Our Team and Board

We exist to amplify the voices of people living with and vulnerable to HIV until their needs and experiences are embedded in our national consciousness.

Meet the people turning this vision into reality.

Our team

Our board

Please note, with the exception of those who serve on the board of trustees as representatives from AIDS United’s Public Policy Council, trustees represent themselves and the listed organizational affiliation is for informational purposes only.

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Our Team

Our Board

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Our Team

Our Board

Advisory Council

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AIDS United is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. EIN: 52-1706646

Christopher Cuevas
Senior Program Manager

ccuevas@aidsunited.org

Christopher Cuevas (they/them) is a lifelong peace practitioner, educator and community organizer, and leads their work for cultural transformation by centering the unapologetic and unwavering power of radical love.

Cuevas interconnects their lived experience and drives the necessary heart work of building a culture of peace, compassion and change through advocating for racial, gender and economic justice movements. Through their work with state, national and transnationally recognized initiatives and organizations, Cuevas has led conversations and facilitated education campaigns specifically addressing structural racism, health equity and LGBTQ+ issues.

In acknowledgment of their commitment to culture change, they have been honored by:

Equality Florida, Voice of Equality, 2017.
WUCF, the Public Broadcasting Service affiliate in Central Florida, American Graduate Champion, 2018.
Contigo Fund, Legacy Award, 2022.
POZ Magazine, POZ 100, 2022.

In 2016, following the horrific massacre at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Cuevas co-founded and served as the executive director of QLatinx, a racial, social and gender justice movement working toward the advancement of intersecting LGBTQ+ Latinx issues.

Under the direction of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cuevas led efforts to address health disparities and introduce comprehensive measures directly supporting communities living with HIV in the South. Empowered by the Trans Justice Funding Project, the nation’s largest transgender-led philanthropic initiative, Cuevas has worked to drive nearly $1 million dollars to initiatives led by and serving transgender people across the U.S., Puerto Rico and American Samoa.

Appointed by Mayor Buddy Dyer in 2019, Cuevas served on the Advisory Board for Orlando’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, working to highlight and address the needs of the city’s growing multicultural community.

Cuevas previously served as a trustee for Philanthropy Southeast, the premier philanthropic network focused on the American South and U.S. Caribbean territories, where they led efforts to champion equitable and trust-based practices in Southern philanthropy.

Cuevas most recently led the LGBTQ+ equality grantmaking program for the Laughing Gull Foundation, the nation’s largest founder of LGBTQ+ initiatives in the South, where they managed a $2 million grant portfolio, supporting LGBTQ+ organizations working at the intersections of racial, gender and economic justice.

Cuevas holds a bachelor’s degree from Rollins College. They are currently based in Durham, North Carolina.

Jesse Milan Jr., JD
President & CEO

jmilan@aidsunited.org

Jesse Milan, Jr., JD is a tireless community advocate and recognized national and international expert on HIV/AIDS policies and programs.

Milan joined AIDS United in 2016 as interim CEO and later that year was appointed by the board of trustees to the position of President & CEO. Milan brings over 30 years in executive roles in public and private sectors, including in government, not-for-profit, academic, and faith organizations. During his long career Milan has directed multi-million-dollar budgets and programs for federal, state, local, and global health agencies.

Milan’s exceptional record of public service includes serving currently on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) and as chair of the board of Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA), and on the Scientific Advisory Board for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). He serves also on the Infectious Disease Board of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and on the board of AVAC (AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition).

A lawyer and trusted advisor, Milan chaired for five years the CDC/HRSA Advisory Committee on HIV and STD Prevention and Treatment. He is past chair of the board of the Black AIDS Institute, past board president of ActionAIDS (now Action Wellness), and past president of the National Episcopal AIDS Coalition. In 2007 he was designated a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Global HIV/AIDS.

Jesse has addressed millions on television and radio and given hundreds of keynote addresses and presentations at national, regional, and global conferences and events. An inspiring speaker, he has conducted three speaking tours as an American expert on HIV to seven African nations on behalf of the U.S. State Department. In 2020, he delivered the opening address to the American Medical Students Association conference and the closing address for HRSA for the 30th anniversary of the Ryan White Program.

Milan is former AIDS Director for the City of Philadelphia, was a Deputy City Solicitor for Philadelphia, and served six years as chief of staff to the president of Temple University. He began his career as an associate attorney at Morgan Lewis & Bockius. He has worked as a leadership and executive coach with the Dorrier Underwood firm and as a public health consultant for federal contractor firms and agencies. He has co-authored peer-reviewed articles and published numerous op-ed pieces. He is graduate of Princeton University and the NYU School of Law.

Jesse has received numerous honors including the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Association of Black Princeton Alumni (2023), the Public Service Award in 2015 from the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) and the 2020 Alexander Forger Award for HIV Advocacy from the American Bar Association. Milan received in 2020 an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Virginia Theological Seminary for his years of service to faith and HIV communities. He has been listed among exceptional HIV leaders by POZ and HIV Plus magazines and received an award from HRSA for “leading the national and international fight against HIV disease.”

