Governor’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Julissa Gutierrez
She/Her/Ella
Chief Diversity Officer

Julissa Gutierrez is a public servant, workforce equity champion, and diversity and inclusion practitioner. As New York State’s Chief Diversity Officer, Ms. Gutierrez designs and implements statewide programs and initiatives increasing diversity within the State’s workforce and the participation of women and people of color in all areas of State Government. She has led the State’s efforts to raise the minimum wage, implement the strongest Paid Family Leave program in the nation, pass GENDA, and more. Most recently, she was recognized for her efforts to improve the lives of all New Yorkers in amNY Metro and PoliticsNY’s Power Women list and was listed in City & State’s 2022 Power of Diversity: Latino 100 List. In May 2021, Ms. Gutierrez was named #1 on City & State New York’s MWBE Power 50 list for her contributions to minority and women-owned business enterprises.

In her years of service, Ms. Gutierrez has earned a reputation as a sought-after expert on Latino issues and civic participation and has been featured by several national and local press outlets. Previously during her time in State service, Ms. Gutierrez served as leader of NYS’ Vaccine Equity Task Force and as Deputy Director of Constituency Affairs for New York State. Prior to joining the State, Ms. Gutierrez served in leadership roles at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.

A proud Queens-born Colombiana, Ms. Gutierrez is a Board Member of the New Immigrants Community Empowerment, a Trustee for the Queens Public Library, and a Board Member of the Queens Public Library Foundation.

Ms. Gutierrez holds a Master’s Degree in Social Service Administration with a Community Organization and Development Concentration from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, with a Minor in Women’s Studies, from the University of Delaware.

Priya Nair
They/Them/Theirs
Deputy Chief Diversity Officer

Priya Nair is a strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion leader, public servant, and LGBTQ policy expert. Priya currently serves as the Deputy Chief Diversity Officer for Governor Kathy Hochul where they advance diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across New York State government. Prior to Governor Hochul’s administration, Priya was the Associate Director of Gender Equity for NYC Health + Hospitals, managing the award-winning LGBTQ program for the largest public health care system in the United States.

In 2018, Priya was appointed as the Inaugural Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Edie Windsor New York State LGBTQ Fellow where they served as the policy advisor and project manager to advance the Governor’s LGBTQ initiatives, including successful campaigns to enact GENDA, ban conversion therapy, legalize gestational surrogacy, and ban the gay and trans panic defense. In this role, Priya also led initiatives to introduce non-binary gender markers on State identity documents and expand insurance access to gender-affirming care. Priya began their government career in the New York City Council as the LGBTQ Liaison for New York City Council Speakers Melissa Mark-Viverito and Corey Johnson.

Priya has been named on Crain’s New York Business list of 2023 Notable LGBTQIA+ Leaders and City & State’s “Pride Power 100” list. Priya is a lifelong New Yorker with a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College.

Jea Frasier
He/They/She
Senior Policy Advisor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Jea Frasier (he/they/she) serves as a Senior Policy Advisor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. They started in the Executive Chamber in 2021 as the Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera and Edie Windsor LGBTQ+ Fellow. When he's not in Chamber, he coaches an LGBTQ+ youth cycling club, the Fearless Flyers, which aims to combat the isolation queer youth experience by combining wellness and health with physical activity. As a proud genderqueer yogi and social worker, Jea is committed to co-creating spaces of healing and liberation in service of all New Yorkers. She began her career in the nonprofit field with a focus on curriculum design, training, and group facilitation centered on issues of racial equity, trauma and somatic healing, and community empowerment. Jea earned their MSW from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University.

Daniel G. Dobies
We/Us/Ours
Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera and Edie Windsor LGBTQ+ Fellow

Daniel Glenn Dobies (we/us/ours) is the Masha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera and Edie Windsor LGBTQ+ Fellow placed in the Executive Chamber with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, where we further the diversity and inclusion efforts of New York State. A New Yorker through and through, Daniel was born and raised in Buffalo, and had called New York City home for the last 15 years until moving to the Capital Region for this opportunity. Prior to state service, Daniel was a lawyer specializing in criminal law, which most recently included working with the transgender community residing in DOCCS facilities. After over a decade in the law, Daniel went back to school in the deep pandemic to pursue an MSW, during which we worked with the queer community through Callen-Lorde. Daniel holds a Juris Doctor from Berkeley Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Social Work from the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.