Members & Staff

Members

The Council may have up to 25 members, including the Chair. Members and the chair are selected by the Secretary from authorities with particular expertise in, or knowledge of, matters concerning HIV and AIDS. In addition, the Council includes ex officio members from relevant HHS components as deemed appropriate by the Secretary or designee.

Council members are invited to serve for overlapping terms of up to four years; terms are contingent upon the authorized continuation of the Council. A member can serve after the expiration of their term until their successor has taken office and/or until notified in writing that their term has ended or expired, but no longer than 180 days.

Nancy Mahon, JD
PACHA Chairperson – Sworn in December 2, 2011

Senior Vice President, M·A·C Cosmetics
Global Executive Director, M·A·C AIDS Fund

As a senior vice president at M•A•C and Global Executive Director of the M•A•C AIDS Fund, Nancy serves as a member of the brand’s senior management team while overseeing the strategic direction and day-to-day operation of the M•A•C AIDS Fund. Under Nancy’s leadership, the Fund has further refined and enhanced its giving, taking on larger grant initiatives including the Caribbean Initiative, while at the same time continuing to fund the grassroots service-based charities that the Fund has supported in the past. Currently, the Fund gives away over $18 million annually throughout the world particularly the 65 countries in which M•A•C has affiliates.

Cornelius Baker

Senior Policy Advisor, National Black Gay Men’s Advocacy Coalition;
Washington, D.C.

Mr. Baker also serves as a Technical Advisor at FHI 360. For the past two decades, Mr. Baker has worked in the local and Federal Government sectors, local and national community-based advocacy and service delivery and on a variety of workgroups to advance the nation’s response to the HIV epidemic. Mr. Baker is a person living with AIDS; he was diagnosed with HIV in 1985.

Praveen Basaviah

Mr. Basaviah most recently completed serving for one year as a Bill Clinton fellow in India through the American Indian Foundation (AIF). He worked in the HIV/AIDS sector in South India with the South India AIDS Action Program. Prior to joining the AIF, Mr. Basaviah worked as a program manager at the National Centers on Sexuality in San Francisco; he also worked with the Speakers Bureau of Communities United Against Violence.

Dawn Averitt Bridge

Ms. Bridge was diagnosed with HIV in 1988.  She founded the Well Project, which is a not-for-profit organization that works to change the course of the HIV/AIDS pandemic through a unique and comprehensive focus on women. The organization works to develop new resources to educate, nurture, and support the community of HIV+ women, their caregivers, and their health care providers.  The Well Project is administered by HIV+ women.  Prior to founding the Well Project, Ms. Bridge spent years advocating research for HIV treatment and serving as a public speaker.  Her knowledge and expertise in HIV/AIDS ranges from general HIV awareness and pathogenesis of HIV disease to complex treatment-related topics.

Douglas M. Brooks, MSW

Senior Vice President for Community, Health, and Public Policy at the Justice Resource Institute (JRI); Boston MA.

Mr. Brooks directs community and government relations across JRI, which is a multi-site regional health and human service agency with a variety of educational, residential and community-based services, and he oversees JRI Health, a division of JRI with residential, peer, legal, case management and other supportive services for people living with HIV/AIDS and other disabilities; HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and TB prevention services; a LGBT youth community center; and curriculum development, training and organizational development assistance.

Douglas holds a Master of Social Work degree and is a licensed clinical social worker. He represents JRI in local, state and national health and human service arenas and has served as a consultant to national and international government and non-governmental organizations. Douglas is a Visiting Fellow at the McCormack School Center for Social Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston and is chair of the Board of Trustees of AIDS United in Washington, DC. He was appointed to PACHA in 2010. Mr. Brooks is a person living with HIV.

Calvin Butts III, D. Min.

Pastor, Abyssinian Baptist Church; New York, NY

Dr. Butts is the pastor of one of the largest churches in Harlem, NY.  He also is president of the State University of New York (SUNY).  Dr. Butts is considered a community leader.  Under his leadership, the community development and outreach efforts of his church include homelessness, senior citizen and youth empowerment, and cultural awareness.   Dr. Butts helped to mobilize the religious community to support programs that provide assistance to AIDS patients and their families.  Dr. Butts is Chair of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS.  He also serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of United Way of New York City and is a Board member of the New York Blood Center, the American Red Cross of Greater New York, New Visions for Public Schools, and the American Baptist College in Nashville, TN.  Dr. Butts has been awarded several honorary degrees from various universities and colleges.

