Stephanie Mills is living out her dream career at Hudson Pride Center as the Director of Youth Services! Her role focuses on creating partnerships and collaborating with other community organizations, municipalities, and schools to: offer support, workshops, and events to LGBTQ+ youth in areas throughout Hudson County and the surrounding areas. Her leadership role affords her the privilege to supervise, support, and monitor all Youth Program staff. Her team delivers a wide variety of youth programming including support groups, workshops, mental health and wellness services, school-based trainings, and youth outreach activities.

Using her own experience of coming out and not having a center like Hudson Pride to connect with youth and mentors who looked like her, she has dedicated her efforts to support LGBTQ+ youth by creating safe spaces for them to connect with peers and have direct access to fundamental services in an affirming environment. Her values stand on the foundation of mentorship – nurturing young adults to improve their health, economic status, self-esteem, and self-sufficiency, while making positive life choices.

Stephanie is a New Jersey native, born and raised in Paterson, where she obtained her high school diploma from East Side High, depicted in the famous film, “Lean On Me”. She graduated from William Paterson University, earning her B.A. in English. She served as an AmeriCorps member which included mentoring and coordinating programs for high school students as well as serving under former Mayor, Corey Booker’s “Brick City Serves” initiative, where she established partnerships with schools, nonprofit organizations, and social services leaders to bridge community needs with effective resources.

Since starting her career at Hudson Pride in 2011, Stephanie has created tremendous impact in the community by joining platforms designed to address and eradicate barriers for the LGBTQ+ community, such as; the Hudson County Alliance to End Homelessness, Hudson County HIV/AIDS Planning Council, Jersey City Public School Early Childhood Advisory Council, Hudson County Substance Use Task Force, and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families’ Chafee Advisory Board. Her accomplishments include: making her family proud, becoming a parent, and being invited as a highlighted speaker for college LGBTQ+ focused events. Stephanie’s goal is to inspire young adults to become advocates and continue to amplify the voices of those who are silenced by hate and discrimination!