Milan has been living with HIV for nearly four decades. He and his husband, Bill have celebrated over 30 years of commitment.

“Fighting HIV has been my life’s work and doing it every day with the dedicated team at AIDS United is a privilege.”

D. D’Ontace Keyes
Senior Communications Manager

dkeyes@aidsunited.org

D’Angelo D’Ontace Keyes (D. D’Ontace Keyes) (he/him/his) is an award-winning leader, communicator, educator and artist. Keyes brings over a decade and a half of experience executing marketing, communication and community engagement strategies in support of the HIV and LGBTQ social justice institutions in the movement.

Before joining AIDS United, Keyes served as director of communications for AIDS Foundation Chicago, where he conceived and implemented notable communications strategies that advanced AFC’s policy, development and community mobilization goals through visual branding, digital communication, and social media and marketing campaigns with a focus on ending the epidemics of HIV and homelessness.

Before this life-changing role, Keyes served in various HIV service organizations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and New York City, New York, while earning a distinct performance arts, design and innovation education.

Keyes studied classical and jazz vocal performance at the famed Chicago Academy for the Arts before attending and graduating from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Keyes has performed on renowned concert hall stages, including the Academy of Music, Merriam Theater and the Arts Bank.

After cultivating his natural skills in marketing and fundraising through student-led efforts in the community and on campus, Keyes advanced his education to earn a master’s degree in business administration from Jefferson University (formerly Philadelphia University). While at the university, he participated in an international work-study program with the Aalto University Of Art, Design and Architecture in Helsinki, Finland. He co-led a global business and design team to solve industry challenges and took advantage of the opportunity to perform in the Finnish jazz mecca.

The product of the child welfare system, Keyes was the protege of the late Robert K. Burns and Michael Hinson Jr. and nationally recognized leader Louie Ortiz-Fonseca. As a youth and public servant, Keyes had been recognized significantly for his service to the HIV Prevention Trial Network, Philadelphia Black Gay Pride and Young Black Gay Leadership Initiative. Mostly prominently, Keyes served as a mayoral appointee commissioner to the Philadelphia Commission of Human Relations, where he worked to enforce the Fair Practice Ordinance and led actions within the commission to address anti-Black LGBTQ+ racism and discrimination.

As a longtime survivor living with HIV, Keyes has been committed to the innovation of Ryan White programs and the increased prioritization of people living with HV in leadership nationwide. He proudly serves as a subject matter expert with the Center for Quality Improvement and Innovation, where he serves as a consultant and coach for various learning collaboratives and affinity networks that advance the work of the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative.

In his free time, Keyes continues to pour into projects that elevate Black gay, queer and transgender men. He is one of six Mobilizing Our Brothers Initiative founders and serves on the ViiV Healthcare Accelerate Advisory Board. He operates a creative studio, Lake & Tremaine, with emerging creative artists who commission their gifts to advance the communication and mobilization of social good. He continues to build artistry in music and faith in GOD daily.

Louis Tharp

Executive Director

Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF)

After running a successful international public relations, advertising and marketing company for nearly 20 years, taking equity positions in tech companies during the ‘90s, and working for some of the largest international PR and marketing agencies, Louis Tharp became a social entrepreneur in 1999, co-founding and funding CreakyJoints®, the digital community for millions of arthritis patients and caregivers worldwide who seek education, support, activism, and patient-centered research. In 2007, CreakyJoints became part of the Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF), which he also co-founded and now serves as Executive Director. GHLF focuses on health policy, advocacy, research, education and patient support issues impacting people with all types of chronic disease. In addition to his work with the foundation, he is also CEO and co-founder of TGI Healthworks, a healthcare research and marketing company.

He was previously a contract writer for The New York Times as well as other daily newspapers and automotive publications, and published his first hardcover book, The Complete Manager’s Guide to Promotional Merchandise (Dow-Jones Irwin) in 1989 – named one of the top business books of the year.

In 2005, he became the first out gay coach at the U.S. Military Academy, where he was the swim coach of the West Point Triathlon team. He published Overachiever’s Diary in 2007, a softcover book recounting the West Point tri team’s rise to national prominence. Proceeds from book sales went to the West Point triathlon team. He is also a competitive open water and pool swimmer with 13 World Masters, Gay Games and OutGames gold, silver and bronze medals.

From 2003 to 2008, he served on the board of visitors for the College of Business at Butler University, Indianapolis where he graduated with a B.S. and a B.A. in Journalism in 1972. Mr. Tharp served in the 38th Infantry Division, Headquarters, Indiana National Guard from 1972-1978. He was Chairman of the Anti-Bias Commission, Rockland County, New York, from 1994-1996; Chairman of the Board of CANDLE, a Rockland County, New York, non-profit from 1994-1997; is a former member of the board of the Victory Fund, Washington, DC, the Lambda Chi Alpha Educational Foundation, and a current member of Knights Out, U.S. Military Academy. From 2012-2018 he accepted a position in the Obama administration serving on the Army Education Advisory Committee and was recognized for his service in the Congressional Record.

