disproportionally affect us every day. We uphold and protect LGBTQ and HIV-affected survivors of violence through trauma-informed programming and services that respectfully engage the nuance and diversity of our community’s lived experiences, and we are steadfast in addressing and changing the underlying root causes of violence to empower our communities to thrive. AVP’s 24-hour bilingual Spanish/English hotline is always available for LGBTQ+ and HIV-affected survivors of violence at 212-714-1141.