Keeping it Fresh and Living

NAPWA Announces New Leasdership The National Association of People With AIDS (NAPWA) is proud to announce the election of Tyler TerMeer as Chair of its Board of Trustees. Mr. TerMeer replaces interim Chair Darryl Wong. In other Board changes, Representative at-large Thomas Petty was elected Secretary. Washington, D.C. attorney Petty was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2011. Randall Lucero, Program Director of New Mexico's HIV/AIDS Advocacy Network (HAAN), has been elected Representative at-large to replace Mr. Petty. New Chair TerMeer brings youth to NAPWA's Board and programs. As a young adult living with HIV, he has presented at NAPWA's annual Positive Youth Institutes and currently serves as Director of the Ohio AIDS Coalition. Accepting election as Chair of NAPWA, Mr. TerMeer said, "I have built my life living with HIV over the last 8 years, reaching out to people in isolation. Those with a lack of support systems, who more than anything needed to feel a sense of belonging to a community. It's that sense of belonging that brings us the hope, the healing and the empowerment for the journey ahead. "I personally believe that NAPWA is that community. NAPWA lives in each and every person affected by this disease and it is our responsibility to guide them from isolation to the NAPWA community. "Over the next several years, NAPWA will play a crucial role as a guide down the Road to 2014, as we monitor and keep communities informed about the implementation of the major reforms of the Affordable Care Act, potential changes in the Ryan White Program, continuing implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and specifically how the shifting paradigm brought on by these changes impact people living with HIV in our nation." About NAPWA Founded in 1983, NAPWA is the largest and oldest national advocacy organization for PLWHA, and the most trusted voice in the HIV/AIDS community advocating for the lives and dignity of all people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, especially the more than 1.2 million Americans living with it today. To learn more, visit www.napwa.org.