Ten outstanding individuals under the age of 35 have been chosen by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) to join the inaugural HIV 360° Fellowship Program, which is being made possible through the generous financial support of the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF). These emerging, inspirational leaders of our time will receive nine months of extensive training to assist them in continuing and enhancing their meaningful and courageous work in the U.S. and abroad. They are:
Andrés Cano (Arizona)
National Latino AIDS Awareness Day Planning Committee
Andrés Cano, an aide and community liaison to Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías in Tucson, Arizona, has displayed his true leadership abilities in helping to prevent and treat HIV infection in Southern Arizona's Latino families. He has been named Equality Arizona's 2015 Emerging Leader of the Year and holds the title of Vice Chair of the Planned Parenthood Arizona Board of Directors.
Thomas Davis (California)
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Thomas Davis has used his personal journey of living with HIV as an example of triumph for others who share his experience. He is an advocate and spokesperson who has been reaching audiences all over the world in an effort to empower our youth in the fight against HIV.
Nicole Elinoff (Florida)
GLBT Community Center of Central Florida
Nicole Elinoff made a command decision to get involved in the battle against HIV/AIDS after losing a close family member to complications from the disease. She is now the Director of Clinical Services at the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida, overseeing the HIV, Hepatitus C, and STI testing and prevention programs.
Mardrequs Harris (Tennessee)
Tennessee Department of Health
Mardrequs Harris serves as a leader within the Ryan White Planning Group, is a TN Planning Group Representative, and a member of the Leaders Emerging and Developing Cohort. He has worked for Emory University's Hope Clinic and Friends for Life Corp, and in April 2016, was named a Program Director within the TN Department of Health.
Sasanka Jinadasa (District of Columbia)
HIPS
Sasanka Jinadasa currently acts as the Capacity Building and Community Resource Manager at HIPS, using her distinct talents to manage overnight outreach and hotline volunteers, communications, advocacy, and capacity building training at HIPS and in the DC community.
Tyrell Manning (Missouri)
Williams & Associates, Inc.
Tyrell Manning uses his passion for positive change at Williams & Associates in his role as Regional Integration Specialist and site coordinator of Rustin's Place. Tyrell continues to be an advocate and mentor for gay and bisexual youth in our country, working to create safe areas that provide growth and promote healing, especially in the Black community.
Pierre Jamar (PJ) Moton (Texas)
Abounding Prosperity, Inc.
PJ Moton has focused his efforts for many years on HIV & AIDS research, prevention, and care in the Black gay and bisexual community. He is a nationally recognized leader among his peers and showcases his unique abilities as Interim Programs Manager at Abounding Prosperity, Inc. in Dallas, Texas.
Steven Romeo (Alabama)
The Change Project
Steven Romeo is the founder, executive director and primary artist for The Change Project, an arts and storytelling organization that highlights the voices of LGBTQ people and advocates for their quality of life. After being recognized by The White House in November 2015, Steven was named an LGBT Artist Champion of Change.
Milan Sherry (Louisiana)
Positively Trans
Milan Nicole Sherry is currently a national board member of Positively Trans, a program of the Transgender Law Center. She has had the opportunity of working with the United States Department of Justice to address her community's experiences inside of the Orleans Parish Prison. In addition, Milan has helped lead BreakOUT!'s "We Deserve Better Campaign," which assisted the New Orleans Police Department in adopting policies prohibiting racial and gender-based profiling.
Lee Storrow (North Carolina)
NC AIDS Action Network
Lee Storrow is executive director of the NC AIDS Action Network (NCAAN) and serves on the board of directors of the Strowd Roses Foundation and Youth Empowered Solutions. He also lends his talents to the American Heart Association as a member of their National Advocacy Coordinating Committee.
The amazing accomplishments and strength of character of these exemplary role models in today's society speak for themselves. As Chad Griffin, President of the Human Rights Campaign, states,
These diverse leaders already have tremendous experience in their respective fields and communities, and we look forward to working with them to halt the spread and stigma of HIV once and for all.
Scott Campbell, Executive Director of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, echoes Mr. Griffin's sentiments by adding,
We are very proud to be the primary funder for this groundbreaking program that is specifically focused on cultivating young leaders from diverse backgrounds with different ideas about how to stop the spread and stigma of HIV.
The ten recipients have been meeting with experts and mentors from amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, AIDS United, Casa Ruby, NAESM, Inc., Whitman-Walker Health, and the Kaiser Family Foundation. In learning from one another, these natural go-getters will broaden their skill sets and professional relationships in order to take their non-profit organizations to the next level.