Our Mission

The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance empowers LGBTQ+ Asians and Pacific Islanders through movement capacity building, policy advocacy, and research.

Founded in 2005 as a federation of dozens of small, volunteer-run groups across the country, NQAPIA is embedded in generations- and centuries-old traditions of resistance, resilience, and community-making among LGBTQ+ Asians and Pacific Islanders.

Take a look at our first 15 years below.

Our Leadership

Kenrick Ross

Executive Director

Kenrick Ross has been Executive Director of NQAPIA since February 2021. Over the past 15 years, he has held senior management roles in sectors as diverse as education, community health, civic engagement, and equitable entrepreneurship.

He previously served as Executive Director of the Indo-Caribbean Alliance; Director of Education, Career Services, and Community at the YWCA of Queens; and Director of Professional Development and Quality Assurance for The Leaguers, Inc. In 2011, he founded Urban&Out, an LGBTQPOC professional and leadership development network.

Kenrick has made two short films, spoken and presented at 40+ events, and served on a dozen boards. He’s also a fierce advocate for LGBTQ-inclusive sports, especially tennis. Born in Guyana and raised in the NYC area, he lives with his partner in Newark, New Jersey. He holds a BA in Politics from New York University, and an MS in Urban Policy and Leadership from CUNY-Hunter College.

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Board of Directors

Funders and Partners

Milap Patel

Chair

Originally from Nairobi, Kenya, Milap Patel has lived in the US since 2009 and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. In his professional life, he serves as Research Director for a nonprofit working to center worker and community ownership models in our economy and has previously worked as a climate change analyst and program officer in a global human rights philanthropy.

Milap has a Master in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Development Studies from the University of Sussex, UK.