Humberto Cruz

Director, AIDS Institute, New York State Department of Health; New York, NY

 Mr. Cruz has been employed in progressively responsible positions in the AIDS Institute for approximately 20 years.  He assumed responsibility for the leadership position approximately two years ago.  In his current position, Mr. Cruz provides oversight for the development, evaluation, and delivery of prevention programs; health care and support services; the establishment of clinical standards for care; education of health providers and the public, and guidance for regional and statewide planning.  In addition to his employment at the state level, Mr. Cruz also serves, at the national level, as a member of the Executive Committee for the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD).  NASTAD represents the AIDS directors in every state and territory that administer both state and federal funding for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment, and can include housing.  Mr. Cruz’s roles in the public and private sector require that he stay abreast of changes in existing HIV/AIDS policies.  Mr. Cruz is a person living with AIDS, he understands the perspective of persons living with the virus, the providers who care for them, and has established strong, collaborative relationships with officials at the state, local and national level who must develop the policies and programs that guide service provisions.

Ernest Darkoh, MD, MPH

Founding Partner, BroadReach Healthcare, LLC; Washington, DC.

Dr. Darkoh is an internationally recognized expert in global health program management, strategic planning, health systems development and large scale treatment program implementation. Dr. Darkoh has served as an advisor to numerous governments, including Botswana, China, Ethiopia, and South Africa in the development of their public and private sector HIV/AIDS programs.

Patricia Garcia, MD

Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Northwestern University; Chicago, IL

Dr. Garcia is specialized in maternal and fetal medicine.  Her research interests include epidemiology of STD and HIV/AIDS and interventions in STD and HIV/AIDS.

Robert Greenwald, JD

Clinical Professor of Law and Director, Center for Health Law and Policy Research; Harvard Law School; Cambridge, MA

Robert Greenwald has over twenty years experience in the fields of health, public health and HIV law and policy. Robert and his staff at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School are engaged in state and national research, policy development and advocacy on health initiatives. Since 1998, Robert has also served as Director of the Treatment Access Expansion Project, working to improve access to care for people living with HIV. Robert has served as an advisor to the President’s National Commission on AIDS and the HRSA/CDC Community Advisory Committee, and as a board member of AIDS Action Council of Washington D.C. and the National Lesbian and Gay Bar Association.

Kathie Hiers

Chief Executive Officer, AIDS Alabama; Birmingham, AL

AIDS Alabama is a non-profit organization that provides housing and supportive services, as well as education, outreach, and testing to low-income persons with HIV/AIDS. Ms. Hiers’ employment history includes serving as Executive Director of Mobile AIDS Support Services and as a founder of the Lee Simmons Fund for People Living with AIDS in Mobile, AL. Ms. Hiers has worked for more than 15 years to serve the HIV/AIDS populations through Alabama’s service organizations.

David Holtgrave, PhD

Professor and Chair, Department of Health, Behavior and Society; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Baltimore, MD

 While much of Dr. Holtgrave’s efforts have been directed toward prevention, he also has knowledge and expertise of HIV/AIDS issues that impact  treatment and housing.  Dr. Holtgrave was previously employed by the CDC as Director, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention - Intervention Research and Support.  While employed in this position, Dr. Holtgrave worked on the first comprehensive evaluation strategy for HIV prevention programs, coordinated the first review paper on HIV prevention intervention science; helped to establish HIV prevention community planning; and improved working relationships with health departments, community-based organizations, private sector partners, and others federal agencies.  Dr. Holtgrave formerly served on an Institute of Medicine panel that examined a variety of strategies for the public sector funding of HIV care and treatment services in the United States.  He currently serves on the Board of the National Association of People with AIDS.

Michael Horberg, MD, MAS, FACP, FIDSA

Executive Director Research, Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group; Director, HIV/AIDS; Kaiser Permanente; Rockville, MD.