Louis and his husband, Jim Bumgardner, live in Upper Nyack, NY.

Cecilia Chung
Trustee
Senior Director of Strategic Projects
Transgender Law Center
San Francisco, CA

Cecilia Chung, Senior Director of Strategic Projects of Transgender Law Center, is a Health Commissioner of San Francisco and an internationally recognized human rights leader who advocates for HIV/AIDS awareness and treatment access, LGBT equality, and social justice.

An immigrant from Hong Kong, Cecilia arrived in San Francisco in 1984. Cecilia has worked locally and internationally to advance equality and justice. Over the past 25 years, Cecilia has broken ground in a number of ways including: being the first transgender woman and first Asian to be elected to lead the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration; the first transgender woman and first person living openly with HIV to Chair the San Francisco Human Rights Commission; and, an architect of the nation’s most ambitious publicly funded program addressing economic justice within the transgender community. Her community service spans nearly two decades. In 1994, she was a member of San Francisco’s Transgender Discrimination Task Force, which documented widespread discrimination against transgender people through a groundbreaking report. The work of the Taskforce led the City to adopt many pioneering anti-discrimination ordinances and policies. During her tenure as President of the SF Pride Board, she led the organization in achieving a new standard of inclusion and excellence.

In 2004, as a founding producer of Trans March, she helped organize one of the world’s largest annual transgender events which has since been replicated in cities across the U.S. In 2005, she became the first Deputy Director of the Transgender Law Center and is widely credited with shaping the organization’s mission and programs. In 2013, she was appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. In 2015, Cecilia launched Positively Trans, a first-of-its-kind leadership development project that focuses on trans leaders of color living with HIV.

Cecilia’s accolades include the Levis Strauss & Co. Pioneer Award, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation Cleve Jones Award, the Human Rights Campaign Community Service Award, California Women of The Year, Out and Equal Champion of the Year Award, to name a few.

As one of the seven commissioners in San Francisco Department of Public Health, Cecilia chairs the Finance and Planning Committee that provide oversights and approve contracts with a combine budget of US$ 2.2 billions. As an Asian transgender woman living with HIV, she has dedicated herself to ending stigma, discrimination, and violence in all communities.

Tyler TerMeer, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
San Francisco AIDS Foundation

Tyler TerMeer, PhD, joined San Francisco AIDS Foundation as CEO in February 2022. Reporting to the Board of Directors and working in partnership with a leadership team, Dr. TerMeer is responsible for setting the organization’s strategic priorities with the Board of Directors and ensuring programmatic and operational excellence, strong fiscal management, effective human resources, and long-term financial viability of our work. He holds primary responsibility for building positive public awareness of SFAF as well as its associated brands, and for developing and maintaining constructive working relationships with funders, civic leaders and other organizations working toward common goals.

Dr.TerMeer came to SFAF with nearly 18 years of experience in HIV and AIDS policy, advocacy, and nonprofit management. Previously, he served as CEO of Cascade AIDS Project, the largest community-based provider of HIV services in Oregon and southwest Washington. During his time at the helm of Cascade AIDS Project, Dr. TerMeer oversaw a merger with Our House of Portland, expanded the organization from one office to seven across two states, and launched Prism Health to serve the primary care and mental health needs of LGBTQ+ community members.

Previously, Dr. TerMeer served as the Director of Public Policy and Government Relations at AIDS Resource Center Ohio, as Director of Ohio AIDS Coalition, and on a variety of HIV and AIDS policy organization councils and boards including Positive Pedalers (PosPeds), the National Association of People with AIDS, and the National Center for Innovation in HIV Care. He is currently the co-chair of the AIDS United Public Policy Council. For more than a decade, Dr. TerMeer has supported San Francisco AIDS Foundation as a donor through his participation in AIDS/LifeCycle as both a Rider and a Roadie.

Dr. TerMeer is personally committed to the work of SFAF. Throughout his career and personal life, he has worked to ensure that people living with HIV have the resources and support they need to live healthy lives, that LGBTQ+ community members have access to affirming and non-judgmental care, and that Black-led organizations and BIPOC leaders are supported and empowered through diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and resources. In 2012, he was honored by the White House as one of the “Nation’s Emerging LGBTQ+ Leaders,” and in 2013 was named by the White House as part of the “Nation’s Emerging Black Leadership.”

Dr. TerMeer holds a PhD in Public Policy and Administration, and an MS in Nonprofit Management and Organization Leadership from Walden University. He is also a graduate of the UCLA/Johnson and Johnson Health Care Executive Management Program. Dr. TerMeer grew up in Central Ohio. When he is not working, he enjoys spending quality time with friends and chosen-family, running, urban hikes and spoiling his rescue dog – a pug named Riley.