Mayor Lurie Appoints Public Health Leaders, Community Advocates to HIV Community Planning Council

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today announced 19 appointments and reappointments to the San Francisco HIV Community Planning Council, bringing together public health professionals, service providers, community advocates, and people with lived experience to guide the region’s HIV prevention and care strategy.

Mayor Lurie appointed Jesse Brooks, Andre Robertson, and Johnny Rodriguez to the council. He also reappointed Chuck Adams, Robert Arnold, Bill Blum, Zachary Davenport, Elaine Flores, Ronaldo Hernandez, R. Lee Jewell, Thomas Knoble, Nga Le, T.J. Lee-Miyaki, Derrick Mapp, Irma Parada, Charles Siron, JP Soto, Richard Sullivan, and Laura Thomas.

“This summer, we worked with the Board of Supervisors to unanimously approve a budget that provided critical funding for HIV prevention,” said Mayor Lurie. “As Washington cuts essential healthcare funding, we are stepping up in San Francisco to strengthen our social safety net. This group of appointees will continue that work to protect critical services and strengthen HIV support and prevention—sending the message that San Francisco is committed, as always, to getting to zero.”

New Appointments

Jesse Brooks is a U.S. Army veteran and certified paralegal who—after losing his partner to AIDS, navigating his own HIV diagnosis, and achieving 20 years of continuous recovery—has focused on HIV advocacy. He has served with the Black Coalition on AIDS, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and the San Francisco Department of Public Health, where he contributed to behavioral research focused on Black gay men. Brooks also authored a weekly HIV column, created an independent documentary exploring addiction and stigma, and was featured in the national PBS documentary “Endgame: AIDS in Black America.”

Andre Robertson, MPA, is an HIV medical case manager at UCSF with nearly three decades of experience spanning HIV prevention, outreach, shelter services, and clinical care. Early in his career, Robertson directed needle-exchange and HIV education programs in Oakland, coordinated outreach to people experiencing homelessness at the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center, volunteered with homeless veterans, and supervised shelter services with Episcopal Community Services. Robertson was raised in the Fillmore neighborhood and holds a degree from San Francisco State University.

Johnny Rodriguez is a social worker and community director at the San Francisco Community Center whose HIV advocacy began in high school. He serves on the boards of the Leather and LGBTQ Cultural District and Team Friendly SF. As Mr. San Francisco Leather 2026, Rodriguez uses his platform to expand access to opportunity for queer, transgender, and disabled people, and organize events for queer people of color across the Bay Area.  

Reappointments

Chuck Adams is a member of the Community Advisory Board for the San Francisco Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group and the Santa Clara HIV Planning Council. An HIV survivor and recipient of Ryan White services, Adams is also a longtime volunteer at Health Legal Services, the Santa Clara County HIV Food Basket, and the AIDS Legal Referral Panel.

Robert Arnold is the director of integrated care at San Francisco Community Health Center, where he oversees the organization’s HIV care portfolio, grants and funding, and five HIV medical case management teams connecting clients with medical care, behavioral health services, and housing. A nurse by training, Arnold began working in the Tenderloin in 2010 and contributes to the local provider ecosystem through his participation in HAPPEN and community access boards.

William (Bill) Blum is the director of HIV health services for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, bringing more than 35 years of experience in HIV care and prevention. In his administrative capacity, he fulfills a required seat on the council, overseeing regional programs, managing health service funding, and advancing community-centered care initiatives.

Zachary Davenport leads outreach and recruitment efforts on the San Francisco HIV Community Planning Council to increase representation among underrepresented communities. Davenport has represented the council at a national conference in Washington, D.C. and engaged directly with federal auditors from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Elaine Flores is a public-service advocate on the San Francisco HIV Community Planning Council, following the service of her grandmother and brother. In addition to her work in San Francisco, she serves clients directly in Marin County out of Corte Madera.

