Tim’m West

Tim’m T. West is a pioneering author, poet, educator, and Hip Hop artist whose work bridges art, education, and advocacy in service of marginalized communities. Often described as a modern Renaissance figure, he leverages a broad, interdisciplinary skill set to advance equity, belonging, and civic leadership.

 

Prior to leading the LGBTQ+ Institute, Tim’m served as Senior Managing Director for Teach For America’s National PRISM Alliances, a national initiative advancing safer, more affirming classrooms for LGBTQ+ students and educators. His relationship with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is longstanding: he served on the inaugural Programming Board for the LGBTQ+ Institute and was a foundational member of the Center’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work. A seasoned facilitator and public speaker, Tim’m has lectured nationally for more than two decades on issues of social justice, identity, and youth leadership at colleges and universities across the country.

 

Tim’m has taught at both secondary and post-secondary institutions, including Oakland School for the Arts, Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools (Washington, DC), Cal Poly Humboldt, and Houston Community College. Deeply rooted in youth development and leadership, he previously served as Director of Youth Services at Center on Halsted, Chicago’s LGBTQ center and the largest of its kind in the Midwest.

 

A graduate of Duke University, The New School, and Stanford University, Tim’m is also an accomplished creative. He has recorded two seasons of the Brave Educator podcast and continues to pursue interdisciplinary artistic projects. In 2015, he was named an LGBT Icon during LGBT History Month, and in 2018, he released Prodigal Son, a definitive music anthology capturing 20 years of hip-hop soul across six solo projects.

 

As a creative, advocate, and scholar, Tim’m brings strengths in strategic planning, community mobilization, and partnership development to advance the LGBTQ+ Institute’s revised mission of cultivating the next generation of advocates. Under his leadership, the Institute has launched YOU(th) Belong (Metro Atlanta), the Georgia Youth Advocacy Fellowship (statewide), and the National Youth Advocacy Corps (national).

 

A Cincinnati native, raised mainly in Arkansas, and the son of parents from Harlan, Kentucky (Appalachia) and the Ark-La-Tex region, Tim’m relocated to Atlanta in 2024 and now lives in Oakland City.