Amy Orta, the executive director of the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, is the first Latinx and person of color to be appointed to the position in the Center’s 22-year history.
Under Orta’s direction, the Center has increased outreach, programming and services to communities of color, transgender and gender non-conforming individuals and individuals with disabilities.
Previously she was a fixture at Centro Hispano, rising from social worker to director of operations and special projects.
“Besides being known for her work at Centro Hispano, Orta is also known by some for her fierce advocacy for her son, who is transgender, when he faces hurdles related to his gender identity in high school,” said Natalie Zanoni, associate executive director for the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center.
With a background in early childhood education, Orta left the area in 2014 to head a troubled Head Start/Early Head Start program for Pinellas County, Florida. There, she led a turnaround that took the program from federal findings of malfeasance by previous leaders to a “Program of Excellence” designation from the National Head Start Association in 2016.
