AFC Welcomes New Senior VP; Names First Director of Housing Subsidiary

Media contact: Ryan Singleton, 312-334-0913, [email protected]

CHICAGO – The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is thrilled to welcome Simone Koehlinger to its leadership staff as Senior Vice President of Programs. Koehlinger started at AFC earlier this month and brings over 20 years of experience to the role.

As the former Director of the Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health at the Chicago Department of Public Health, Koehlinger addressed major disparities that include HIV and sexually transmitted infections, tobacco, mental health, and substance use. She most recently worked at the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago as Director of Special Projects.

“Simone is incredibly talented,” said David Ernesto Munar, AFC’s CEO/President. “Her passion for work in the HIV field is unmatched, and her leadership over our care, prevention, housing, and research programs will strengthen services for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.”

AFC’s leadership team is also seeing exciting shifts in the housing program.

Arturo V. Bendixen has been with AFC the past 10 years, serving first as Director of Housing, then as Vice President for Housing Partnerships. He has recently become the full-time Executive Director at the Center for Housing and Health, one of AFC’s supporting organizations that promotes housing- and health-specific programs for highly vulnerable people.

“Art is a true champion of housing in Chicago,” Munar said. “Under his leadership, thousands of people have received the basic human right of housing, and I’m eager to see AFC’s Center for Housing and Health continue to grow under his full-time direction.”

The Center began in 2010 with grants from The Chicago Community Trust and Chicago Department of Family and Support Services. Since then, Bendixen has been the part-time Executive Director.

This year, the Center added 135 new housing subsidies and has grown its staff to three full-time employees and one part-time.

The Center will focus much of its attention on better connecting health care with supportive housing, as the Affordable Care Act comes into full swing.

Angelique Miller will assume Bendixen’s former responsibilities at AFC, serving as Senior Director of Housing and Supportive Service Programs. She has been a leader among AFC’s housing programs for the past nine years and has been instrumental in expanding its housing and supportive services portfolio.

Founded in 1985 by community activists and physicians, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago is a catalyst for local, national, and international action against HIV/AIDS.