Eighteen Years of Service and Dedication in an Ever-Changing Epidemic

For 15 years I have had the privilege to serve as Executive Director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation -- an organization that has literally changed the course of this epidemic, saved millions of lives, and improved the health and well being of thousands within our community.

I have had the honor to work for a Board of Directors I admire, to work side-by-side with staff who inspire me, and to serve clients whose perseverance and spirit are beacons of hope in the face of unimaginable challenges.

Nonetheless, despite my passion for my work and my abiding dedication to the Foundation's mission, I have decided I must leave my job as Executive Director in order to have more time with my two young children, as well as my elderly grandmother. Quite simply, I am at a point in my life where I need to strike a balance between my work and home life that allows me much more time with my family and fewer evenings and weekends away from home. I did not come to this decision easily. Indeed, it was agonizing and bittersweet.

Why? Because for nearly two decades of working at the AIDS Foundation -- as a volunteer, Hotline Coordinator, Public Policy Director and the Executive Director -- I have witnessed firsthand this organization's remarkable ability to face down daunting challenges and turn the unimaginable into the possible.

For example, fifteen years ago, the thought of needle exchange was unimaginable. But we and others imagined it differently. And today, our lifesaving needle exchange program is a model for the world.

In 1990, we were told it would be impossible to secure passage of the Ryan White CARE Act. Who would have imagined, fourteen years after its initial authorization, that the CARE Act would provide over $2 billion in support annually for people with HIV and AIDS across the country?

In more recent years, it was widely held that homeless individuals would not be able to adhere to complex treatment regimens that included protease inhibitors. Yet our Action Point project and the work with our client advocates has demonstrated this to be a myth. Even in the face of the chaos created by homelessness, with adequate support, the homeless are fully capable of consistent treatment adherence.

Even more recently, we were told it was inconceivable that we would dare to create AIDS/LifeCycle and that we would never be able to pull off an event of such magnitude in so short a time. But we imagined we could do it. We also had a cycling community that simply would not give up. For AIDS/LifeCycle 3, registration has exceeded 1,900 individuals -- up by 25% over last year!

Four years ago, when we began to push for AIDS treatment access in the developing world -- including protease inhibitors -- we were told it would not be possible. But the Board of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation imagined it was possible, and they created our global affiliate, the Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, to help make it so in South Africa, Uganda and Rwanda.

Time and time again, because of this remarkable community, we have had the freedom and courage to imagine the unimaginable, turn it into the possible, and make it the common place.

The world is a better place because of the work of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. The world my daughters will inherit is a better world because of the work of this agency. Words cannot begin to express my respect, admiration and deep gratitude for the privilege of having been affiliated with this fine institution for so many years.

So, while my love and devotion to my family lead me to step down as Executive Director, I will not be stepping away from my commitment to the Foundation. If you look closely, you will still find me at the back of the pack, cycling in AIDS/LifeCycle, jogging in AIDS marathons, strolling in AIDS Walks and buying tables at our Leadership Recognition Dinner.

It has always been my great privilege to support the Foundation's work, and it will be my great privilege to continue to do so.