March 30, 2004

AIDS ACTION COUNCIL ANNOUNCES BOARD LEADERSHIP FOR 2004

(Washington) Today, the AIDS Action Council announced the results of its annual board leadership election, held Saturday, March 27. The newly-elected board leadership includes Craig E. Thompson, executive director of AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), who will now serve as chairperson; Joseph Interrante, executive director of Nashville CARES (Community AIDS Resource, Education, Services) who will be vice chair; and A. Cornelius Baker, executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, DC, who will serve as secretary. In addition, Ken Malone, executive director of the Assistance Fund in Houston, TX, was re-elected to the seat of treasurer. Collectively, these four individuals will bring to the work of AIDS Action Council a broad and diverse range of expertise in the fields of health care, public health policy, finances, social services, law, and business.

“It will be a great honor to chair the AIDS Action Council Board, which not only represents the full scope of the domestic HIV epidemic but also the best thinking about an effective response,” Mr. Thompson stated. “I look forward to working with the AIDS Action Council to ensure that federal HIV/AIDS programs and policies support the needs of all people living with HIV in the United States and the organizations and agencies that serve them.”

He then added, “As I assume this new leadership role, I want to acknowledge the contributions of Ronald Johnson who, as AIDS Action Council’s chairperson for the past two years, brought both personal and professional experience as well as a commitment to revitalizing the nation’s response to this epidemic—and he has done so with remarkable grace and insight.”

Ronald Johnson, who completed his two-year term as chairperson and will continue to serve on the boards of both AIDS Action Council and the AIDS Action Foundation, is associate executive director of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) in New York City—now serving one in five HIV+ New Yorkers, GMHC was the first-ever organization to offer comprehensive HIV services in the most populated U.S. city.

The AIDS Action Council also announced a recent addition to its staff, William McColl. Mr. McColl, an attorney with substantial government relations experience, formerly served as the executive director and government relations director for NAADAC: The Association of Addiction Professionals. He will now focus on reauthorization of the Ryan White Health Care Act in 2005. “I am truly pleased to be at AIDS Action,” Mr. McColl stated. “The political issues surrounding HIV are inseparable from the broader issues of poverty, drug policy, criminal justice, and healthcare, which I’ve worked on for so many years. I’m proud to be part of such dedicated team that is helping to make a real difference in the lives of people living with HIV.” AIDS Action’s executive team includes Marsha A. Martin, Executive Director, Jenifer L. Johnson, Associate Executive Director, and William Bryant, Deputy Director.

AIDS Action Foundation strives to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by working for public policies that promote prevention against new infections, provide care for people already living with HIV/AIDS, and support the search for a cure. AIDS Action is the national voice of all people living with HIV, representing community based organizations across the country.