Leadership Development Series Hosted by AFC

Regina Aragón

Establishing consumer advisory boards and building high-performance teams were just two of the topics discussed by nearly 100 HIV-positive people, service providers, and agency executives that participated in a recent, daylong conference on leadership development.

AFC's Service Providers Council and the Chicago Department of Public Health, Division of STD/HIV/AIDS, sponsored the day's activities, which were part of a two-part series entitled the "AIDS Leadership Institute." The second, full-day session will be held on Thursday, July 26 at the John Marshall Law School.

The May 10 session opened with a keynote address by Regina Aragón of the President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. An expert in federal AIDS policy, Aragón provided attendees with a historical framework of AIDS advocacy and activism, noting key examples of leadership.

She highlighted the roles of the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) and other community-based advocacy organizations in securing funding and important public-policy victories. She also urged members of the diverse AIDS community - who are all leaders in the fight against AIDS, according to Aragón - to redouble their advocacy efforts in order to meet the many challenges ahead. Read excerpts from Aragón's remarks now.

In a plenary address, Stuart Cohen, deputy director of New York City's Fiscal Infrastructure and Technical Assistance (FITA), described the leadership roles of service consumers in shaping and improving AIDS-related services. Cohen said that consumer advisory boards, established at each federally funded AIDS organization in New York City, have become an important source for qualitative data on client needs and consumer satisfaction. Through consumer advisory boards, service recipients develop positions on issues related to the services they receive and work closely with agency administrators and city officials to inform program policy. According to Cohen, the boards have made organizations more responsive to the interests of their clients and have helped HIV-positive people hone grassroots organizing and leadership skills.

Others presenting at the May session included AFC Board Member Tom Buchanan of CARE Inc., Rev. Alma Crawford of the Church of the Open Door, AFC Board Member Julio Rodriguez of the Illinois Department of Human Services, and Bob Schout of PowerSkills.

Agency executives, supervisors, and HIV-positive advocates are encouraged to attend the July 26 session of the "AIDS Leadership Institute." Terje Anderson, executive director of the National Association of People with AIDS, will give the plenary address and organizational development trainer, Pat Moten Marshall of Renewal SynerChange Partnership, will lead an interactive session on managing organizational change. The cost of registration is $15, which includes lunch, and the session is free for service consumers.

Thoughts on Leadership, by Regina Aragón