Category : Press Releases

Date – February 21, 2022
Monique Adams
Phone number – 755.622.9268
madams@theplanningcouncil.org
Website – https://www.theplanningcouncil.org/

Jo Ann Short has 30 years’ experience leading multiple nonprofits, fund raising, and developing regional partnerships to address community needs. NORFOLK, VA – The Planning Council announced today the appointment of Jo Ann Short as its next President and CEO. Jo Ann will officially assume this role on March 28, 2022. This announcement comes after an extensive six-month national search that drew candidates into a multi-round selection process.

Jo Ann Short is a veteran leader of nonprofit organizations. As the founder and principal consultant of Simplify Nonprofit, Jo Ann provided consulting services for nonprofit organizations since 2017. Prior to this, Jo Ann served as a nonprofit consultant for national organizations such as the Girl Scouts of the USA and small nonprofit startups. Jo Ann has three decades of leadership experience with the YMCA Movement where she served as CEO for 14 years.

Jo Ann’s experience includes leading strategic growth and program innovation. Her experience with nonprofit fiscal responsibility, youth services, developing solutions to address community needs, and developing community partnerships will keep The Planning Council on a progressive path for continued community impact and future growth.

The previous CEO, Angela Kellam, announced her resignation in September 2021, effective first quarter 2022. Ms. Kellam joined the organization in 2016 and built strength into the infrastructure to create a sustainable future. The last two years she successfully guided the organization through the ill-effects of COVID-19. Oneiceia Howard, Chair of The Planning Council Board of Directors, acknowledged, “We thank Angela for her five and a half years of dedicated leadership, and for turning us in a direction for future success.”

Oneiceia expressed, “We are delighted that our national search has brought Jo Ann Short into The Planning Council team. Jo Ann is exactly who our organization needs right now. She brings a proven ability to foster and grow community partnerships and will provide undisputed value to our team. Jo Ann is a visionary leader who is enthusiastic about developing and executing strategy and working collaboratively to increase organizational impact. She sees challenges as opportunities and is committed to creating positive change.”

Short said of the position, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to bring my decades of leadership and community service experience to The Planning Council, our clients, community partners, and stakeholders to continue creating positive social change by partnering with others to meet community need.

Oneiceia added, “This is an extraordinary opportunity for a transformational leader such as Jo Ann to craft an innovative strategy to create and enhance supportive programs for diverse communities. With increased institutional and government investment in community-based organizations, the opportunity for a visionary leader to leverage TPC’s expertise to inform the expansion of services and facilitate connections has never been greater.”

In talking about the new assignment Short said, “The Planning Council is well positioned to be a national model for innovation, equity, impact and organizational sustainability as we all emerge from the pandemic. I’m looking forward to serving with the board and staff team to keep that momentum going and our mission advancing.”

***For more than 80 years, The Planning Council (TPC) has been improving quality of life and building stronger communities. They work to identify community needs, connect people with solutions, and improve the lives of children and families and work for the betterment of the most vulnerable populations. Headquartered in Norfolk, and serving north to Baltimore, The Planning Council is governed by a 23-person volunteer regional Board of Directors and operates a $13 million annual budget with 38 dedicated and talented team member

December 9, 2021

SAN FRANCISCO –  Tides announces four new additions to its Board of Directors: Trista Harris, Regina Jackson, Jessica Carvalho Morris, and Dylan Orr.

“Each of these board members brings a unique perspective, a level of expertise, and a deep commitment that will help drive Tides’ mission and vision as we focus on strengthening power in BIPOC communities, organizations and leaders,” said Board Chair, Roslyn Dawson Thompson. “I look forward to working in partnership with them and Tides’ executive team as we all strive to create a more just and equitable world.”

Trista Harris is the founder and president of FutureGood, a consultancy that helps leaders build a better future through diversity, equity and inclusion, organizational change consulting and strategic visioning. She is an experienced board director and a visionary change agent who brings a unique blend of strategic leadership, operating expertise, and philanthropic vision to boards that prioritize social and environmental impact. She is a founding board member for Arts + Rec, a start-up that is re-inventing recreation across the country with deep partnerships with artists and trailblazing chefs. She was on the Host Committee for Super Bowl LII, which brought over $450 million in economic activity to the state of Minnesota. She holds a Certificate of Scenarios Planning from the University of Oxford, a Master’s of Public Policy from the University of Minnesota, and a BA from Howard University.

