AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) and the Center for Housing and Health (CHH) are excited to announce that a local and national leader in the HIV, health care, and social services fields, Rosa Martínez Colón, joined CHH as the Vice President of Housing Strategy in April 2024.
“We are thrilled to have Rosa’s leadership, passion and experience in this key role for the organization. We know she will help CHH to evolve to provide even stronger live-saving housing and services to our communities,” said Peter Toepfer, Executive Director of the Center for Housing and Health.
A native of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Rosa is a founding member of CALOR (Comprensión y Apoyo a Latinos en Oposición al Retrovirus), a grassroots effort for Latinos impacted by HIV in Chicago. For over 30 years, Rosa has continued her social service activism. She was the Regional Director for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in Chicago until February 2019. In March 2019, through her company Nativa Strategies and Solutions, LLC, Rosa directed a project in Puerto Rico focused on providing trauma-informed services to children and adolescents after Hurricane María.
Rosa has been active locally and nationally. In 2010, she was Community Co-Chair for the Host Committee for the United States Conference on AIDS, held in Chicago in 2011. In 2012, she was selected as an Ambassador to the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC. In 2015, she was elected Co-Chair of the National Latino AIDS Action Network. She also served as a member of the Steering Committee for the Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities, as well as with the AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s Service Provider Council and the Case Management Cooperative Leadership Council. In addition, she was Co-Chair of the Linkage and Retention to Care Committee of the Chicago Area HIV Integrated Services Council. She is also active in the Hispanic/Latinx Health Leadership Network. In 2020, she was selected as a member of the National Minority AIDS Council’s Latinx Constituent Advisory Panel. As Co-Chair, she led the Latinx Institute at the United States Conference on HIV/AIDS in Puerto Rico in 2022 and Washington, DC in 2023.
In 2021, Mayor Lori Lightfoot appointed Rosa to the Chicago Board of Health, and she continues to serve on the Board today.
Rosa holds a Master of Science in Public Service Management from DePaul University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management from North Park University.
As Vice President of Housing Strategy, Rosa will help lead the creation and execution of strategy for CHH, lead the organization’s work to achieve its Racial Equity Action Plan goals, provide project leadership on strategic plan implementation, and manage overall program development. Rosa’s years of experience and deep community connections will allow her to build and strengthen relationships with leaders in housing, including health care, behavioral health, criminal legal, violence reduction, and youth services sectors. In her role at AFC/CHH, Rosa will lead and inspire internal and external stakeholders in the work to end homelessness and improve health outcomes through housing.
