New CAEAR Coalition Board Members Bring Wide Range of Expertise and Perspectives to Leadership Posts

Ernest Hopkins Reelected as Chair

February 1, 2011

(Washington, DC) - CAEAR Coalition members elected six new members to the organization's board of directors at the organization's annual membership meeting. Hailing from Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland and New York, the new members bring a range of geographic perspectives, as well as diverse professional and personal backgrounds in HIV/AIDS. They join existing and re-elected members to constitute the 2011 Board of Directors.

"From health services planning and HIV provider training to community organizing and policy analysis, the expertise these new board members bring will prove invaluable as we seek to navigate the implementation of health care reform and build support for the Ryan White Program in the new Congress," said Ernest Hopkins, Director of Legislative Affairs for San Francisco AIDS Foundation, who was reelected as board chair. "Our membership meeting was focused on developing messages and strategies for our work in the months ahead and we have a strong leadership team in place to drive these initiatives."

The six newly elected board members include:

David Grazman, Ph.D., At-large Representative, Executive Director, Heartland Health Outreach, Chicago, IL
Formerly on the health administration and public administration faculty at the University of Southern California, Dr. Grazman has extensive experience as a health care consultant and now leads an organization offering integrated primary care, oral health, and mental health and addiction services to hundreds of people living with HIV/AIDS.

Cyd Lacanienta, At-large Representative, Chair and CEO, InterGroup Services, Baltimore, MD
A trained community organizer, Ms. Lacanienta is experienced in health services planning, research and evaluation and her organization manages the Greater Baltimore HIV Health Services Planning Council.

Shawn Lang, At-large Representative, Director of Public Policy, CT AIDS Resource Coalition, Hartford, CT
Ms. Lang is a board member of the National AIDS Housing Coalition, co-chair of the AIDS LIFE Campaign, Connecticut's statewide AIDS policy group, co-chair of the CT HIV Planning Consortium, and a member of the Executive Committee and Community Advisory Board of Yale's Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS.

Larry Lehman, Part C Representative, Executive Director and CEO, AIDGwinnett, Duluth, GA
Mr. Lehman leads AIDGwinnett, which provides HIV/AIDS medical support and prevention programs to individuals and families in northeast Georgia, and is a member of Ryan White Metropolitan Atlanta HIV Health Services Planning Council and former board chair of Georgia Shares, a federation to raise funds for non-profit agencies throughout Georgia.

Kali Lindsey, People Living with HIV/AIDS Caucus Representative, Senior Director of Federal Affairs, Harlem United Community AIDS Center, New York, NY
Mr. Lindsey oversees federal policy for Harlem United, a federally qualified health center for homeless individuals. Mr. Lindsey was previously VP for Federal Government Affairs at the National Association of People with AIDS. He is a member of the HIV Health & Human Services Planning Council of New York and is on the boards of the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States and the National AIDS Housing Coalition.

Ronald D. Wilcox, M.D., At-large Representative, President, National Alliance for HIV Education and Workforce Development (formerly National Association of AETCs), New Orleans, LA
Dr. Wilcox is the project director for the Delta Region AIDS Education and Training Center in New Orleans and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Pediatrics, & Public Health at the Louisiana State School of Medicine. He is also a practicing clinician providing primary care to more than 300 HIV-infected and -affected individuals ranging from newborns to the elderly.

"One of CAEAR Coalition's strengths is that our membership and leadership include health departments, community-based AIDS service organizations, community health centers, and people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as key national partners," said Matt Lesieur, CAEAR Coalition Vice Chair and Director of Public Policy for the National Association of People with AIDS and VillageCare in New York City. "By bringing so many diverse perspectives together, we offer policymakers a unique voice on issues related to HIV care and treatment."

The individuals reelected to the board were:

Christopher Brown, Midwest Regional Representative, Assistant Commissioner, STD/HIV/AIDS Division, Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago, IL

Sharen Duke, At-large Representative, Executive Director, AIDS Service Center NYC, New York, NY

Ernest Hopkins, Chair, Legislative Director, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco, CA

Jacqueline Muther, Southern Regional Representative, HIV Policy, Contracts and Resource Manager and Ryan White Part D Project Director, Grady Infectious Disease Program, Atlanta, GA

Rick Siclari, Treasurer, Executive Director, Care Resource Miami, FL

Mike Smith, Pacific Regional Representative, Executive Director, AIDS Emergency Fund and HIV/AIDS Providers Network, San Francisco, CA

Dennis Torres, At-large Representative, Program Coordinator, Family Centers, Inc., Stamford CARES Program, Stamford, CT

Click here to view the full board roster.

About CAEAR Coalition The Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Coalition is a national membership organization which advocates for federal policy, legislation, regulations, and appropriations to meet the care, treatment, support and prevention needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and the organizations that serve them, focusing on health care reform and the evolving role of the Ryan White Program.