About AFC

Adwoa Antwi-Barfi joined AFC’s board in 2020. She currently serves as the Portfolio & Process Manager on McDonald’s Global Technology Strategy & Planning Team. She also serves on the Executive Council of the Associate Board of Providence St. Mel School in Chicago. Adwoa has over 15 years of experience in program and project management, procurement, insurance solutions and people management. In the past, she has served on the Executive Board of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc., as a member of the Illinois Quality of Life State Board, the chair of the Parks & Recreation Committee for an incoming mayor’s transition team, an adjunct member of the HIV Prevention Planning Group of Chicago’s – Gap Analysis Committee, an HIV / STD Prevention Instructor for the Red Cross and the Chicago Dept. of Public Health and a volunteer instructor for the National Society of Black Engineers NSBE Jr. Summer Program. 

Anthony Bruck joined AFC’s board in 1992. He has worked in banking, computer graphics, and most recently, in the futures industry. Since 1996, he has been employed as a computer programmer, designing and coding proprietary programs for futures trading.  

Caprice Carthans joined AFC’s board in 2020. She is a Trans advocate, author and has worked more than 30 years in the field of HIV and LGBTQ+ issues. Her early career on the East Coast included serving as the Trans Coordinator for Gay Men’s Health Crisis and as an independent consultant for Gay Men of African Descent and the Callen-Lorde Community Health Centers. After Caprice relocated home to Chicago, she served as a Housing monitor for Chicago House’s Translife Center and then as Peer Health Navigator for the Affordable Care ACT, where she enrolled 327 individuals, with 204 being of Trans experience. Caprice is currently a consultant serving at the Southside Help Center and the Coalition for Justice and Respect. She was the former Vice-Chair of the AFC’s Integrated Community Advisory Board (CAB) and currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Chicago Area HIV Integrated Services Council and Vice-Chair of the Christian Community Health Center’s CAB. She has received two awards from the office of Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, AFC’s Innovation award, and is a 2020 inductee in the Illinois LGBTQ Hall of Fame.

Cecil Dearborne joined AFC's board in 2020. Since 1992, he has worked in the IT consulting industry, focusing on business transformations and product development. He currently leads operations and strategy within North America for his company's Enterprise Modernization, Platforms, and Cloud service line. Although he is a tech guy at heart, as a gay Black man who grew up witnessing inequities in Houston, Cecil also has a passion for social and economic justice. He has proudly served on the executive board for the Chicago Roundup, a not-for-profit organization that hosts an annual global conference and thought-provoking workshops, engaging speakers, pure entertainment and fellowship opportunities throughout the year. 

Chad Thompson joined AFC’s board in 2013. He is the Executive Director of Finance and Operations for Lyceum Leadership Consulting and oversees day-to-day operations in several key areas of the organization, including finance, human resources, facilities and information technology. He has over fifteen years of financial management experience in the financial services and consulting industries. Chad also serves on the Board of Directors of the Center for Housing and Health and serves as the organization’s Treasurer. 

Derrick Kimbrough joined AFC’s board in 2020. He has worked as a teacher and an administrator in public education for the past 17 years. In his current role, he is responsible for the successful implementation of daily activities, including teacher coaching, program evaluation and school-wide professional learning. He previously worked for a government agency leading community and media relations around environmental issues. He is a member of Toastmasters International and is a doctoral student in the Urban Education Leadership program at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  

Geof Brown joined AFC’s board in 2018. He is the chief executive officer of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA). In this role, he is responsible for the association’s strategic direction, external relations, and ensuring its operational success. He has worked in the association management industry since 2000. He is also a member of the Association Forum of Chicagoland and the Association of Fraternal Leadership and Values. 

Janet Lin joined AFC’s board in 2019. Janet currently works as a physician in the emergency department and cares for a variety of patients with different socio-economic backgrounds and who are disproportionately vulnerable to HIV. She is a professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago’s College of Medicine and an Affiliate Professor of Community Health Sciences in the School of Public Health. Janet also leads Project HEAL, which stands for HIV/HCV testing, Education, Awareness and Linkage to care. She is also a board member and the immediate past president of the Illinois College of Emergency Physicians and a board member of Med Global. 

Joe Stokes joined AFC’s board in 1989. He is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Among other accomplishments, Joe has received federal grants totaling over six million dollars for research related to sexual behavior and HIV and to the evaluation of programs designed to reduce rates of infection with HIV. As a consultant, Joe has worked for 25 years to develop managerial talent, design and deliver effective training, and improve interpersonal communication and selling skills. In retirement, Joe spends time on competitive bridge — playing, teaching and coaching. He is the Coordinator of Junior Programs for the United States Bridge Federation. 

