MRC Members

Nike Blue, MPH

Bluen@afhouston.org

www.aidshelp.org/

Nike Blue has over 9 years of experience in the non-profit sector including community planning, implementation of evidence based practices and public health strategies, organizational and operational skills, leadership and coaching, program development and evaluation. She has served in an upper management position for the last 7 years at AIDS Foundation Houston, Inc. (AFH). She currently functions as the Director of Programs at AFH where she oversees their housing, prevention and supportive services programming with an annual budget of four million dollars. Her past experience at AFH includes coordinating and facilitating CDC's 'Evidence Based Interventions' Healthy Relationships, Focus on Youth with IMPACT, Popular Opinion Leader and VOICES for 4 years.

Her background includes developing innovative solutions to meet the needs of vulnerable populations: HIV positive, incarcerated, at-risk youth, and LGBT (in particular, Men who have sex with men). While working at AFH she spearheaded the development and implementation of Hip Hop for HIV Awareness a now nationally recognized community level structural intervention targeting urban at-risk youth. She also redesigned a peer-education training program titled “Wall Talk Peer Education” that is implemented in 100 Texas Department of Criminal Justice system prison units. Wall Talk was developed to address HIV testing and knowledge of offenders within a prison system. It is highly adaptable for different prison environments and currently being expanded to assist offenders leaving the prison system with reintegration into society and linkage to medical care.

Nike’s leadership knowledge includes community planning, public health research, and program management & oversight. She has been a member for the Houston Community Planning Group since 2007, Texas Community Planning Group since 2006 and more recently a member of UCHAPS (Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDs Prevention Services) since 2012. In each of these roles she has served in various positions of leadership. Additionally, she is a member of the African-American State of Emergency Taskforce (SOE) charged with addressing HIV through innovative strategies within the African-American community. She served in a leadership role with SOE from 2008-2012.

She has her Bachelors of Science, Biology, from Xavier University of Louisiana and her Masters of Public Health, Disease Control, from University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. She is currently working to expand her expertise of housing program management by overseeing AIDS Foundation Houston’s six permanent supportive housing programs, funded by HUD and HOPWA resources.

Scott Carroll

scarroll@laclinica.org

www.laclinica.org

Scott Carroll has an extensive background in developing theory-based materials aimed at education and empowerment toward better health. He has worked for over 20 years as an HIV test counselor, STI medic, phlebotomist, and translator. He has also been active in recruiting, training, and supervising volunteers and staff in family planning, and HIV/STI testing and prevention programing in the U.S. and Latin America and with organizations ranging from Whitman Walker Clinic, AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, and Population Services International. He currently works as the HIV Prevention Services Supervisor for La Clinica de la Raza in Oakland, CA, and serves as a member of the Steering Committee and the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Free Clinic.

Isela González

isela.gonzalez@sfdph.org

www.sfphd.org/

Isela González is currently the Program Coordinator of Special Projects in the Office of the Health Officer of the Population Health Division (PHD), San Francisco Department of Public Health. She works closely with the PHD Director and the eleven PHD Branch Directors in creating a culture of quality improvement by supporting the implementation of the Division’s new Strategic Plan.

Prior to joining the Population Health Division two years ago, she worked for over fifteen years coordinating jail based prevention services for adults incarcerated in San Francisco City and County jails. She has extensive expertise in developing and implementing HIV/STI/hepatitis prevention services for special populations including incarcerated/formerly incarcerated, LGBTQ, substance using, homeless, monolingual Spanish speaking, and those diagnosed with mental health. Her past collaborative work with Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in San Francisco and her involvement in the SF HIV Prevention Planning Council provided her with a unique opportunity to learn firsthand the issues and concerns that staff tasked with HIV/STI/hepatitis prevention and treatment service delivery face on a daily basis. Additionally, her work with various local academic institutions offered various opportunities to expand and improve the field of public health as it relates to marginalized populations, specifically incarcerated and formerly incarcerated adults.

Isela has lived or worked in San Francisco since her parents migrated from Mexico in the early 1970’s. She is passionate about her work with the SFDPH and is committed to improving the overall health and wellbeing of communities of color in San Francisco and the Bay Area at large.

Lorenzo Hinojosa

Lorenzo.Hinojosa@acgov.org

www.officeofaids.org

Lorenzo graduated from Pepperdine University in 1978 and has been working in Public Health for over 34 years.

His work started in 1980 for the State as a Disease intervention Specialist (DIS) in Orange County California performing STD investigations and follow up. He transferred to Los Angeles County as a DIS and supervisor for 10 years before moving to Oakland to work as a State assignee to Alameda County STD Program as a program Manager. Since 2001, Lorenzo has worked for Alameda County as a Program Manager in the County’s Office of AIDS Administration specializing in Prevention and specifically, HIV Testing.

During his tenure in the Office of AIDS, Lorenzo has seen many changes to HIV testing, including the advent of rapid testing as well as changes in the counseling aspects, including the move now towards routine testing at medical and other settings that might reach those who may be at risk and not know their status.

Lorenzo is currently the community co-chair of the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies Community Advisory Board helping to bridge the gap between research and community and program implementation.

Cesar Novelo

cesarnovelo at yahoo.com

Cesar currently works as an HIV Case Manager and Health Educator at Community Medical Centers. This intervention provides optimal retention in care, compliance with medical and service specifications, and risk behavior reduction. Clients are offered services like Housing, Insurance Services, Specific HIV/AIDS Programs for medicines, Food Banks, Partner Prevention, Support Groups among others. He also acts as a Counselor of HIV Testing, conducting HIV tests, and helping people be aware of the risk factors of the virus.

The Health Education aspect of his job helps the clinics' patients understand various health conditions such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, high blood pressure, weight management, and how to control them.