NYC Pride, which produces the main New York City Pride March on the final Sunday in June, has hired a new executive director, the organization announced on Nov. 13.
The new executive director will be Im Lynde, who is equipped with two decades of non-profit experience and will be the first Asian-American individual to lead NYC Pride, the organization said. Lynde will succeed Sandra Pérez, who was hired in 2021.
Prior to joining NYC Pride, Lynde was a regional vice president at Caron Treatment Centers and the chief development officer for the Urban Resource Institute.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to have been selected by the Board of Directors to lead and grow NYC Pride, which ignited a global movement nearly 57 years ago,” Lynde said in a written statement. “New York City is the birthplace of the queer liberation movement, and we will continue to fight for equality, justice, visibility, care, protection and safety for all LGBTQIA+ people in New York and around the world — year-round and not just during Pride month.”
Lynde will join NYC Pride at a time when the organization is navigating challenges on multiple fronts. Most notably, the organization was forced to scale back events last year after experiencing a major decline in corporate sponsorship revenue amid widespread attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the wake of President Donald Trump’s re-election. The organization was facing a $750,000 budget shortfall in the weeks leading up to NYC Pride’s most recent march.
On Pride weekend this year, there was also a controversy stemming from NYC Pride’s ban on weapons. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch falsely stated on social media platforms at the time that members of GOAL, the Gay Officers Action League, had been banned, calling it “disgrace to the spirit of Pride.” Police officers were not, in fact, banned, but some interpreted it that way because officers — like anyone else marching — were not allowed to carry weapons.
NYC Pride said at the time that its members voted to continue the ban on weapons for the 2025 march. That policy was technically separate from NYC Pride’s 2021 policy stipulating that uniformed police contingents were barred from the march through at least 2025.
Kazz Alexander, a co-chair of NYC Pride, praised Lynde’s “proven track record across teams and sectors,” while co-chair Michele Irimia similarly expressed confidence in the new executive director’s “deep understanding of the needs of our community, and his commitment to uplifting the most marginalized among us.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome Im at such an important moment for our community and our movement,” Alexander said.
