About me
A native New Yorker and the proud son of immigrant parents, Kelsey Louie serves as the Chief Executive Officer for The Door and Broome Street Academy (BSA) Charter High School, overseeing the organizations’ combined $40 million budget and driving the vision and strategy for operations, fundraising, policy, and programming. With a background in clinical social work and executive leadership, Kelsey brings a data-driven, community-informed approach to organizational growth and systems transformation.
Throughout his career, Kelsey has championed mental health equity, particularly for systemically marginalized communities. As a licensed social worker and nationally recognized nonprofit leader, he has focused on expanding access, dismantling stigma, and building innovative mental health infrastructure. Under his leadership, The Door has become a trusted leader in the field of youth mental health and has spearheaded critical initiatives to support the mental health of teens and young adults. This includes a state-of-the-art New York State licensed Mental Health Center and the introduction of an integrated care model that coordinates social work principles across the organization. Kelsey also spearheaded the development of a pioneering MSW program in partnership with New York University (NYU), enabling staff from underrepresented communities to earn their graduate degrees at little to no cost while integrating coursework and fieldwork internships into their regular workday – strengthening the pipeline of culturally responsive mental health practitioners in the field.
Before joining The Door and BSA, Kelsey served as CEO of GMHC, the world’s first HIV and AIDS service organization, from 2014 to 2021. Earlier in his career, Kelsey held leadership positions with many notable New York-based health and human services-focused nonprofit organizations, including Harlem United Community AIDS Center, The New York Foundling, and Veritas Therapeutic Community. He began his career as a children’s therapist at the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services.
Kelsey is also an adjunct professor at NYU and will begin his doctoral studies in 2025, focusing his research on identifying barriers to mental health care for young people and developing trauma-responsive systems to ensure they receive the support they need.
His leadership has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the Judith Peabody Humanitarian Award (GMHC), the Gary Miller Award (Gay Men’s Chorus), and recognition from Crain’s New York Business as a Notable LGBTQIA+ Leader, City & State’s Power of Diversity: Asian 100, and more.
Kelsey has been featured by NY1, ABC News, WCBS Radio, and 1010 WINS and has written for the New York Daily News, The Advocate, and other national outlets. He serves on the boards of the Human Services Council, the Trinity Neighborhood Council, and the Hudson Square Business Improvement District.
Kelsey holds an MBA from Columbia University and a Master of Social Work from NYU.
