Accomplished Advocate and Award-Winning Journalist join staff of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC)

Former staffer at one of the world’s largest international development organizations and ex-Chicago Tribune reporter ready
to help AFC implement 2008-2010 strategic plan

CHICAGO – The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is pleased to announce the hiring of Loren Leidinger-Avila as its new Director of Development and Johnathon E. Briggs as its new Director of Communications.

“We are thrilled to have Loren and Johnathon on board,” said AFC President/CEO Mark Ishaug. “They bring a wealth of experience that will help us implement our ambitious strategic plan.”

In her new role, Loren Leidinger-Avila will lead the AFC development team to raise funds to support the organization’s mission and the thousands of individuals living with HIV in Illinois.

Leidinger-Avila comes to AFC from the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (C.A.R.E.), one of the world’s largest international development organizations. In her eleven years there, she was the field coordinator for a 14-state region, managing fundraising and advocacy activities, as well as special events and public education efforts.

Leidinger-Avila coordinated a national photography and speaking tour by Photosensitive, entitled “HIV Positive: AIDS Through a New Lens” and has spoken widely about HIV/AIDS in the developing world in a number of settings from collaborations with the Rotary, the World Affairs Councils in Columbus, Ohio and Houston, Texas and universities throughout the Midwest.

She also is the co-founder of the Chicago Chapter of GROW (Global Reach Out for Women) and received the inaugural Grassroots Advocate of the Year Award in 2003 from the Women’s Edge Coalition, based in Washington, D.C. She has met extensively with Members of Congress and their staff advocating on behalf of underserved communities.

Leidinger-Avila has a bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois at Chicago in History and English and is originally from Chicago. She assumed her new post on Nov. 29.

In his new role, Briggs will implement a new communications strategy to help raise the profile of AFC on a national level and position the organization to lead and shape public discourse on HIV/AIDS issues.

Prior to joining AFC, Briggs was an urban affairs reporter at the Chicago Tribune, where he wrote extensively about gentrifying neighborhoods, minority communities and "food deserts," areas with few or no quality grocery stores.

From 2000 to 2004, he was a metro and state reporter at The Baltimore Sun and was awarded “Best Feature Series” by the Chesapeake Associated Press in 2003 for a year-long project on the centennial of the Wright brothers’ first flight.

He has also worked overseas as an editor at the South Africa-based magazine, Challenge; as a staff reporter at The Chicago Reporter, a monthly magazine focused on race and poverty issues; and as a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times.

A Los Angeles native, Briggs was introduced to journalism in 1992 after his mother tossed him a copy of the teen newspaper L.A. Youth and said, “Make yourself useful.” As he flipped through the publication, Briggs stumbled across an ad soliciting writers and volunteered. He’s been a communicator ever since.

Briggs has a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in Communications and African/Afro-American Studies. He assumed his new post on Nov. 15.

Leidinger-Avila and Briggs arrive at AFC as the organization prepares to implement its new, three-year strategic plan which was unveiled in November.

The plan, entitled “A Force for Change,” calls for AFC to reduce HIV transmission and improve the lives of people with and at risk for HIV through advocacy, funding and collaboration. The plan will serve as a blueprint for AFC’s fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic through 2010, which will mark the organization’s 25th anniversary.

To read the plan, visit: www.aidschicago.org/about_afc/strategic_vision.php

Mission: The mission of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is to lead the fight against HIV/AIDS and improve the lives of people affected by the epidemic.

History: Founded by community activists and physicians in 1985, AFC is a catalyst for local, national, and international action on HIV/AIDS. AFC collaborates with government and community partners to pursue comprehensive strategies against HIV/AIDS; fund and coordinate prevention, care, and advocacy projects; and champion effective, compassionate policy and human rights to bring an end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

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