About

Kymsha Henry, MS, CHES Career Readiness Director

Kymsha is a PowerTools’ Career Readiness Director (CRD). She builds the capacity of members of NYC BlocPower Civilian Climate Corps to successfully thrive in careers in construction and green energy trades. The NYC BlocPower Civilian Climate Corps, of which PowerTools is a principal partner organization, is an environmental justice employment initiative that serves up to 2500 people from areas of NYC with the highest rates of gun violence. This green energy employment program certifies participants in OSHA 30 plus SST, offers job training in construction and other green energy fields, while compensating participants for their training and on-site experience.

Kymsha’s career in health care has touched on several disciplines including Health Care Compliance, Organizational Management, Quality Improvement, Hospital Admissions, Human Resources and Program Evaluation. She has worked with the youth and disenfranchised populations in New York in various capacities for 20+ years. She has taught parenting skills to former substance users in efforts to break the cycle of substance abuse and reduce the rates of HIV infection in families where at least one parent was HIV positive.

Kymsha has helped formerly homeless individuals with AIDS find housing and gain much needed benefits. Aided in the coordination and coalition building for the first annual Trans March recognized in NYC honoring those trans-identified individuals who lost their lives due to intolerance and injustices that they suffered. Through her work with the Young Women of Color HIV/AIDS Coalition, Kymsha has served as motivator, counselor and mentor to the more than 400 young women that have graduated from the Coalition. She has been able to employ advocacy skills to more than 400 young women in New York who have been able to translate those skills affording them with opportunities to meet with local politicians to ensure that all New York City public school students receive the required New York State mandated HIV/AIDS curriculum (which teaches age-appropriate evidence based information about HIV/AIDS and ways to prevent infection).

Kymsha is a Certified Health Education Specialist. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Health Sciences from CUNY-Brooklyn College, and a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from Central Michigan University.