AIDS United welcomes Miguel A. Ayala (he/him/his) as director of communications.
Contact: communications@aidsunited.org
Washington, D.C., December 19, 2026 — Miguel A. Ayala is a strategic communications leader driven by a lifelong commitment to breaking down barriers, expanding opportunity, and correcting systemic injustices. For nearly two decades, he has used storytelling, policy expertise, and media strategy to elevate the voices of marginalized communities and advance equity-centered solutions. Miguel has served in influential roles—including Senior Advisor for Strategic Communications to Congressman Steven Horsford, then-Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus—where he led messaging efforts focused on racial justice, economic mobility, and protecting hard-won civil rights. His career also includes service as Communications Director for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Nevada Communications Director for Hillary for America, Press Secretary at the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Deputy Director of Communications at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, along with key roles at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, in the office of Senator Debbie Stabenow, and with Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
Across these positions, Miguel has built a reputation for deploying communications as a tool for change—crafting narratives that challenge inequality, uplift working people, and make government more accessible and responsive to those it serves. His work spans national political strategy, community-based advocacy, crisis communications, and bilingual media engagement, with a focus on reaching Black, Latino, LGBTQ+, and other historically excluded audiences.
“The mission of AIDS United is not only still relevant—it is essential. As people living with and vulnerable to HIV confront new and compounding barriers, we must modernize how we show up, communicate, and lead. Ending the HIV epidemic demands that we reach beyond familiar audiences and platforms, elevate new voices, and tell more powerful stories. That is the vision I am committed to advancing in this work.”
Beyond government service and his new role at AIDS United, Miguel’s commitment to equity extends into community leadership, including serving on the national board of Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, Inc. and as president of Team DC, where he champions visibility and opportunity for LGBTQ+ athletes across the Washington, D.C. region. He was born and raised in Chicago, and is a graduate of DePaul University.
AIDS United continues to advance and invest in racial justice; Black, queer and trans liberation; geographic equity; harm reduction approaches; and the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV. AIDS United recognizes its responsibility to proactively address racial disparities within the broader community, including by confronting racial inequities within the organization itself.
To read Miguel’s full bio, please visit https://aidsunited.org/team/
For media inquiries, contact AIDS United’s communications department at communications@aidsunited.org.
About AIDS United: The mission of AIDS United is to end the HIV epidemic in the United States. Through its core pillars of strategic grant-making, capacity building and technical assistance and policy and advocacy, AIDS United has delivered more than $160 million in direct funding and leveraged an additional $184 million to strengthen the capacity of communities and organizations responding to the HIV epidemic nationwide.
AIDS United’s grantees and members serve communities representing more than 96% of the U.S. HIV epidemic. The organization has supported more than 600 organizations across 43 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
For more information, visit www.aidsunited.org.