San Francisco AIDS Foundation Appoints Neil Giuliano Chief Executive Officer

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- San Francisco AIDS Foundation has appointed Neil Giuliano its new chief executive, effective December 13, 2010. Giuliano brings more than three decades of executive leadership experience to the foundation, most recently as president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and executive producer of GLAAD Media Awards.  

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh//DC04911)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh//DC04911)

"Neil is an experienced leader, broadly respected for bringing people and communities together and for his collaborative approach to solving tough problems," said Dr. Lorna Thornton, Chair of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation board of directors. "His distinguished track record of accomplishments in the public and non-profit sectors is outdone only by his vision for the future — a future when HIV infection rates plunge in San Francisco and, eventually, everywhere."

At GLAAD, Giuliano expanded the organization's media advocacy and anti-defamation work to include religious and faith-based communities, sports and advertising media.  Under his leadership, the GLAAD Media Awards appeared for the first time on BRAVO, VH-1 and Logo television networks.

"San Francisco AIDS Foundation has been at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS since day one," said Giuliano. "As we approach the thirtieth anniversary of the first reported cases of HIV, we must collaborate like never before and pioneer new approaches to HIV prevention, testing and care, while redoubling advocacy efforts at all levels of government. Together, we are poised to make great progress against HIV/AIDS, in San Francisco and around the country."

In 1994, Giuliano became the youngest person ever elected mayor of Tempe, Arizona, a post he held for a decade. For six of those years, Tempe (pop 175,000) was the largest city in America with an openly gay mayor. He served on the board of directors of the National League of Cities, and in 2003, Tempe earned the "All-American City" award, a coveted honor bestowed on local governments demonstrating exceptional success in problem solving. Concurrent to his work as a public official, he held numerous senior roles at Arizona State University, including director of federal relations and co-chair of the final presidential debate of the 2004 election.

Giuliano has received numerous awards and honors for his work in public policy and community activism. He was named to the "Out 100" by Out Magazine in 2005 and was invited as a distinguished lecturer to the William J. Clinton School of Public Service at the Clinton Presidential Library in 2009. He recently completed a memoir, "Elected, Not Equal," to be published in 2011.

Giuliano received a bachelor's degree in communication and a master's in higher education from Arizona State University, where he served as student body president in the early 1980's. He has also completed the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Advanced Program for State and Local Officials.

The search was led by Neil Sims of Boyden Global Executive Search.

About San Francisco AIDS Foundation

San Francisco AIDS Foundation works to end the HIV epidemic in the city where it began. By combining innovative, evidence-based programs for HIV prevention and care with bold policy initiatives focused on issues ranging from harm reduction to total health and wellness, the agency is making sustainable progress against HIV among populations most vulnerable to the disease. Established in 1982, San Francisco AIDS Foundation refuses to accept that HIV transmission is inevitable.

SOURCE San Francisco AIDS Foundation