Two new vice presidents at AFC strengthen connections to Illinois’ HIV/AIDS community

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is taking a decisive step toward deepening its valued partnerships with community organizations and advocates most crucial to the HIV/AIDS fight by filling two key roles on its staff: vice president of Policy and vice president of Prevention and Community Partnerships.

After serving AFC for 10 years — and the HIV prevention community for far longer — Cynthia Tucker was recently promoted to the organization’s vice president of Prevention and Community Partnerships role. She has been an invaluable leader for the organization’s prevention initiatives, grant-making programs, and Corrections Case Management program. Her leadership behind programs like the Bridge Project, MSM Testing Initiative and the newly created Project Elevate have changed thousands of lives and molded AFC’s reputation as an innovative leader in the HIV/AIDS movement.

“Cynthia is an excellent representative of AFC’s mission and values, and I am thrilled to see her advance into this new leadership role,” said John Peller, AFC’s president/CEO.

In her new capacity, Tucker will continue to lead AFC’s Prevention team, community-building efforts and grant-making program, and she will also create a Capacity Building Unit for the organization.

Gardenhire returns to AFC as Policy leader

AFC’s other recent vice president hire is Ramon Gardenhire, who has served as AFC’s Policy head since December. Gardenhire brings many years of experience in policymaking and lobbying — including as AFC’s Director of Government Relations from 2011 to 2013 — to face a unique set of challenges for the organization’s advocacy projects and statewide legislative initiatives. More information about Ramon’s return to AFC can be found here.

“With Ramon and Cynthia serving in these vital leadership roles, AFC is in a very strong position,” said Peller. “We can now ensure that our partner organizations have the best level of support, our advocates across Illinois have the best tools to make their voices heard and our services continue to get into the communities that need them most.”