Jon Paul Valadez joined AFC’s board in 2019. He is a director at Kivvit, where he works on policy issues at the city and state levels. Previously, Jon Paul served as the regional coordinator for the Office of the Speaker of Illinois’ House of Representatives. He has worked closely with legislators who championed bills that were part of the AFC's policy agenda in Springfield. 

Julie Scott is creative revenue generator and agenda-setting strategic leader with more than 20 years of experience in the advertising industry. Julie is currently at CARS.com as Vice President and General Manager of CARS Media Network. In her role, she is focused on business-driving advertising solutions for OEMs & Dealers. Prior to CARS, she was SVP of the branded content division at The Onion. She’s also served in senior client leadership roles in Chicago at Digitas, FCB and Havas. Julie is a founding member of Chicago's executive women's network, CHIEF, and regular volunteer at Lakeview Pantry. Julie and her wife reside in Chicago with their 2 adorable daughters who keep them young and exhausted.

Keith McQueen joined AFC's Board in 2023, Bishop Keith McQueen is the Overseer and Founder of Powerhouse Church Global. Powerhouse Church is one of the fastest growing affirming churches. Powerhouse Church is a dynamic multicultural Church throughout the United States and Brazil with various community outreach and engagement programs including: a food pantry, STI Testing & linkage to care, and an after-school program.

In July of 2017, Powerhouse Church expanded to the City of Chicago and has developed programs to promote Violence prevention, HIV prevention and education.  Powerhouse Church has launched four more campuses in Jacksonville, FL, Boston, MA, Greensboro, NC and Los Angeles, CA. Bishop Keith McQueen lives life according to a very simple message , "God doesn't need your excuses, HE only wants your YES".

Kuliva Wilburn joined AFC’s board in 2015. Kuliva is CEO of Wilburn Strategic Solutions, a consulting firm providing support for the for-profit and nonprofit sectors at the leading edge of social impact. Before launching her own firm, Kuliva worked as a health care consultant with Health Management Associates, served as a Senior Program Officer (for Health) at The Chicago Community Trust, served as a Manager of Planning and Development at ACCESS Community Health Network. She is currently a Doctoral student in the DrPH Division at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health. 

Lance Glass joined AFC’s board in 2018. He is the Manager of Cost Accounting for Luster Products. Previously, he served as Vice President of Finance for There is a Need, a nonprofit he cofounded to support the African American community to combat HIV/AIDS. There is a Need developed programs to help individuals with all their needs, including everything from medical to shelter. He also works as the chairperson of the men’s chorus at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, where he manages the daily operations of this $60,000 ministry area. 

Liu Montsho joined AFC’s board in 2020. She is a training and instructional design professional who partners with companies to help their teams work better together. As the co-founder and principal consultant of 360 HR Solutions in Chicago, she has built trusting relationships and facilitated creative learning programs that deliver results for over 50 clients and thousands of employees. In her work with small businesses, Liu has served as a certified Business Advisor for the Illinois SBA. Liu’s 14-year professional training career has included roles such as Director of Training & Development, and she has consulted widely in a variety of sectors. Her training specialties include leadership development, diversity & inclusion, change management, instructional design and facilitation. Liu is True Colors®, Growth Wheel®, Organizational Culture Inventory (OCI™) and Organizational Effectiveness Inventory (OEI™) certified. She is experienced in coaching at all levels, including senior executives. 

Lori Kaufman joined AFC’s board in 1989. She served as the President of the Board of Directors from 1993 to 1996; she currently serves on the Executive Committee and is the Chair of Fund Development. Lori also serves as a Life Trustee for Francis W. Parker School, an honorary board member of MARWEN, and as a board member of The Women’s Board of the University of Chicago. As an art dealer in River North from 1973 to 1993, she was a member of the Chicago Art Dealers Association and member of the Art Dealer’s Association of America.  