Regina Jackson is the president and CEO of the East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC), which, under her leadership, completed an $11.5 million renovation and expansion of the campus in 2015, and has become a model environment for nurturing young minds, establishing and expanding community engagement, youth empowerment, and leadership development resources. Through her theory of change, character-based leadership model, and her “comprehensive compassion/emotional intelligence”concept, she has established an excellence-driven culture in the heart of the East Oakland community, 30,000 students strong, establishing ties with HBCUs, Ivy Leagues, and the NBA. She completed a Robert Wood Johnson Interdisciplinary Research Fellowship focused on identifying upstream factors for youth violence, and is an adviser to numerous nonprofits, finance and educational organizations. Appointed by the Mayor of Oakland to serve on the inaugural Police Commission, Jackson has been unanimously elected to chair the commission three consecutive years. Under her leadership, critical policies and protocols have been reimagined to conform to national standards of constitutional policing.

Jessica Carvalho Morris is an international lawyer, scholar, and a consultant on human rights, governance, rule of law and education, serving regions such as Latin and North America, North Africa, and Eurasia. Selected projects include teaching, lecturing and providing training in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, México, Panamá, Portugal, Russia, Turkey, U.S., among others, conducting the Section Recognition Evaluation of Amnesty International Brazil, providing training to federal judges in Brazil on U.S. Constitutional law and human rights, and providing training to the Tunisian Task Force established to analyze the Tunisian legal framework. Morris was executive director of Conectas Human Rights in São Paulo, Brazil, and director of International Graduate Law Programs at the University of Miami School of Law. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami and is a PhD candidate in Human Rights at the University of Coimbra. She is currently an associate researcher with the Feminist Research and Intervention Group at IIEG, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and the Sexualities Research Group at CES, University of Coimbra. 

Dylan Orr is the deputy director of the Environmental Health Services division at Seattle and King County Public Health, where he oversees efforts to promote healthy and equitable environmental conditions and prevent disease through sanitation, safe food and water, and reduction of exposure to hazardous materials. Prior to this role, he was the first director of the Office of Labor Standards for the City of Seattle, where he was responsible for setting up a new department to implement and enforce Seattle’s labor laws. Orr served at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) under President Obama’s administration as special assistant and chief of staff in the Office of Disability Employment Policy. He was the first openly transgender person appointed to a U.S. presidential administration, and the first openly transgender person appointed to serve on a Seattle Mayor’s Cabinet. He completed his undergraduate work at Smith College and received his juris doctor from the University of Washington School of Law.

“We are incredibly fortunate to have the brain trust of these new board members,” said Janiece Evans-Page. “Given the enormity and scale of our mission, the innovative, strategic, and equity-centered voices of these leaders are welcomed by all who are part of the Tides network.”

About Tides

Tides accelerates the pace of social change, working with innovative partners to solve society’s toughest problems. We push the boundaries with every dollar and idea to fuel real and lasting change. We are working to create a world of shared prosperity and social justice founded on equity, human rights, and economic empowerment, a sustainable environment, quality education, and healthy individuals and communities.

Media contact: press@tides.org

NEWS PROVIDED BY Out for Undergrad

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES, November 23, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ — Out for Undergrad (O4U) announced today that Amanda Zielinski Slenski will serve as its new Chief of Staff. Executive Director Cindi Love also released the names of the four newly appointed 2022 O4U Conference Directors. Love said, “Amanda and the new Directors will kickoff the O4U 2022 Conference season in New York with our Board and 80 volunteers on January 4, 2022.” http://www.outforundergrad.org/our-team

Zielinski Slenski comes to O4U with more than a decade of management and communications experience in higher education, most recently as Vice President for Enrollment and Special Assistant to the President at Alma College (MI), leading the college’s strategic recruitment efforts; coordinating President’s Office operations and communication, strategic planning, and college goal setting; and directing campus-wide initiatives. Zielinski Slenski also launched a constituent volunteer engagement program, the Alma College Ambassador Program^®, with over 5,000 members. This program is the largest and most distinguished volunteer engagement program among small private liberal arts colleges in the USA.