Dr. Horberg is responsible for all research activities in Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States. He serves as director of HIV/AIDS program-wide for Kaiser Permanente. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Disease Society of America, and he serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Disease Society of America. He has co-chaired the NCQA/AMA/HRSA/IDSA sponsored Expert Panel on HIV-related provider performance measures. He is Assistant Clinical Professor at Stanford University Medical School. Dr. Horberg is past-president of the national Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. His HIV research interests are health service outcomes for HIV-infected patients (including HIV quality measures and care improvement, and determinants of optimized multidisciplinary care for maximized HIV outcomes), medication adherence issues in these patients, and epidemiology of the disease. Dr. Horberg has published over forty peer-reviewed manuscripts and delivered over one hundred scientific presentations.

Ejay Jack, MSW, MPA

Health Education Manager, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, Council Bluffs, IA

Mr. Jack is a trained social worker who conducts educational programs on holistic sexuality with adolescents, parents and professionals for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland primarily in southwest, Iowa and Omaha community. Mr. Jack has been involved with LGBTQ education, outreach and advocacy for fourteen years; he currently facilitates a transgender support group and links transgender people to appropriate care in the Midwest. Mr. Jack has worked both internationally and domestically to ensure sex workers had access to syringe exchanges and promoted risk reduction strategies on the street level.

Jack Jackson Jr.,

Principal, The Agassiz Group, LLC; Phoenix, AZ

 Mr. Jackson has been involved with matters concerning the impact of HIV/AIDS on American Indians and Alaska Natives living in tribal and urban communities.  Mr. Jackson previously served on the Board of the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center (NNAAPC) and also served as one of the organization’s public policy consultant.  While serving in this position, Mr. Jackson participated in the HIV/AIDS Dialogue Group that was convened by the Centers for Disease Control.  Mr. Jackson was appointed as a board member of Phoenix Body Positive (currently known as the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS).  Mr. Jackson advocated to ensure adequate funding for the AIDS Drugs Assistance Program in the Arizona Department of Health Services.  Mr. Jackson was appointed to serve as a member of PACHA during the Clinton administration.

Naina Khanna

Policy Director at Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Disease (WORLD), Oakland, California

Naina coordinates the U.S. Positive Women's Network (PWN), a national membership body of over 2,500 HIV-positive women, inclusive of transgender women, that advocates for policies and programs at local, state and national levels reflecting the needs of women affected by HIV. She has spoken, presented and advised nationally and internationally about achieving gender-sensitive, human-rights grounded policies informed by people living with HIV and about women’s rights. Prior to working in HIV, Ms. Khanna co-founded and served as National Field Director for the League of Pissed Off Voters, a progressive electoral organizing project focused on increasing political participation by young people and communities of color. Ms. Khanna was diagnosed with HIV in 2002.

Anita McBride

Anita McBride served as Assistant to President George W. Bush and Chief of Staff to First Lady Laura Bush from 2005 to 2009.  She directed the staff’s work on the wide variety of issues in which Mrs. Bush was involved — including education, global literacy, youth development, women’s rights and health, historic preservation and conservation, the arts, and global health issues including efforts to end pandemic diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS.  Also under President George W. Bush, Mrs. McBride worked in the State Department as Senior Advisor in the Bureau of International Organizations and as White House Liaison. She also served as Special Assistant to the President for White House Management.  Mrs. McBride’s White House service spans two decades and three administrations. She joined the Reagan Administration in 1984, and from 1987 to 1992, she was Director of White House Personnel under Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush. She also served as Director of the Speakers Bureau at the United States Information Agency in 1992.  In January 2009, she was appointed by President George W. Bush to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for a term of three years.

Douglas Michels

President, Chief Executive Officer, OraSure Technologies, Inc., Bethlehem, PA

Mr. Michels joined OraSure Technologies, Inc in June 2004, as President and Chief Executive Officer. He is a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. Since joining OraSure, Mr. Michels has led the Company to become a global leader in oral fluid diagnostics for infectious disease and drugs of abuse. Prior to joining the company, Mr. Michels spent 19 years with Johnson & Johnson and 7 years with Abbott Laboratories. At Johnson and Johnson, he was President, International, for Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc., and President of Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems, Inc. He also held numerous General Management and Marketing and Sales positions, in both medical devices and diagnostics. While at Abbott Laboratories, he held various sales and marketing positions. Mr. Michels currently serves on the Board of St. Luke’s Hospital and Health Network in Bethlehem, Pa., and has previously served on the Board of the National Blood Foundation, the Board of the National Committee for Quality Health Care, and the Coalition to Protect America’s Health Care. Mr. Michels received a B.S. degree in Public Health Administration from the University of Illinois in 1978 and an MBA from Rutgers University in 1990.

