Steph Perkins is a senior program officer at the Gill Foundation, responsible for leading the foundation’s efforts to identify and fortify initiatives that build public familiarity and acceptance of transgender Americans, confront policy and rhetorical attacks in the states, and turn the tide to accelerate advancement of LGBTQ equality.

Steph comes to the Gill Foundation from PROMO, Missouri’s statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, where he began as a field organizer and was later selected as the executive director in 2015.

In Steph’s tenure as executive director, PROMO defeated more than 50 anti-LGBTQ statewide bills and constitutional amendments through bipartisan action; passed policies that ensure transgender Missourians can access accurate identification documents that are critical for securing employment, housing, and other essential services; and developed innovative, on-the-ground programming to increase the public’s knowledge and understanding of transgender and non-binary identities, especially in rural areas. Additionally, through a unique partnership with the Missouri Foundation for Health, Steph and his team grew an LGBTQ cultural competency program that trained more than 10,000 staff of healthcare providers, social service organizations, and nonprofit organizations, resulting in more than 100 institutional policy changes.

Originally from Kansas, Steph has been passionately engaged in the fight for LGBTQ equality at the local, state, and national level for more than a decade. He has served on the Public Policy Council for the St. Louis Regional Chamber of Commerce and the boards of directors for Freedom for All Americans and the National Center for Transgender Equality.

Steph graduated from Missouri State University with a degree in sociology and religious studies. He now lives in Denver with his dog, Bagel.