AIDS United is proud to announce the third cohort of the Southern HIV Impact Fund Leadership Development Program. This initiative trains 10 leaders in the South to respond to the unique impacts of the epidemic on the region and supports the long-term sustainability of the leaders themselves, their organizations and the HIV movement.
“A strong movement requires strong community leaders, especially now as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and a national reckoning with white supremacy,” said Jesse Milan Jr, president and CEO of AIDS United. “That is why we are committed to investing in the personal and professional development of established and emerging leaders from the South. This work requires strong, creative and resilient leaders to continue to turn the tide of this epidemic in the region and ultimately our nation as a whole.”
The cohort consists of 10 staff members from AIDS United grantee partner organizations. Southern HIV Impact Fund grantees are working to effectively address the prevention, care and support, and advocacy and leadership needs of individuals and communities affected by HIV in the South.
Meet the leaders of the 2019-2020 cohort:
- Quentin Bell, The Knights & Orchids Society Inc.; Selma, Alabama
- Carter, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW!; Atlanta, Georgia
- Carter Brown, Black Trans Advocacy Coalition / Black Transmen Inc.; Dallas, Texas
- Penny DeNoble, Frontline Legal Services; New Orleans, Louisiana
- Linda Dixon, Mississippi Center for Justice; Jackson, Mississippi
- Ivy Hill, Gender Benders; Piedmont, South Carolina
- Gilbert Perez, Alliance of Border Collaboratives; El Paso, Texas
- José Romero, Latino Commission on AIDS; Durham, North Carolina
- Louise Vincent, NC Survivors Union; Greensboro, North Carolina
- Taylor Walls, Western North Carolina AIDS Project; Asheville, North Carolina
“The Leadership Development Cohort involves a diverse group of individuals who work at every intersection of ending new HIV diagnosis in their community,” said Marvell Terry II, who serves as the program lead for this year’s cohort and program manager with the Southern HIV Impact Fund. “Whether it’s supporting an organization administratively or leading the organization, the 2019 – 2020 LDC are individuals that you should keep an eye on. In the middle of a pandemic and addressing racial injustices in their communities, these leaders still believe that investing in themselves as whole people is a priority.”
Each leader’s organization receives $4,500 to offset any staffing or other costs associated with participation in the cohort, as well as to support continuing professional education, conference attendance, certifications and more.
The Southern HIV Impact Fund is a first-of-its-kind collaborative of the nation’s leading private and corporate funders of HIV-related programming and funders from intersecting issue areas interested in supporting HIV work.
Convened by Funders Concerned About AIDS in 2017 to coordinate and expand philanthropic efforts in the U.S. South, the Southern HIV Impact Fund is managed by AIDS United and receives support from Gilead Sciences, Ford Foundation, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, ViiV Healthcare, the Levi Strauss Foundation and a generous anonymous donor.
For more information about the program, please visit www.southernfund.org.
