Meet the

New York State NAACP

Leadership

"Never Going Back!"

President's Message
President's Message

It is my honor to serve as President of the NAACP New York State Conference, a collective of dedicated branches and fearless leaders working every day to protect civil rights and advance justice across this great state.

From Buffalo to Brooklyn, our branches are on the front lines—defending democracy, advocating for quality education, protecting our environment, ensuring access to healthcare, and standing firm in the fight for criminal justice reform. We are more than a legacy; we are a living movement, evolving to meet the needs of our communities while rooted in the principles of equity, service, and power through collective action.

This year, we are focused on building deeper infrastructure to support our branches, expanding our reach through digital tools, investing in youth leadership, and equipping our communities with the resources they need to thrive. Whether we are turning out voters, challenging discrimination, or supporting the next generation of Black leaders, our mission remains the same: to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. Thank you for being part of this work. Let us continue to rise, organize, and lead with purpose.

L. Joy Williams
President. NAACP New York State Conference
Woman looking at phone

We’ve been using Untitled to kick start every new project and can’t imagine working without it.

Katherine Moss

Head of Design, Catalog

Meet the team leading the fight in NY

Karen Blanding
1st Vice President
Lead engineering teams at Figma, Pitch, and Protocol Labs.
Claire Theobalds
Secretary
Former frontend dev for Linear, Coinbase, and Postscript.
Anthony Ellis
Assistant Secretary
Former frontend dev for Linear, Coinbase, and Postscript.
Lottie Tann
Treasurer
info@nysnaacp.org
Hilda Rodgers
Assistant Treasurer
Founding design team at Figma. Former Pleo, Stripe, and Tile.
Christopher Alexander
Executive Director
Former PM for Linear, Lambda School, and On Deck.
Liz Mitchell
Chief of Staff
Lead user research for Slack. Contractor for Netflix and Udacity.
Sarissa Phillips-Singletary
Executive Assistant
Lead CX at Wealthsimple. Former PagerDuty and Sqreen.

Meet our State Chairs

Meet our state committee chairs fighting for justice in key areas of focus
Claudia Swansey
Chair, Civic Engagement
Natalie Pattisaw
Chair, Climate Justice
Dr. Divine Pryor
Chair, Criminal Justice
Garry Johnson
Chair, Economic Development
Christine Waters
Chair, Education
Francesca Mesiah
Chair, Health
Gloria Benfield
Chair, Membership
Leroy Gadsen
Chair, Religous Affairs
Octavius Moore
Chair, Technology
Myles Hollingsworth
Chair, Youth and College