AIDS United, dedicated to ending the HIV epidemic in the United States, has selected John E. Roane Jr. to serve as vice president of operations and Valerie L. Rochester to serve as vice president for strategic grant-making & capacity building. Rochester begins in her role effective today, June 1, 2017 and Roane began his tenure on May 15, 2017.
“John Roane and Valerie Rochester each bring over 20 years of experience in their respective fields, and are both passionate and proven leaders. We are just thrilled they are joining the AIDS United team,” said AIDS United President & CEO Jesse Milan Jr.
John E. Roane Jr. brings years of management expertise, including 17 years of nonprofit executive experience. He comes to AIDS United after serving four years as the chief operating officer of the Association of American Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, where he led the execution of a strategic plan, aligned divisional operations, and secured association functionality to drive expansion and sustainable growth. Roane is committed to addressing the HIV epidemic and has served on the board of directors of Us Helping Us, People Into Living and volunteers regularly with Food & Friends.
“I sincerely wanted to transition my nonprofit expertise to an organization and mission that I could enthusiastically embrace, now more than ever,” said Roane. “AIDS United fits this goal and I’m thrilled to be part of this organization and family.”
Valerie L. Rochester brings over 20 years of experience improving the health and service outcomes in underserved and under-resourced communities. For the past 10 years, she served as director of programs and training for the Black Women’s Health Imperative where she managed the organization’s comprehensive sexual health programs portfolio funded by public and private sector sources, including prevention and self-management initiatives, and sexual and reproductive health programs focused on HIV/STIs, breast health and cervical cancer prevention.
“I am honored to be joining the AIDS United staff as vice president of strategic grantmaking & capacity building. I think that AIDS United’s social justice-focused approach is exactly what the country and the epidemic needs and I look forward to bringing my experience to this work,” said Rochester.
“AIDS United is a critical player in the national response to the HIV epidemic,” said Dr. Robert Hilliard, chair of the AIDS United Board of Trustees. “In today’s climate, strong leadership is what the HIV community and this country need more than ever, and I’m thrilled that Jesse has added John and Valerie to our leadership team.”
Milan added, “John and Valerie have strong professional acumen and deep commitment to social justice. They are the right fit for AIDS United.”
About AIDS United: AIDS United’s mission is to end the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. through strategic grant-making, capacity building, formative research and policy. AIDS United works to ensure access to life-saving HIV/AIDS care and prevention services and to advance sound HIV/AIDS-related policy for U.S. populations and communities most impacted by the epidemic. To date, our strategic grant-making initiatives have directly funded more than $104 million to local communities, and have leveraged more than $117 million in additional investments for programs that include, but are not limited to HIV prevention, access to care, capacity building, harm reduction and advocacy. aidsunited.org.
