Black AIDS Institute Elects New Leadership

Dr. Neil Lowe Elected Chairman of the Black AIDS Institute Board of Directors

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At its annual meeting on November 29, the Board of Directors of the Black AIDS Institute (the Institute) elected new officers to take on the challenges and opportunities in 2013 and lead the organization in a new strategic direction while continuing to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black communities.

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The new Board Chair is Neil Lowe, Ph.D.  Dr. Lowe is a Partner at NoLimitss, a boutique business intelligence and data analytics firm focused on new revenue identification and organizational transformation.  He has served on the Institute's board for six years, most recently as First Vice Chair.  Other officers include First Vice Chair, Grazell R. Howard, President of King & Kairos in Charlotte, N.C.; Second Vice Chair, Rev. Edwin C. Sanders II, Senior Servant at Metropolitan Interdenominational Church in Nashville, Tennessee; Treasurer, Representative Laura Hall, Member of the Alabama House of Representatives; and Secretary, Jesse Milan Jr., JD, Vice President and Director of Community Health Systems at the Altarum Institute in Washington D.C.  Rounding out the Executive Committee are Members-at-Large Angela Bronner-Helm, Principal at The Helm Media Inc. in New York City; and Chris Cathcart, President and Founder of OneDiaspora Group in Los Angeles.

The officers have the task and responsibility of leading the Institute in a new direction.  This approach includes five strategic objectives: fully implement the Affordable Care Act; support people living with HIV to come out of the closet; increase demand for treatment; integrate biomedical and behavioral interventions; and promote organizational retooling for an evolving response to the AIDS epidemic in a post healthcare reform world and one where biomedical interventions will play an ever increasing role in ending the AIDS epidemic.

"The Black AIDS Institute is extremely fortunate to have Dr. Lowe as our leader. He follows a tradition of strong leadership including Jesse Milan (Chair Emeritus), and our recent Chair, A. Cornelius Baker," said Phill Wilson, President and CEO of the Institute.  "We are at a deciding moment in the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic in Black America.  Dr. Lowe brings an extensive business background, deep relationships with the LGBT community, and strong associations in the Caribbean.  He is the right leader at the right time."

Dr. Lowe will assume the position from A. Cornelius Baker, Policy Advisor for the National Black Gay Men's Advocacy Coalition and Technical Advisor of Global Health, Population, and Nutrition for FHI 360 Center on AIDS and Community Health.  Mr. Baker will remain on the Board, focusing his energy on advocacy, leadership, and fundraising.

"I think that we're in very difficult financial times for our country so the big challenge is making sure we continue to advocate and provide leadership and raise money for the Institute through all of our networks," Baker said.

As Chair, Dr. Lowe will help guide the Institute in its new direction by introducing a new level of Board governance and strengthening development efforts to assure that the organization is sufficiently resourced.

"For me, it's an honor to be able to serve the Institute and the community in a way that I feel so passionate about. I've served on the Board for six years, so for me this is an opportunity to work even closer with our President and CEO, Phill Wilson, and to help guide the organization in the next evolution of the great work that we have done and continue to do," said Dr. Lowe.

About the Black AIDS Institute
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.

The Institute's motto is: "Our People. Our Problem. Our Solution."

SOURCE Black AIDS Institute