“Amanda has a reputation for excellence, collaboration, problem solving, innovation, great results and effective advocacy for students and particularly those historically underrepresented in college and the workforce. Peers describe Amanda as a problem-solver who works tirelessly to secure great outcomes for all stakeholders. We are so excited to have Amanda’s expertise and passion at O4U. More than 6000 undergraduates have attended our conferences since 2004. These intense experiences are described as life changing by students and mentors alike. With Amanda in place, we can not only continue to deliver on our commitments to students and sponsors but also increase access and support for more, ” said Love.

Zielinski Slenski holds the master of science degree in college student personnel from Miami University, Oxford, OH and a bachelor of arts degree in business administration and economics from Alma College, in Alma, MI. As O4U Chief of Staff, Amanda will lead strategic business initiatives, liaise with Conference leads, assist with program management, oversee daily operations, aid with recruiting a large, diverse, and high-performing student class each year, improve conference curriculum, help develop O4U’s Early ID Strategic Initiative and participate fully in conferences and the community.

“As a first-generation college student and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have long been a passionate advocate for access and opportunity for undergraduate students,” said Zielinski Slenski. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to join the leadership team of O4U and to be part of achieving its mission.”

Love added, “Our mission is to help high achieving LGBTQ+ and otherwise diverse undergraduates reach their full potential. Since 2004, our intense weekend immersion conferences have paved the way for these students to bring their authentic selves to work, to understand what matters most to them in life and career and to develop their skills in their chosen fields. The Conference leads who recruit volunteer teams to design and implement these conferences are the catalysts of our mission. We advanced their appointments in 2022 so they could start working with Amanda immediately. I can’t wait to see what the Conference Leads and Amanda co-create for our 2022 season.”

About Out for Undergrad

Out for Undergrad is one of the nation’s premiere LGBTQ+ career development organizations with nearly all of its 176 sponsors exceeding 100 percent on the HRC index. O4U annually identifies and invites high-achieving LGBTQ+ undergraduates to four, industry-specific conferences where they learn to navigate the nuances of a diverse corporate environment while living authentically. In providing them with these resources, O4U helps shape their professional skills, careers, and ultimately lives. More than 6000 LGBTQ+ undergraduates have graduated from O4U since 2004.

For further information, please contact:

Cindi Love
Out for Undergrad
+1 956-589-0623
cindi.love@outforundergrad.org

From Executive Search Review, A HUNT SCANLON MEDIA PUBLICATION

“In the early days of the pandemic there was deep uncertainty about the economy and widespread fears of a broad contraction in the non-profit sector. Like many of our peers, we were bracing for the worst. In the past year, the business has evolved from apprehension to exuberance,” said Michelle Kristel, managing partner at McCormack+Kristel. “The market today is hot, hot, hot!”

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By Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice

We are delighted to announce that Joy Chia will join Astraea as our new Executive Director on September 20, 2021! Joy joins Astraea at a time when we are experiencing critical growth, investing in and upgrading our infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the organization and our movements, and strengthening our organizational culture to ensure our feminist, anti-racist, international values are being put into practice across all aspects of Astraea’s work.

We are delighted to announce that Joy Chia will join Astraea as our new Executive Director on September 20, 2021! When we relaunched our search process in February 2021, we sought a fierce feminist, intersectional, and radical leader. Joy embodies all of these qualities and more. She brings to Astraea an uncompromising commitment to advancing gender, racial, economic, and environmental justice and an expansive vision rooted in the politics of global solidarity. We are so proud and excited that she will be stewarding the Astraea team and leading the organization through its next chapter!

Joy joins Astraea at a time when we are experiencing critical growth, investing in and upgrading our infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the organization and our movements, and strengthening our organizational culture to ensure our feminist, anti-racist, international values are being put into practice across all aspects of Astraea’s work. As Astraea enters our 45th year in 2022 – and continues to work towards its mission of fueling local and global movements that shift power to LGBTQI people – Joy will lead the organization through a strategic planning process alongside the entire Astraea team, as well as our brilliant grantee partners, supporters, and allies. 

Joy’s commitment to social justice is rooted in her own life experiences, radical politics, and vision for the collective liberation of our movements. Joy joins Astraea from the Open Society Foundations (OSF), where she has most recently been the Women’s Rights Program’s Team Manager. She led the program’s work on the “Power of the Collective”, which prioritizes strengthening feminist activism, community mobilization and leadership, so that all women and gender non-conforming people have voice, power, and agency in all aspects of economic, social and political life. Previously Joy led OSF’s LGBTQI work in East Asia as a Program Officer, supporting groups working to advance human rights and equality for LGBTQI people across the region.

