Clifford Castleberry – Program Associate (he, him, his)

Clifford Castleberry began serving in community health out of a desire to be a resource for individuals who are often overlooked and underserved in their communities. His experience includes spearheading the HIV/STD testing component of a community-based program, assisting clients with identifying and overcoming barriers through health navigation, and linkage to care coordination. He received a B.S. in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana, earned a Graduate Certificate in Public Health with a focus on HIV/AIDS from the University of Florida, and is currently working toward his M.S. in Biology from Texas Southern University.

Marvell L. Terry II – Senior Program Manager (he, him, his)

Marvell L. Terry II is a public health strategist, community builder, and thought leader. Marvell is a native of Memphis, TN; and has lived in Washington, DC; Prince George’s County, Maryland; and currently resides in Chicago, IL.

The genesis of Marvell’s work began as an early intervention specialist (EIS) at a children’s hospital in Memphis and a federally qualified healthcare center (FQHC), linking newly diagnosed individuals into care or finding those who have not been adherent to their healthcare plan. Subsequently, Marvell’s work can speak to his passion locally, regionally and nationally. Marvell is the founder of the annual Saving Ourselves Symposium (SOS), a convening for Black LGBTQ individuals living in the South focused on health, wellness, and social injustices of this community; and founder of The Red Door Foundation, a non-profit purposed to fight for the health outcomes of Black gay men in the Mid-South. Marvell is a past Organizing Committee Member of the Young Black Gay Men’s Leadership Initiative, and a AVAC PxRoar Fellow.

Marvell’s published work “Prevalence and Correlates of HIV-Risk Behaviors among Homeless Adults in a Southern City” can be found in the Journal of Health and Disparities Research and Practice (Spring 2014, Volume 7). Marvell is currently a student at Bowie State University.

Jamie Fuega, MPH (she, her, hers)

Jamie Fuega’s public health career focuses on HIV prevention, program evaluation, capacity building for community-based organizations, and decreasing health disparities to improve the quality of life for disenfranchised people. She currently works as a research associate/evaluation specialist at ETR. Before joining the ETR team, she worked on multiple projects focused on HIV treatment, enrollment, and Trans women of color adherence and improving gender-affirming healthcare for young Trans and Non-binary individuals. Jamie is a first-year DrPH student at Rutgers University School of Public Health. She received her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Texas Health Science Center SPH-Houston in 2016 and her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Tuskegee University in 2013. She strives to be an effective leader committed to actualizing sustainable health initiatives across multiple disciplines for Black communities.

Kartik Jha, MA (he, him, his)

Kartik Jha is an Evaluation Specialist/Research Associate III at ETR focused on evaluating health interventions related to HIV. Prior to working at ETR, he worked as an evaluator in the field of K-12 and higher education with a focus on developing STEM pipelines and improving outcomes for underrepresented minorities in STEM fields. His work has encompassed quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods analysis, survey-based observational research, and randomized-controlled trials. Kartik earned a master’s degree in Organizational Behavior from Claremont Graduate University with a co-concentration in Evaluation. He received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Arizona.

Kristin Kennedy, MS, MPH, CPH (she, her, hers)

Kristin Kennedy has over ten years of project coordination and program management experience in sexual and reproductive health, particularly HIV and STI prevention and treatment for queer and trans youth of color in the South. Her experiences include community engagement, strategic planning and grant writing, program planning and implementation, monitoring and evaluation, training development, and research coordination. She began her work as a Senior Health Educator and HIV test counselor at the University of North Florida. Volunteering routinely as an HIV test counselor at JASMYN, an LGBTQ youth center in Jacksonville, FLsolidified her passion for serving young people and led to her role as an HIV Care Coordinator and Case Manager. Kristin traveled to Oakland, CA and dedicated 3 years to implementing PrEP and routine sexual health services into an existing HIV primary care clinic for the CRUSH Project. Prior to joining ETR, she moved back to Jacksonville, FL where she most recently supervised JASMYN’s health services. Kristin holds her MPH in Public Health Administration from University of South Florida, as well as an MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and BS in Psychology from University of North Florida.

Meico Whitlock (he, him, his)

Meico helps changemakers create work-life and tech-life balance so they can do their best work better while living their best lives. He is the founder and CEO of Mindful Techie, author of the Intention Planner, and a certified trauma-informed mindfulness teacher.

Through speaking, training, and coaching, he facilitates transformative experiences that foster wellbeing in a hyperconnected and distracted world.

He has worked with organizations such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, FDA, Cigna, and Greenpeace, and has been a featured speaker on ABC News, Fox 5, and Radio One. He’s a former triathlete, loves salsa dancing, and makes the world’s best vegan chili!

He holds an M.S. in Information Science from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from Morehouse College.

Doc Dillard (he, him, his)

Doc Dillard is an educator, consultant and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) advocate based in Charlotte, NC. He has also lived in Memphis, TN.

Doc’s education career started as a EFL teacher in South Korea where he taught elementary English conversation in rural schools. This eventually led him to pursue a teaching certificate through the TeacherReady program through  the University of West Florida. While pursuing a teaching certificate, he began a career as a Exceptional Education teacher in Memphis, TN and also joined the Teach for America network. Also, in Memphis, he cultivated experience in art management through an African-American arts collective. While teaching, Doc attained a Masters degree in Entrepreneurship. After leaving Memphis, he taught both English education and Business education before transitioning into Ed-Tech as a Program Manager.

Currently, Doc is continuing to work as a STEAM advocate and pursuing a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership. Doc is curious about what makes people tick and how we can cultivate our best selves through tech and innovation.

