Brave Space Alliance has named Nikki Patin its new CEO after several months serving as the organization’s interim leader.
The appointment follows a national search that attracted more than 100 applicants from across the country, according to Brave Space Alliance. The organization’s board unanimously selected Patin, who has served as interim CEO since former leader Channyn Lynne Parker left to lead Equality Illinois last fall.
“Stepping into this role means coming home in every sense of the word,” Patin said in a statement. “I was born right up the block from Brave Space Alliance.”
Patin has more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, arts education, advocacy and community organizing. They previously held leadership and consulting roles with organizations including After School Matters, Resilience, Center on Halsted, Urban Gateways, Victory Gardens Theater and Arts + Public Life at the University of Chicago.
The appointment comes weeks after Patin joined activist Angela Davis onstage at Brave Space Alliance’s annual Partners in Dignity Soirée, where they highlighted the organization’s impact and outlined plans for growth.
During the May fundraiser, Patin said nearly 4,900 people visited Brave Space Alliance’s pantry over the previous year and described efforts to expand behavioral health services, strengthen housing opportunities for Black and Brown transgender residents and establish additional service locations across Chicago.
As CEO, Patin will oversee that continued expansion and work with the board to develop a 10-year strategic plan for Brave Space Alliance. The organization is approaching its 10th anniversary as one of Chicago’s most prominent Black- and trans-led LGBTQ+ community centers.
“The Board couldn’t be more proud or more confident in this decision,” Board Co-Chair Katie Metos said in a statement. “This was a genuinely competitive process and a meaningful, carefully considered decision.”
Board Co-Chair Maliyah Arnold said Patin’s “vision, depth of community connection, and unwavering commitment to Black trans people” made them the right person to lead the organization into its next chapter.
Board Co-Chair Maliyah Arnold said Patin’s “vision, depth of community connection, and unwavering commitment to Black trans people” made them the right person to lead the organization into its next chapter.
At the Partners in Dignity Soirée, Patin reflected on Brave Space Alliance’s role in elevating Black transgender voices within Chicago’s LGBTQ+ movement.
“Trans people have always been around and vocal organizing, supporting, but never really amplified in the way the rest of the alphabet is,” Patin said. “Brave Space Alliance is helping change that in Chicago.”