Getting to know Astraea Executive Director, Joy Chia: A Q&A

• What excites you about joining Astraea as the next ED, especially at this time?

This is really an opportunity of a lifetime, and I am not quite sure it has really sunk in that I will be joining Astraea as the next Executive Director! I’m so privileged and humbled to be at Astraea’s helm at this moment of the organization’s evolution, and to work together with the Astraea community to chart out the next part of our journey. 

I’m very excited to learn deeply about Astraea as an organization—and the people that make up the community that stands with us. I’m excited for the difficult but productive work of putting our values and principles into practice—in both how we as Astraea work with and fund our community partners, but also how we engage with each other as human beings and advocates. What does it really mean to work at the intersections of gender, sexuality, disability, class, race and other aspects of our complex lives? How can we channel resources in ways that are context-appropriate, efficient, and accountable? 

I look forward to exploring these questions in the fellowship of others who share my values and aspirations, both within Astraea and also with other public and private foundations. I often call myself a donor organizer — I’ll like to see us organizing other funders to increase resources to LGBTQI organizations, to align resources in collaborative ways that reflect feminist values, and to broaden support for organizations in fields that are under-resourced and less visible. 

• If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

If I could have any super-power, I would want the power of teleportation. I love being with people where they are comfortable and experiencing the world from where they sit—but I wish that I didn’t have to be on planes for so long to get to places and people I love! 

• What do you love to do in your ‘downtime’? 

My wife and I have a young energetic daughter who keeps us on our toes—so I rarely feel as if I get downtime! It’s been fun (re)learning how to play. We spend a lot of time reading children’s books (one of our family favorites is “It’s okay to be different” by Todd Parr) and watching kid movies which actually have a lot of lessons for grown-ups. (See, Everything’s not awesome from Lego Movie, the 2nd Part). 

• Can you share a favorite quote with us by someone who truly inspires you? 

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Shirley Chisholm is unbossed and unbought, and a big inspiration to me in 2021. 

• What do you believe is the role of LGBTQI feminist philanthropy?

It’s important that your question articulates our work as LGBTQI, feminist, and philanthropic, as I see all of these aspects shaping the possibilities and responsibilities of our work. To me, feminism is about power – who has it, who does not, who is making decisions and about what? As funders, we wield one of most important manifestations of power which, as Kimberle Crenshaw described, is “the power to categorize” and “the power to cause that categorization to have social and material consequences.” This comes with great responsibility – and I believe that global LGBTQI feminist philanthropy has transformative potential, and that this potential must be harnessed towards building and shifting power to advance the ability of all people to exercise their rights and freedoms.  

LGBTQI feminist philanthropy is a central pillar in the kind of infrastructure that is fundamental to support experienced, innovative, and well-resourced organizations, communities, networks, and activists to seize opportunities when they present themselves to create the worlds we want to see. We have a critical and transformational role not only in our global feminist and LGBTQI funding ecosystems, but also in cross-movement coalition-building towards the articulation of alternative feminist futures. 

By Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz

This is a joint announcement from the Co-Chairs of TransForm’s Board of Directors, Alice Chen and Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz.

We are so excited to announce that after a thorough and competitive search, TransForm will welcome Darnell Grisby as our new Executive Director beginning October 26. Darnell spent the last nine years as Director of Policy Development and Research at the American Public Transportation Association, where he has become a national thought leader pushing for more equitable and innovative transportation policy.

This is a huge moment for TransForm. We were looking for a leader who could help us meet the urgent transit and housing challenges we face with a strong anti-racist policy agenda. Darnell is ready to lead that effort with his deep knowledge of progressive transportation policy and a bold vision for TransForm’s role in making change. Staff and board alike are looking forward to having Darnell’s leadership and experience for the next steps in our journey.

The urgency has never been stronger for the bold solutions we’re known for — 2020 has made the need for systemic change painfully clear. Our core issues are on the line, yet with vision and determination, we have an opening to transform our communities for the better.

In fact, Darnell said it well in a CityLab piece he wrote in July titled, “To Fight Racism, Transit has a Key Role.”

