Heather Wilkie is the Executive Director of Zebra Youth, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower LGBTQ+ youth to thrive. She is also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and an experienced leader in the nonprofit sector with over twenty years of personal and professional dedication to community service. A dynamic and energetic advocate for global change and equality, Wilkie contributes a strong passion for social justice. Following the tragic Pulse shooting, Zebra Youth evolved as a leading organization in the community's provision of services to victims and their families. Wilkie continues to lead these efforts to ensure that LGBTQ+ youth in Central Florida have a safe space to turn. Under her leadership, Zebra Youth was at the forefront of leading research to identify gaps in services to the LGBTQ+ youth population experiencing homelessness. That work continues through research and awareness to reinforce the need for more significant support for homeless LGBTQ+ youth in Central Florida. Wilkie serves on several leadership committees, including the chair for Orange County Domestic Violence Committee’s Public Awareness & Education, member of the Board of Directors for the One Orlando Alliance, Orange County Public School’s Mental Health Commission, and Equality Florida’s IGNITE Leadership Committee for their Parenting with Pride initiative, which aims to educate LGBTQ+ families across the state of Florida. Wilkie has received numerous awards for her work, including Harbor House of Central Florida’s Champion of Equality, Orlando Magazine’s “Women of the Year” and Orlando Sentinel’s “People who Make Orlando a Better Place to Live.” In her spare time, Ms. Wilkie enjoys hanging out with her eight-year-old son and participating in all the entertainment the Orlando community offers.