Shaplaie D. Brooks

Shaplaie D. Brooks serves as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth, the first and only state agency of its kind in the nation. She leads the Commission’s work to advance policies, resources, and systems that ensure LGBTQ youth across the Commonwealth can live safely, openly, and with dignity. Brooks brings more than two decades of experience in child welfare, youth development, public policy, systems change, and advocacy. Her career has centered young people whose lives are shaped by multiple systems and identities, particularly LGBTQ youth, youth of color, and young people impacted by foster care, homelessness, exploitation, and other systems of care. As Executive Director, Brooks works across state government, schools, community organizations, and youth-serving systems to identify gaps in services, strengthen policy and practice, and advance protections for LGBTQ young people. She also helps lead the Commission’s longstanding partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education through the Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students. A former foster youth and longtime advocate, Brooks brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her leadership. She is currently pursuing her Juris Doctor, building upon a career dedicated to public service, advocacy, and systemic change. At the center of Brooks’ leadership is a guiding principle: liberation must begin with those pushed furthest to the margins. Her work challenges institutions not simply to make room for LGBTQ young people, but to build systems where they are protected, heard, invested in, and given every opportunity to thrive.