“We have an opportunity to address the discriminatory systems endemic to our built environment, infrastructure investment decisions, organizations and industries. Our best shot to make progress on these challenges is right now.”

Darnell’s career and his lived experience have prepared him well for this opportunity. He grew up in Southern California, where limited transportation options, under-investment, and over-policing of Black and brown communities shaped his perspectives and centered his life-path. He went on to UCLA and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He served as a legislative director in California’s legislature, and a lobbyist in Sacramento, before working at a think tank devoted to smart growth, and then spending nine years at APTA, where he became a leading transportation industry expert.

At TransForm, Darnell will be able to apply his varied experience and collaborative leadership skills to advancing an intersectional, anti-racist vision and strategy for creating more just, healthy, connected communities.

“TransForm is well-positioned to chart a path towards anti-racist transportation, housing, and land use policies. Together, we can remake our built environment, protect our health, and confront the climate crisis before us. I can’t wait to get to work.”

– Darnell Grisby

We hope you will join us for All Aboard at Home on Wednesday, October 21 at 4pm, where Darnell will share a message with attendees and you’ll get a chance to meet him. After he formally starts on October 26, he’ll be reaching out to many supporters and partners of TransForm to introduce himself, listen and learn about our work in the past, and strategize for the future. He’ll be moving from Washington D.C. to the Bay Area shortly after starting the job.

Lastly, we’d like to extend our deepest gratitude to the many TransForm staff members who have stepped up in amazing ways over the course of a leadership transition that has been longer than we expected. That includes Jo Ann Prompongsatorn Farrant and Ann Cheng, who served as Interim Co-Executive Directors in 2019, and Jeff Hobson, who has been Interim Executive Director in 2020, as well as quite a few others who have taken on new responsibilities and leadership roles during this time. Thank you for keeping TransForm strong through it all. And thank you to Stuart Cohen for building this incredible organization that is now ready for a leader like Darnell!

Los Angeles, California — Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research is thrilled to announce the appointment of a new Medical Advisor joining the Foundation’s team this October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Joining is Stephanie Graff, MD, an accomplished physician who is board certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology and Internal Medicine. Dr. Graff has a strong background in cancer treatment. She is a director of both Clinical Research and the Breast Program at Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute at HCA Midwest, Associate Director of the Breast Cancer Research Program at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, and National Breast Lead for the Sarah Cannon

Cancer Network’s clinical programs. Dr. Graff received a Graduate Degree from the University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine and completed a breast oncology sub-fellowship from the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Dr. Graff plays an integral part in numerous programs committed to ending breast cancer and breast cancer treatment. She leads the BE AWARE & Breast Cancer Prevention Clinics at Sarah Cannon HCA Midwest Health, as well as the High-Risk Women’s Program both at Sarah Cannon HCA Midwest Health and for the Sarah Cannon Cancer Network. She serves on the American Cancer Society Kansas/Kansas City Area Board and The Research Foundation Board. She is active in the American Society of Clinical Oncology, serving on several committees, and is currently participating in the prestigious ASCO Leadership Development Program. She also writes as a contributor of KevinMD, and is a sought-after public speaker. Her clear dedication and success led her to receive the Frist Humanitarian Award for her extensive work in the community.

Dr. Graff is well known for passionately connecting with patients to provide personalized, comprehensive oncology care, advancing breast cancer research, and breast cancer prevention.

“The time that I spend with my patients is my time away from my family, and just like their family is what is most important to them, my family is what is most important to me. They become my family. I know the names of their grandchildren, I know where they’re going on vacation next month, I know when their daughter is getting married… being a part of that and sharing those memories and stories with my patients, and seeing them blossom in their life after cancer, is so powerful. I am thankful every day that that’s what I get to do for a living,” says Dr. Stephanie Graff.

“We’re thrilled to have Dr. Stephanie Graff join the Foundation as a Medical Advisor. With her invaluable experience as a leading national expert on oncology care and breast cancer research, Dr. Graff will play an integral role in continuing to expand our global research programs and getting us closer to discovering an end to breast cancer,” says Susan Love, MD, MBA, Founder & Chief Visionary Officer at Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research.

Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., September 15, 2020 — Linda McFarlane, a veteran advocate and JDI’s longtime Deputy Executive Director, will take over next month as the organization’s new Executive Director. McFarlane brings to the role her extensive experience leading JDI’s pathbreaking initiatives to prevent and respond to sexual abuse inside detention facilities, and her expertise from more than three decades of working with survivors of sexual assault.