Mario J. Pérez, MPH

Director, Division of HIV and STD Programs (DHSP) County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health

Mr. Pérez is responsible for managing, planning and guiding the annual investment of more than $100 million in local, state and federal resources that support a responsive and comprehensive local HIV and STD service delivery system. He is extremely active in the HIV/AIDS community both locally and nationally, and is a leader on state, local, and national HIV policy issues, serving as a member of the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) Board of Directors, the Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services (UCHAPS), and the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV. Mr. Perez began providing HIV/AIDS services in 1990 while still a student at UC Berkeley. On numerous occasions over the last 20 years, he has testified before members of Congress, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and the Los Angeles City Council to address a range of HIV/AIDS issues, including support for scientifically-proven interventions, and adequate resources to meet broad HIV/AIDS goals. Mr. Pérez has received recognition for his leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS by then Assemblyman Villaraigosa, State Senator Hilda Solis, the City Council for the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, and multiple local organizations. He was born, raised and lives in Los Angeles.

Rosie Perez

Actor, choreographer, director

Born Rosa Maria Perez on September 6, 1964, in New York, New York. Originally Perez wanted to be a marine biologist and she got into acting by accident. Director Spike Lee saw her in a nightclub and hired her for the 1989 film Do the Right Thing, which explored what could happen when racial tensions explode on a hot summer day. More film roles and television guest spots soon followed. She appeared on 21 Jump Street and became the choreographer for the show In Living Color, which earned her three Emmy nominations. She also starred in White Men Can't Jump (1992) with Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes and Untamed Heart (1993) with Marisa Tomei and Christian Slater.  It was her dramatic turn in Fearless (1993) that earned her first Oscar nomination. Starring with Jeff Bridges, Perez played a plane crash survivor wracked with guilt of the death of her child, also in the crash. She has also lent her distinctive voice to a number of different projects, including The Road to El Dorado (2000).

Vanessa D. Sharp (Cephas), M.Div., MACM, MATM

Pastor of Worldwide Outreach for Higher Hope Christian Ministries; Atl., GA

Rev. Sharp was diagnosed with HIV in 1990, breaking her silence as a World AIDS Day speaker in December 1997. A strong advocate for HIV/AIDS, Rev. Sharp (Cephas) recently married, is Coordinator for the BLCA Metro Atlanta Affiliate of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA); SisterLove Inc's Board Chair; ChangeOneLife, Inc’s consultant in Kenya East Africa and Ghana West Africa; and founder of LINC Worldwide Outreach, Inc. (Love Integrates Nurture & Care), a “Girls to Women Empowerment Initiative” outreach both local and global. Rev. Sharp’s advocacy in the area of HIV and AIDS has spanned some fifteen years.

Sandra Torres

Executive Director, Bill’s Kitchen

Mrs. Torres led the establishment in 1997 of the first nutritional program in Puerto Rico for persons with HIV/AIDS.  She has been recognized as an exceptional leader in the area of HIV/AIDS and has an ample understanding of the area of nutritional and support services for persons living with HIV. For eight years she served as a key member of the Ryan White Part A Planning Council for the San Juan EMA.

Phill Wilson

President and CEO, The Black AIDS Institute, Los Angeles, CA.

Founded in May of 1999, the Black AIDS Institute is the only national HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on Black people. The Institute's Mission is to stop the AIDS pandemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing Black institutions and individuals in efforts to confront HIV. The Institute interprets public and private sector HIV policies, conducts trainings, offers technical assistance, disseminates information and provides advocacy mobilization from a uniquely and unapologetically Black point of view.

Our motto describes a commitment to self-preservation: "Our People, Our Problem, Our Solution."

Staff

Kaye Hayes

Executive Director, Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 443H Washington, D.C. 20201 (202) 690-5560