Markus Pitchford is the Co-Founder and Director of Political Strategy at Glenhouse Strategies. Prior to joining Glenhouse, Markus led public policy as the Director of Legislative & External Affairs in the Mayor’s office of the City of Waukegan working with multiple federal and state agencies on economic development, transportation, and environmental and sustainability policy. He has held a multitude of executive leadership roles in Illinois state-wide campaigns including serving as a Senior Adviser to Kwame Raoul on his successful bid in becoming the Illinois Attorney General and as an Adviser to the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus. Markus is a graduate of Hampton University with a B.A. in History. He serves as the treasurer of Men4Choice 501c4, a group advocating for women's reproductive rights and the access to affordable healthcare. Moreover, Markus sits on Congresswoman Robin Kelly’s LGBTQ Task Force, and in 2019 chosen by Windy City Times 30 under 30 for substantial contribution to the Chicagoland LGBTQ community in the field of politics.

Mary Pounder (she/her) joined AFC’s board in 2018.  She serves as the Executive Director of the Comer Family Foundation. She has a passion for advancing systemic change for equitable health care through the framework of harm reduction, preventing overdose and the transmission of HIV and HCV through drug use.  As the longest standing private funder of harm reduction, she works closely with low barrier rural and urban syringe access programs and serves as a resource for best practices nationally. 

Nan Silva joined AFC’s board in 2016. She currently serves as Program Director at Community Memorial Foundation, where she has worked since 1999. She has worked in philanthropy for 25 years; prior to that, Nan worked in the nonprofit and academic research arenas, including the fields of domestic violence, HIV/AIDS risk reduction in women and adolescents, teen pregnancy prevention, smoking cessation, and behavioral health. She has served on the boards of Chicago Women in Philanthropy, Heartland Alliance-Heartland Health Outreach, the Illinois Center for Violence Prevention, and the Illinois Association for Infant Mental Health. 

Nnenna Okeke joined AFC’s board in 2023. Her professional public health and healthcare experience spans nearly 15 years and various research, strategy-focused, implementation, and advocacy roles. Currently, she is the Head of Research and Insights at Homeward - a technology-enabled healthcare provider that addresses care access and quality gaps among rural populations. At Homeward, her work ensures that strategic decisions about how they serve rural populations are grounded in evidence about patient needs, desired health outcomes, and environmental context. Before joining Homeward, she held positions at Meta, American Medical Association, and NORC at the University of Chicago. 

Patrick Strieck Joined AFC's Board in 2023. He currently serves as the U.S. P&BB Distribution Integration Lead.  His current role is responsible for driving decisions and the support of change pertaining to the acquisition of Bank of the West by BMO for the Distribution network.  This includes all touch points that impact employees, customers and processes that interact and engage in branches as well as numerous speciality customer facing teams.  

Patrick attended the University of Nevada, Reno Bachelor of Fine Arts program. He is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and previously held his securities licenses. Patrick takes pride in having led national employee diversity work initiatives and championing employee affinity groups. He has previously served on non-profit boards which have included the San Francisco LGBT Community Center and the United Way of Capitol Counties. Patrick has been an active member of the Board at Valley of the Sun United Way, the Arizona Bankers Association, and as a Board Trustee for Scottsdale Arts.

Rina Shah Joined AFC's Board in 2023. She is the Group Vice President of Pharmacy of the Future and Segment Strategy at Walgreens. She began her career at Walgreens in 1998 in our stores where she held various pharmacy roles. In 2007, Rina joined the corporate support center where she held multiple leadership positions in which she was responsible for launching innovative healthcare initiatives, leading market access sales operations and client services. Most recently, she was responsible for pharmacy operations, services and specialty across 9,000+ Walgreens community pharmacies. Rina was critical in the COVID-19 pandemic response with the enablement of vaccinations, testing and treatment services across the Walgreens enterprise. In her current role, she leads a team that is responsible for pharmacy strategy across the Walgreens portfolio, which includes prescription delivery and pharmacy services.

Rina was recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of “40 under 40” for her leadership at Walgreens, by Fierce Healthcare as one of “2020’s Most Influential Minority Executives”, and by Mass Markets Retailers as “Most Influential Women 2022”. Rina is actively involved with the UIC College of Pharmacy, APhA, NASP, the CDC and NACDS. In addition, she presently serves as Chair of the “NACDS 2023” Advisory Group. Rina received her Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2005.

Roy Ferguson joined AFC’s board in 2020. He installed Quality Control Inspection Systems on high-speed production lines before retiring in 2011 and served in the U.S. Army before being discharged in 1972. He has been living with HIV for 25 years and is an advocate for those living with HIV and aging. Roy was featured in a Chicago Tribune article about HIV and aging in 2015, and he has also shared his expertise for numerous other publications including PA Magazine and HIV Plus. In addition to his advocacy, he is a dedicated volunteer. He has coordinated a self-help group for HIV-positive veterans at the Hines VA for nearly a decade and assisted the Chicago Department of Public Health in overseeing Ryan White CARES Act spending. He also played an active role in the launch of the Getting to Zero Illinois plan, a state-wide initiative to end the HIV epidemic in the state by 2030. His AFC-related advocacy started with Lobby Days, AIDS Watch, and USCA and he is proud to now be continuing his relationship with AFC as a board member.

