Funders Concerned About AIDS Welcomes New Board Members and Board Leadership
Washington, D.C. (January 24 2017) – Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA), the leading voice on philanthropic resources for the global AIDS epidemic, today announced the election of three new members to its Board of Directors. Melissa Federman of the Center for Community Solutions and AIDS Funding Collaborative, Kate Harrison of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and Rye Young of the Third Wave Fund all bring new leadership and strategic reach to FCAA’s Board. They will provide counsel and guidance in the direction and operation of FCAA and work to raise awareness of the importance of philanthropy’s response to the global fight against HIV/AIDS.
“To reach our goal of ending AIDS by 2030, we need to look at how this fight intersects with human rights, social justice, and poverty, among other critical issues,” said John Barnes, Executive Director of FCAA. “Melissa, Kate and Rye bring unique perspectives that will help shape effective programming and targeted advocacy that considers this bigger picture.”
Throughout their careers, the newest members of the FCAA Board have been proven leaders in their fields:
- Melissa Federman serves as the Treuhaft Chair for Health Planning Director for the Center for Community Solutions and as the director of the AIDS Funding Collaborative (AFC) of Cleveland, Ohio. In these roles she oversees the organizations’ adolescent reproductive health projects, the Better Birth Control NEO initiative, and grant making, advocacy and convening work of the AFC.
- Kate Harrison is the Manager of the Survive and Thrive team at CIFF, which integrates health, nutrition and early childhood development. Ms. Harrison leads CIFF’s HIV work, which focuses on Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) and pediatric HIV treatment. Prior to CIFF, she was the Portfolio Manager at Comic Relief.
- Rye Young is the Executive Director of Third Wave Fund, which supports and strengthens youth-led gender justice activism, focusing on efforts that advance the political power, well-being, and self-determination of communities of color and low-income communities. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Funders for LGBTQ Issues, and the Groundswell Fund. He is a former board member of the New York Abortion Access Fund.
In addition to these new members, FCAA recently elected new Board leadership to help drive and execute its strategic plan. After serving as Co-Chair and Treasurer of the Board Channing Wickham, Executive Director of Washington AIDS Partnership, began a two-year term as Board Chair. In addition, new Executive Committee members include: Alice Lin Fabiano, Director of Worldwide Contributions at Johnson & Johnson, who will serve as Vice Chair; and Daniel Lee, Executive Director of the Levi Strauss Foundation, who will serve as Treasurer. Together, they join John Edmiston, formerly of Kaiser Permanente, who will continue his role as Secretary.
“This year marks FCAA’s 30th anniversary, but its efforts to highlight the connections between HIV/AIDS and other issues dates all the way back to its roots,” said Wickham. “I could not be more proud to be part of an organization that has proven to be a valued resource and a leader in our community.”
For a complete list of FCAA’s current board members visit fcaaids.org.
About FCAA:
Founded in 1987, Funders Concerned About AIDS (FCAA) is the leading voice on philanthropic resources allocated to the global AIDS epidemic. We provide funders with the data necessary to make informed decisions on HIV/AIDS funding.
In addition, we galvanize the philanthropic sector to work collaboratively, transparently, and urgently to drive robust, focused, funding for evidence-based interventions in the treatment and prevention of HIV infection:
- For advocacy, research, and the exploration of new methods to hasten the end of AIDS; and,
- To address social inequities, health disparities, and human rights abuses that fuel the spread the epidemic.
Learn more about FCAA at: www.fcaaids.org
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