About Jabari

Jabari Lyles (they/them) is an unapologetically Black, fat, queer, trans and nonbinary educator, community organizer, public sector professional and management consultant with over 15 years of experience leading initiatives which emphasize their passion for people, education and justice. Through previous roles at community-based nonprofit organizations, government agencies and K-12 schools, Jabari has dedicated their career to developing people, programs and institutions that boldly serve and center historically marginalized communities, and move us towards a more just, informed and liberated society.

Jabari was born in Baltimore City and raised in Baltimore County, Maryland. Their family, who were mostly educators and human service providers, encouraged them from an early age to nurture their love of teaching and learning. It was in high school that Jabari became involved with the local chapter of GLSEN, the country’s leading organization championing LGBTQ issues in K-12 schools. At 15, Jabari began assisting with producing the annual GLSEN Baltimore Youth Summit, a free conference-style event for LGBTQ youth and allies from across the region. At 19, Jabari became the lead facilitator for the Safe Schools for All—Baltimore program, offering assemblies, guest lectures and workshops to elementary, middle and high school students on anti-bullying and LGBTQ inclusion, as well as professional development training to teachers and administrators on creating safer and more affirming schools for LGBTQ youth. For the next 15 years, Jabari dedicated their career to helping shape Baltimore’s schools, nonprofits, government and businesses, into safe, inclusive places for all of the many identities found within the LGBTQ community.

Prior to launching into a career as a full-time consultant, Jabari was the first-ever Senior Advisor and Director of LGBTQ Affairs for the Office of the Mayor in Baltimore City, a newly created position in local government, where they supported Baltimore’s three previous Mayoral administrations on the needs and interests of the LGBTQ community, while working to grow the community’s capacity and visibility. During their time in the Mayor’s Office, Jabari was instrumental in developing crucial new policies, including the city-wide Gender Neutral Restroom Act, the sex-based discrimination and transgender student rights policy in Baltimore City Public Schools and the legislation to amend the City charter to create Baltimore’s first Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. Jabari is the former Chief Operating Officer and Senior Strategist at Baltimore Safe Haven, a nonprofit organization providing health and housing services for transgender people living in survival mode in Baltimore City. In October 2021, the Governor of Maryland appointed Jabari to the first-ever statewide Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, a 15-member body tasked with assisting the state government with shaping public policy and furthering the capacity of state agencies to fully serve and represent LGBTQ Marylanders. Jabari served as chairperson of the Commission’s youth and education committee, and was the lead author of the Commission’s official recommendations for supporting LGBTQIA+ youth in Maryland’s K-12 schools.

Jabari has worked with and led local and statewide LGBTQ organizations, including becoming the first-ever executive director of GLSEN Maryland, the youngest-ever President and Executive Director of The Pride Center of Maryland, and co-chairperson of the education workgroup for Youth Equality Alliance, a policy coalition working towards positive outcomes for LGBTQ youth in Maryland convened by FreeState Justice. They are the former executive producer of Baltimore Pride, Baltimore Trans Pride and Baltimore BLAQ Pride, a former elementary and middle school teacher in Baltimore City and the first-ever LGBTQ Studies teacher in the Upper School at Friends School of Baltimore. Jabari has delivered guest lectures and guest speaking on LGBTQ inclusion and public service for Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Towson University, McDaniel College and the Maryland Institute College of Art. Their contributions have appeared in local and national publications, including the Baltimore Sun, Washington Blade, Baltimore Magazine, The New York Times, WYPR, Okayplayer and Youth Today. Their 2017 TEDx Talk, entitled Black Self/White World: Lessons on Internalized Racism gained over 250,000 views and has been featured in racial justice education and university syllabi across the globe.

Jabari is a 2018 Baltimore Homecoming Hero, the only two-time recipient of the Mark Scurti Award for Outstanding Contributions to the LGBTQ Community by OUTLaw at the University of Baltimore School of Law, a 2020 Business Equality Pride Magazine LGBTQ Leader Under 40, and was recently named Emerging Leader of the Year by the Maryland LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Jabari completed their Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Sciences with a minor in Mathematics from Morgan State University. They currently reside in Southeast Baltimore City, where they enjoy trying out new recipes, entertaining for family and friends, dancing and singing to loud music, the beach, and Beyoncé.