Sean Radford joined AFC’s board in 2023. He is the Chief People Officer at Aon North America and former Executive Vice President and Chief HR Officer at Halo, a $1B branded merchandise, corporal apparel and recognition and incentives company headquarter in Chicagoland. Prior to HALO he served in various human resources roles at CNA Insurance, a multibillion-dollar global leader in the insurance industry. His roles at CNA included senior vice president of organizational effectiveness and transformation, senior vice president and HR business partner, and director of talent management and leadership development. Prior to entering the human resources field at CAN, he served in sales and operations leadership roles at two other Fortune 500 companies. He holds a BA in Law and Society from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a MS in Learning & Organizational Change from Northwestern University.

Tanya Lopez, MS, American Medical Association (she/her/hers) joined the AFC board in 2022. She currently serves as the Director for the Council on Medical Education for the American Medical Association (AMA). Tanya provides leadership in all aspects of the work of the Council, which reviews and proposes policies and standards across the continuum of undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education. She is also actively involved in AMA’s efforts to embed equity in medicine and medical education. Ms. Lopez has been an outspoken advocate for minoritized and marginalized communities for more than 20 years, specializing in program development, community organization, strategic planning, grant management and government compliance. Before joining the AMA, she held positions with the Chicago Department of Public Health, Loyola University Chicago, Medical and Health Research Association of New York City and AIDS Network. In addition to being an alum of the AFC Public Health Boot Camp, she has also received a M.S. with distinction in public service management from DePaul University, a B.A. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a certificate in project management from Loyola University Chicago.  

Terri Friel joined AFC’s board in 2012 and is the current Board chair. She is a seasoned professional engineer who currently advises startup companies and teaches graduate courses in Supply Chain Management at Capella University. Terri has extensive experience in strategy development, creative problem solving, optimizing costs and operations and new project development. She is also a venerable expert on nonprofit boards, having been a part of the Boardroom Bound Boardology Institute, served as a Federal Baldrige Examiner, and participated in boards leading the Executives Club of Chicago, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and others. She is also an active participant in TEAM TO END AIDS, an endurance event fundraising team supporting AFC. 

Terri Wilkerson is a strategic leader who has served in the non-profit industry for almost 15 years. In her current role as Director of Evaluation and Innovation, she leads the design and implementation for measuring the impact of NLEN programs on the communities it serves. With a passion for serving at-risk families, Terri utilizes her background in data analytics and process improvements to contribute to the agency’s vision to combat wealth disparities in underserved communities. Terri is a native Chicagoan. Falling in love with St. Vincent DePaul’s model of servant leadership, she earned both an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Master’s of Non-Profit Management from DePaul University. Additionally, she has ten years of creating and implementing DEI strategy for non-profit organizations. She has worked in many consultative capacities ranging from board strategic planning to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; helping organizations to demonstrate their impact through numbers and storytelling. Terri believes it is the responsibility of current leaders to prepare the next generation of innovators for success.

Tom Sondergeld joined AFC’s board in 2018. Tom currently consults with Evive and EHIR on healthcare initiatives. He is the past Vice President of Global HRIS, Benefits & Mobility for Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA). Tom has directed employee benefits for over 20 years. He has spoken at many local and national events on topics ranging from benefit plan design, wellness integration and on-site health centers. He is currently the past Chair for Midwest Business Group on Health and serves on the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) Board.

Yusef García joined AFC’s board in 2019. For over 15 years, Yusef has been committed to helping build a more vibrant Chicago region through philanthropy and social impact. As Chief External Affairs Officer, Yusef and his team activate stakeholders with Forefront’s work, deepen relationships through cultivating collaborative partnerships, and helping transfer power one relationship at a time. Prior to joining Forefront, Yusef led institutional fundraising and engagement strategies for organizations focused on public media, arts & culture, and human services. In addition to his passion for convening partners, building relationships, and influencing social change, Yusef is a trained chef, having graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Yusef is a native of Chicago, amateur photographer, and lover of House Music. He and his husband live in the Uptown neighborhood with their two dogs