Sultan Shakir Appointed as Chief Operating Officer of PFLAG National
July 15, 2025
WASHINGTON—PFLAG National, the nation’s largest organization serving LGBTQ+people, their parents and families, and non-family allies, proudly announces the appointment of Sultan Shakir (he/him/his) as Chief Operating Officer. The announcement comes as the need for PFLAG has increased amidst ongoing attacks on the LGBTQ+ community. The organization added seven new PFLAG chapters in June, among 30 new chapters since January, and the new COO role will guide the organization’s continued strategic impact to meet community demand for services.
“Sultan is an experienced, well-respected nonprofit leader whose strategic guidance has strengthened each organization he has worked with. It is clear that in his first quarter as COO for PFLAG National, he has already made an impact,” said Brian K. Bond (he/him/his), CEO of PFLAG National.
“This work is deeply personal to me as a queer Muslim who found affirmation and community in spaces like the ones PFLAG creates,” said Shakir of his new role. “I am honored to join PFLAG National at this pivotal time. The parents, family members, and allies of LGBTQ+ people are such a critical voice in the national debate. I’m excited to support the work of elevating those voices and increasing national impact as we strive to ensure LGBTQ+ individuals—especially young people—are not only protected but celebrated.”
Shakir returns to Washington, D.C. having served as President and Executive Officer of the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia since 2022. Prior to that, Shakir was Executive Director of LGBTQ+ youth services provider SMYAL, where he greatly expanded the organization’s programming, budget and footprint to better serve youth in our nation’s capital, including adding a housing program to help vulnerable young people transition from homelessness to independence during his seven-year tenure. He also worked for many years for the Human Rights Campaign as an organizer where he worked on many local, state and national campaigns to advance equality for LGBTQ+ people, from small county based campaigns to protect sexual orientation and gender identity at the ballot, to statewide campaigns for nondiscrimination or marriage equality, to large national campaigns to advance federal policy. As Chief Operating Officer for PFLAG National, Shakir will lead and oversee PFLAG National’s programmatic work and operations.
Speaking of Shakir’s new role joining the leadership of PFLAG National, the Rev. Dr. Dennis W. Wiley and the Rev. Dr. Christine Y. Wiley shared, “Sultan’s decades of work in support of equality have been inspiring to the movement. Having worked with Sultan to help engage clergy in support of equality, we are excited to see his passion and strategic thinking partnered with PFLAG’s mission, which is more critical now than ever. Congratulations to both Sultan and PFLAG!”
In 2025, about 600 bills to harm LGBTQ+ people, and in particular transgender youth, have been filed in state legislatures, and 27 states now ban access to transgender healthcare for youth and some adults. Additionally, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled to permit health discrimination against transgender youth, as well as discrimination against teaching LGBTQ+ inclusive topics and themes in schools.
These kinds of targeted harms have led to increased need for the kind of support, education and advocacy that PFLAG provides, especially as safety net supports like the 988 national mental health crisis line eliminate services for at-risk LGBTQ+ youth. Since January, PFLAG National has added essential programming, including virtual meeting space for the PFLAG Connects: Dad Community and 30 new chapters in some of the country’s most rural and disparately affected communities.
“PFLAG has never shied away from a challenge, and 2025 has certainly been one for those who embrace the value of diversity, equity and inclusion, and who affirm LGBTQ+ people,” said Dr. Edith Guffey, MSW, Chair of the Board of PFLAG National. “When the going gets tough, the LGBTQ+ people, parents, families and allies of PFLAG get to work, and we don’t back down.”
On June 27, the organization celebrates “PFLAG Parent Day,” a national day of giving to PFLAG National, with uplifting stories and gratitude shared on social media for all those who love and affirm an LGBTQ+ person. Later this fall, hundreds of PFLAG members and supporters will gather in Chicago for “Learning with Love: The 2025 PFLAG National Convention” (Oct. 10-12, 2025). To invest in these or other opportunities through PFLAG National, visit PFLAG.org/Give.
-
Bio: Sultan Shakir, Chief Operating Officer
Sultan Shakir, (he/him/his), joins PFLAG National, the nation’s largest organization for LGBTQ+ people, their parents, families and allies, as Chief Operating Officer with more than two decades of experience advancing social justice, building mission-driven organizations, and expanding support for LGBTQ+ communities. His career began in community organizing within low-income Black and Brown neighborhoods and has since spanned executive leadership roles at the local and national levels.
Most recently, Sultan ran a federally qualified health center serving over 15,000 people annually. There, he led a unionized team of more than 130 people, secured a 66% budget increase, and supported the team in eliminating long-standing service waitlists through operational reforms. Prior to that, as Executive Director of SMYAL in Washington, D.C., Sultan led the organization through transformational growth. Under his leadership, the organization expanded services for LGBTQ+ youth, grew the budget by 484%, and established one of the region’s largest housing programs for youth transitioning out of homelessness.
A longtime advocate for civic engagement, Sultan’s work has also included leading voter participation initiatives, influencing local and federal policy, and fostering partnerships with private, public, and grassroots entities to advance equity and access for LGBTQ+ youth and their families.
A queer Muslim who found affirmation and community in spaces like the ones PFLAG creates, Sultan is committed to ensuring LGBTQ+ individuals—especially young people—are not only protected but celebrated.
About PFLAG
PFLAG is an organization of LGBTQ+ people, parents, families, and allies who work together to create an equitable and inclusive world. We are hundreds of thousands of people and hundreds of chapters from coast to coast who are leading with love to support families, educate allies, and advocate for just, equitable, and inclusive legislation and policies. Since our founding in 1973, PFLAG works every day to ensure LGBTQ+ people everywhere are safe, celebrated, empowered and loved. Learn more, find support, donate, and take action at PFLAG.org.