As you are reading this, it is November, and for many members of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) that means the ANAC Annual Conference. As we are going to publication for this issue of the Journal, it is the middle of August and globally we are experiencing another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although many other organizations have made the decision to meet virtually again this year, we at ANAC are holding out hope that while following the current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we can gather for our annual conference in Washington, DC, on November 11-13, 2021.
The November annual conference is a time of transition for the ANAC Board of Directors (BOD). This year, Carol Dawson-Rose will move off the BOD as President and step into life as an ANAC past-president and organizational member. We are thrilled that Melanie Steilen will be your new ANAC President and that Mitchell Wharton will transition to the President-Elect role on our BOD. This transition is such good news for our organization. With these changes, we also welcome three new BOD Members at Large. These individuals include a return to the BOD for Kimberly Adams Tufts, and the addition of two new BOD members, Rasheeta Chandler and Anthony Velasco. We welcome you!
In the last issue of the Journal, Carol described some of the ANAC organizational achievements of which she is most proud. For this issue, we would like to tell you a bit more about your outgoing BOD members as well as your incoming BOD members. We hope you read these profiles and think "I could do that!" and run for an ANAC office in the future. We know you can do it! Please stop and chat if you see us at the conference in November or email us any time about saying yes and becoming more involved in ANAC.
We want to acknowledge and say Thank You to ANAC Directors at Large who have served on the BOD since November 2018. What connects these members is their desire to contribute to ANAC at the national level and to steward the organization forward. We also want to note that each of our BOD members were pulled into COVID-19 response while participating as ANAC leaders.
Marik Moen is a member of the ANAC Chesapeake Chapter where she served in several leadership roles and participated in local workshops to prep members for the HIV/AIDS Certified Registered Nurse (ACRN) certification examination, marched in Pride events with ANAC, and participated in AIDSWatch, the U.S. Conference on AIDS, and the International AIDS Conference. Marik is a true collaborator and advocate for ANAC Global members.
Stephen Perez came to the BOD after involvement in at least two ANAC local chapters: the Washington, DC, and Philadelphia local chapters. Stephen served in the DC local chapter leadership and taught ACRN prep courses; he has also been a presenter and participant at the ANAC national conference. Stephen brought to the BOD his passion for the organization and ANAC's commitment to the community we serve.
Erin Athey came to the BOD from the Washington, DC, Chapter where she participated as a member and as a local chapter leader. Erin stepped forward to Co-Chair the upcoming ANAC conference in DC and, as such, is bringing her passion for social justice to our response to the HIV epidemic.
Your current ANAC BOD is described below and includes members rotating onto the BOD, and your new ANAC President and President Elect.
Melanie 'Mel' Steilen is our incoming ANAC President. Mel has lots of experience with the National organization, serving two terms as a Director at Large. She has chaired two ANAC committees-Palliative Care and Global. Locally, Mel has been a member of the Greater New York ANAC chapter, has maintained her ACRN since 1997, and has served in the local chapter leadership. She brings her passion and the lessons learned from nurses doing the work of HIV throughout the world to the organization and our members.
Mitchell Wharton recently served on the ANAC BOD as our Treasurer and is now our President-Elect. He is committed to keeping ANAC at the forefront of educating and empowering health professionals in the field of HIV. He joined ANAC in 2004 and was a member of the Finger Lakes Chapter and served in a leadership role. Mitchell is also a mentor for the ANAC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Student Mentorship Scholarship.
Kimberly Adams Tufts or [DOUBLE HIGH-REVERSED-9 QUOTATION MARK]KAT" has previously served as the ANAC BOD Secretary. She is a clinician educator who currently works at the Veterans Administration (VA) and is a member of the First Virginia Chapter. For the last 15 years, she has pursued her passion of exploring ways that people living with HIV take care of themselves. At her first ANAC meeting, KAT thought, "This is the place for me."
Rasheeta Chandler has served as both Treasurer and President of the Metro Atlanta chapter of ANAC, as well as Director of Community Engagement. As a nurse researcher, she addresses sexual health interventions for young Black women. She has presented her work at the annual ANAC conference, as well as other national and international conferences.
Crystal Chapman Lambert began her HIV patient care journey in 2008 during her clinical rotations. She attended her first ANAC conference in Jacksonville, FL, and, since then, has built on the relationships she established at ANAC to learn and be mentored by other HIV nurse leaders. At the 2019 ANAC conference, she and her colleagues, Rasheeta Chandler and Michele Crespo-Fierro, presented a panel on Women of Color in HIV.
Anthony Velasco served as President for the ANAC's Greater Palm Springs chapter and served on the university advisory boards for a Center of Health Equity and an LGBTQ+ Resource Hub. His work focuses on the role of nurses in improving the lives of oppressed communities, and he has worked to create health programs to improve access to care for transgender/gender diverse people in the Coachella Valley.
Felicity Tsikiwa is an active member of the Greater New York ANAC chapter and has served as Secretary for the past 5 years. She was drawn to HIV/AIDS nursing as a young person with loved ones affected by HIV/AIDS. She has worked as a nurse at an LGBTQ+ centered Health Center, then in HIV/AIDS Case Management at a Federally Qualified Health Center. Through ANAC, she has gained a treasured community of colleagues.
Jonah Pierce has focused his life's work on providing frontline HIV care, serving as a tireless advocate for a nonjudgmental approach to caring for all people living with HIV. Working in the Southeastern United States, he sees the real-world struggles that people living with HIV face in rural communities. He has been an active member of ANAC for many years, serving on the Award Committee, the Policy Committee, and the Health and Wellness Committee.
Darcel Reyes is Secretary of the ANAC BOD and has been an ANAC member for many years. As an HIV clinician and educator, her work in health literacy has helped to expand our understanding of how to communicate important HIV-related information to all patients. She has also broadened her expertise into the field of substance use and addiction.
It has been and continues to be an honor to work with this group of individuals who are so committed to improving the lives of people with HIV and the communities that are affected by HIV. Thanks to all of you for stepping into ANAC leadership roles. To all ANAC members who are considering leadership or joining a committee-please join us.
Disclosures
The authors report no conflicts of interest.