“I am thrilled to announce that JDI’s Board of Directors has appointed Linda McFarlane as the organization’s next Executive Director,” said Russell Robinson, JDI’s Board Chair. “Linda has a nuanced understanding of JDI’s mission, an unrivaled track record of advocating for incarcerated survivors, and a clear-eyed vision for building on our many accomplishments. I have no doubt that our movement will continue to thrive, and grow even stronger, with her at the helm.”

“It is the honor of a lifetime to be named Executive Director of JDI, an organization that is at the forefront of the movement to end sexual abuse in detention and has long been a bedrock of support for incarcerated survivors,” said McFarlane. “As Executive Director, I look forward to building on JDI’s legacy, which includes human rights legislation, survivor-led awareness-raising campaigns, and policy initiatives to bring trauma-informed programs behind bars.”

McFarlane takes over as JDI celebrates 40 years since its founding as the world’s only organization dedicated exclusively to ending prisoner rape — a distinction that it still holds. JDI has secured many impressive wins for prisoners’ rights, including the landmark Prison Rape Elimination Act standards, which Linda helped shape as one of the experts relied upon by the bipartisan commission that drafted them. At the same time, sexual abuse is still widespread in detention facilities, and prisoners are especially vulnerable right now.

“People in detention are so often ignored and forgotten — a trend that has continued during the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic, and the systemic, state-sanctioned racism that our nation is now reckoning with, affect prisoners acutely. These crises underscore the urgency of our work to protect the dignity and safety of all people in detention, and to ensure that when the government takes away a person’s freedom, it upholds its absolute responsibility to keep that person safe,” said McFarlane.

McFarlane succeeds Lovisa Stannow, who announced in February that she was stepping down after 16 years as Executive Director. When Stannow became Executive Director, JDI had one office with a small handful of part-time staff; today, JDI has 25 staff and offices in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Johannesburg.

Linda and Lovisa have worked together since 2005, when Linda was hired to run JDI’s then-new project to bring direct services to prisoners in California. In 2008, she was named a Deputy Executive Director, overseeing the organization’s domestic programs. “Linda is fearless, compassionate, and a true visionary,” said Stannow. “She pioneered programs addressing sexual abuse inside prisons that many thought would be impossible: confidential rape crisis counseling, inmate-led sexual abuse peer education programs, and human rights training for prison staff, to name a few — all of which have become national models. Linda has also led JDI’s collaboration with corrections officials inside some of the nation’s most troubled facilities, proving that culture change is possible. I can’t wait to cheer Linda and the entire JDI team on from afar as the organization reaches new heights.”

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Just Detention International is a health and human rights organization that seeks to end sexual abuse in all forms of detention.

June 25, 2020

The SAAF Board of Directors is pleased to share with you that Dr. Ravi Grivois-Shah has been selected and hired to be the next Chief Executive Officer for SAAF. Our search firm reached out to hundreds of candidates nationwide, and received fifty-four applications; six candidates proceeded to interviews. Ravi distinguished himself from this impressive field of strong leaders. He is clearly the right person at the right time to lead SAAF into our future. ​We all look forward to working with him.

Ravi has worked alongside SAAF for years in his current role as the medical director for Banner’s Alvernon Family Medicine Center and their Mobile Health Program. In 2019, Ravi received the SAAF Godat award for community innovator. As a health care provider, Ravi focused on expanding health care access for LGBTQ+ individuals and he has provided critical knowledge and compassion in his work. Ravi was also a leader and advocate in the process of banning conversion therapy of LGBTQ+ youth in Pima County. Moreover, Ravi is bilingual in Spanish and English. You can take a look at his resume here.

In accepting the position of SAAF CEO, Ravi stated, “SAAF is essential to our community here in Tucson and Southern Arizona. I’m excited about joining SAAF as its CEO so that, together, we can ensure that our family, friends and neighbors living with HIV; members of the LBGTQ+ community; or otherwise in need of help, have SAAF on their side.”

Ravi’s first day with SAAF will be Monday, September 28th. Patti Caldwell has agreed to continue serving as Interim Executive Director until Ravi starts.

We hope you share our excitement and anticipation in welcoming Ravi as SAAF’s next CEO!