Vienna Mbagaya, MPH (she, her, hers)

Vienna has over a decade of experience in supporting public and private organizations at the international, federal, state, and community levels. Her work has led to opportunities for innovative research in the areas of COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, malaria, reproductive health and social behavioral health. Her expertise includes infectious disease epidemiology, behavioral health surveillance, clinical research coordination, and program evaluation. She holds a master's degree in Epidemiology & Biostatistics from George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services, and a bachelor's degree in Biology from Boston College.

Leisha McKinley-Beach (she, her, hers)

Leisha McKinley-Beach is the founder and CEO of Cush Health Impact and Leisha.org. Mrs. McKinley-Beach also serves as a consultant who provides training and community engagement on HIV and other health issues that affect Black communities, specifically Black women. McKinley-Beach provides technical assistance on HIV program design and implementation for Black populations, capacity-building assistance to health departments and community-based organizations (particularly on issues for women and communities of color, and mobilization for PrEP scale-up in Black communities. As HIV Prevention Program Manager at the Fulton County, Ga. Department of Health and Wellness in 2014-2016, McKinley-Beach developed and launched a major testing initiative as well as community mobilization campaigns. McKinley-Beach also played an important role in catalyzing and supporting the launch of the South’s first public sector PrEP clinic, specifically designed to spur PrEP access in Black communities. As the former Director of Technical Assistance and Stakeholder Engagement at the Black AIDS Institute, she helped develop the first-ever national HIV survey of scientific and treatment literacy among the HIV workforce. McKinley-Beach served in 2010-2011 as the HIV Prevention Director for the Georgia Department of Community Health, where she oversaw the development of a comprehensive HIV prevention plan for Atlanta and supported the launch of community mobilization campaigns for Black women and gay and bisexual men. As Prevention Program Supervisor in 2007-2010 at the Florida Department of Health, McKinley-Beach organized a first-ever statewide campaign to address HIV among women and supported community initiatives to engage faith-based communities in the HIV response. McKinley-Beach received her undergraduate bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and her master’s degree in public health from the University of West Florida.

Jacobi Hunter-Wright (he, him, his)

Jacobi Hunter-Wright serves as the Senior Program Manager of capacity building for the Strengthening Integrated Approaches in the Midwest Initiative. Prior to joining AIDS United, Jacobi provided program management and evaluation within CBO’s in the south specifically for CDC and state projects based in Texas. His research interest are rooted in addressing health disparities within various focus populations, education, HIV, and creating innovative and best dissemination practices to integrally involve every level of public health in providing prevention and care activities. Jacobi has lived in Texas for the past 7 years as he previously resided in Atlanta. He earned his Master of Arts in English from Clark Atlanta University in December 2015. Previously, Jacobi graduated from Prairie View A&M University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. He is currently in his second year of his PhD studies in English with an emphasis on Composition and Rhetoric at the Texas A&M Commerce University. In his free time Jacobi enjoys working out and exploring new restaurants, music, and books.

Mark Lockwood, M.A. (he, him, his)

Mark Lockwood is a Program Manager on the Harm Reduction at AIDS United. In his role, he oversees the Expanding Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) Capacity to Respond to COVID-19 grant portfolio, helping harm reduction programs expand their efforts around harm reduction services, sex worker health, COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and education. Prior to AU, Mark has worked in various capacities within the harm reduction movement, from direct services to governmental public health, at the intersections of capacity building, program management, and community-based research. He is committed to mobilizing the health, dignity, and rights of people who are in the sex trade industry and communities impacted by racialized drug policies.

Darwin V. Thompson (he, him, his)

Darwin Thompson currently serves as the Director for Corporate Giving were he manages Gilead’s domestic HIV grant-making including serving as the project lead for HIV Age Positively. Darwin has more than 10 years of experience working with community-based organizations providing social and support services for marginalized populations.  Before Gilead, he served as Executive Director for a community nonprofit organization in Atlanta, Georgia focused on HIV prevention for Black Gay Men, where he provided financial and programmatic oversight as well as developed strategic partnerships and successful programs.  He is also trained in several CDC behavioral interventions including Mpowerment, dUP, Couples HIV Counseling and Testing, and Many Men Many Voices (3MV).  Before his work in Atlanta, Darwin was Dean of Students within the DC Public Schools system and managed corporate partnerships for a nonprofit specializing in housing and healthcare for homeless populations. 

Darwin is a proud graduate of Morehouse College where he earned a BA in Sociology and is also a graduate of the Satcher Community Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine.  When he is not working he spends his time refereeing women’s college basketball.

Leslie Hall (he, him, his)

Leslie Hall is the Director of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. At HRC, Leslie works with HBCU Presidents and administrators toward the goal of achieving full LGBTQ equality and inclusion for LGBTQ students. Additionally, Leslie oversees the annual HRCF HBCU “Leading in Truth” Leadership Summit, where LGBTQ HBCU students engage in a week-long leadership development, social and identity development experience.

A frequent speaker and panelist, Leslie has been highlighted in Black Enterprise, Blavity, Washington Post, and Reuters, among others. Leslie holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Bowie State University, Master of Social Work degree from Howard University and currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies from Howard University. Leslie’s research agenda is focused on the pathways to the presidency for LGBTQ HBCU administrators, leadership development for LGBTQ student leaders, and fundraising amongst LGBTQ populations of color. Leslie devotes his professional work and scholarship toward the liberation of Black and Brown LGBTQ people.