Carmen Neely

Carmen Neely hails from Charlotte, NC.  She graduated from Howard University with a BFA in Theatre Arts and a minor in Film Production. She also holds a Master of Science in Teaching with specializations in Childhood and Special Education from Fordham University.

Upon arriving in New York City, Carmen worked at Manhattan Theater Club, first in ticket sales, then as the General Management Assistant. Later Carmen worked as an Administrative Assistant at Goldman Sachs. She is a former New York City Department of Education Special Education teacher and now works full time as Harlem Pride’s President and CEO.

Carmen Neely is also a co-founder of Harlem Pride. Harlem Pride's mission is to empower Harlem’s Same Gender Loving•LGBTQ community (which includes family, friends, and allies) to improve its physical, mental, and economic health and wellness. Though Carmen is quite busy managing Harlem Pride and helping plan for the coming Harlem SGL•LGBTQ Center, she is also an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated and other Harlem based LGBTQ organizations. She is a Co-chair of the LGBTQ Committee of the Mid-Manhattan Branch of the NAACP, a Co-Chair of the Black & Latino LGBTQ Coalition, a board member of the Harlem SGL•LGBTQ Center and a Co-Chair of NYC Pride & Power, a 501(c)(4) political organization.  She is also the newly named Vice – Chair of the Board of Directors of The Center for Black Equity, an international organization based in Washington, DC.  The mission of the Center for Black Equity is to promote a multinational LGBTQ+ network dedicated to improving health and wellness opportunities, economic empowerment, and equal rights while promoting individual and collective work, responsibility, and self-determination.

Carmen’s recent awards include:

2016 – NAACP – Mid Manhattan Branch Pride without Prejudice Community Service Award

2017 – Gay City News Impact Award

2017 – West Harlem Progressive Democratic Club’s Community Service Award

2019 – Ryan Health’s Caring for New York Award

2019 – Stonewall Democrats of NYC LGBTQ Leaders Award

2021 – Equality New York 5^th Anniversary Community Partner Award

2022 – Harlem Festival of Culture, Black Independence Awards, Social Impact Award

Carmen believes in building a strong community foundation through community engagement and partnerships. When she’s not busy with her community work, Carmen enjoys reading and relaxing on hot sandy beaches.