LORREEN PRYOR
President
Lorreen Pryor serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Black Youth Leadership Project (BYLP), a role she has held since 2009. She is an alumna of California State University, Sacramento, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Media Communication. With more than twenty years of professional experience spanning public policy, youth development, and community advocacy, Lorreen brings a depth of institutional knowledge and strategic leadership to her work.​
Her professional background includes sixteen years as a legislative staffer, complemented by early career service supporting system-impacted youth through organizations such as Diogenes Youth Services, the Sacramento Assessment Center, and a range of foster youth and transitional living programs. These experiences have informed her holistic, equity-centered approach to advocacy and organizational leadership.
Under Lorreen’s direction, BYLP has evolved into a leading statewide advocacy organization dedicated to advancing educational justice and protecting the rights of underserved and underresourced students and families across California. She has guided the organization’s expansion beyond youth leadership development to include comprehensive educational advocacy, addressing issues such as racial targeting, inequitable disciplinary practices, educator bias, and disparate treatment within school systems. Through strategic guidance and direct case support, Lorreen works to ensure students receive due process, equitable treatment, and access to safe, supportive learning environments.
Lorreen oversees BYLP’s flagship initiatives, including the Legislative Open House, Camp Hack the Woods, and Celebration Weekend. She also conceptualized and launched four Support Networks and two support groups that provide culturally responsive, community-centered spaces for youth and families to process trauma, build resilience, and strengthen advocacy capacity. These networks became critical resources during the COVID-19 pandemic and periods of heightened racial and social unrest.
A respected community educator and policy advocate, Lorreen has developed and facilitated original curricula for programs such as the Legislative Open House, Social Justice Bootcamp, BYLP Support Networks, and Hack the Woods workshops. She is also the creator and host of BYLP’s podcast, Black v. Board of Education, which uses public dialogue to examine systemic inequities and elevate community-driven perspectives on education and policy.
Lorreen Pryor’s leadership is grounded in a steadfast commitment to dismantling structural barriers, advancing racial equity, and empowering underrepresented youth and families to navigate institutional systems with confidence and agency. Her work continues to influence statewide discourse on educational justice, policy reform, and youth advocacy.
OUR MISSION
The Black Youth Leadership Project (BYLP) is a community-based advocacy and youth development organization dedicated to supporting students and families navigating school systems and civic institutions.
BYLP works to address school-based challenges, promote fair and equitable treatment, and strengthen advocacy skills among students and families. Through culturally responsive education, peer-based supports, and civic engagement opportunities, BYLP helps young people build confidence, understand systems, and develop the tools needed to participate fully in their schools and communities.