Ronaldo Hernandez is a community advocate representing Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Filipino communities in regional HIV planning. After experiencing homelessness, substance use, and an HIV diagnosis, Hernandez accessed treatment services and secure housing through the council and its affiliated support programs. Hernandez now participates in council and committee work focused on ensuring underserved communities are represented in regional HIV planning efforts.

R. “Lee” Jewell is an associate marriage and family therapist who works with clients in transitional housing and transitional-age youth. A long-term survivor living with HIV, Jewell also facilitates groups for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, volunteers with LGBTQ+ seniors through Openhouse SF and young people through San Francisco Court Appointed Special Advocates, and serves as a patient representative on an HIV stem-cell study with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Jewell has served on the council since 2008, including as co-chair, and currently represents it on the CAEAR Coalition board of directors.

Thomas Knoble, MSW, is the testing program manager for the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s community health equity and promotion branch. After moving to San Francisco in 1989 at the height of the HIV epidemic, Knoble volunteered with the Shanti Project to provide emotional support to people in the terminal stages of the disease. He became an HIV test counselor in 1993 while earning his Master of Social Work degree. Knoble also serves as a California HIV State Certified Trainer who trains counselors statewide.

Nga Le is a senior program coordinator for the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services’ communicable disease and community preparedness division. After beginning her local-government career with Contra Costa Health, Le has served Marin County for the past seven years where she manages grant allocations for HIV prevention, harm reduction, and sexually transmitted infection support services. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and her Master of Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles.

T.J. Lee-Miyaki is a co-chair of the San Francisco HIV Community Planning Council with decades of direct-service experience. A San Francisco resident for 40 years who grew up in the Mission District, Lee-Miyaki has led sexually transmitted disease prevention initiatives and managed public health programs. She also has experience in the private startup sector.

Derrick Mapp is a co-chair of the San Francisco HIV Community Planning Council and a member of its community engagement and substance use committees. With more than two decades of experience in HIV case management, harm reduction, and care navigation in San Francisco, Mapp’s career has also included work on international HIV medication access, community-based research with the National Institutes of Health, volunteer service with the Shanti Project, and service with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s Positive Resource Center.

Irma Parada is a public health leader with more than 30 years of experience supporting people living with HIV and their loved ones. Parada began working at the Shanti Project in 1989 before moving to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, where she developed a bilingual English and Spanish HIV exposure hotline. She also directed the homeless division at the Department of Human Services and served in the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s women, infants, and children program and Jail Health Services.  

Charles Siron is a longtime HIV advocate who moved to San Francisco in 1981 and became involved in the city’s response to the epidemic following his HIV diagnosis in 1991. Soon after, Mayor Frank Jordan appointed him to one of San Francisco’s earliest HIV planning councils. Siron subsequently expanded his advocacy to the state and national levels, including service with the California Council for HIV and direct legislative advocacy in Washington, D.C.

John Paul “JP” Soto has served with the Tenderloin Housing Clinic for more than two decades, leading programs that provide financial, housing, and bill-payment assistance to more than 2,000 people living with HIV. A volunteer with local nonprofit initiatives and participant in the Gay Rodeo, Soto studied psychology and anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Richard Sullivan is a co-chair of the San Francisco HIV Community Planning Council and its community engagement committee, who brings over 20 years of lived experience following his HIV diagnosis in 2004. He works as an outreach navigator for St. James Infirmary, collaborates with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s Syringe Access Services, and contributes to End Hep C SF and the San Francisco Hepatitis C Task Force. Active in community organizing and food-bank volunteer work, Sullivan graduated summa cum laude from San Francisco State University and is pursuing advanced training in mental health and addiction counseling at City College of San Francisco.

Laura Thomas is a member of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s policy team, where she works to protect the city’s care system, monitor local epidemiology, and improve housing access for vulnerable populations. An inaugural member of the federally mandated HIV planning council in 1988, Thomas also spent six years at the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s AIDS office. Her career also includes service with Tenderloin Health, the Drug Policy Alliance, and decades of federal advocacy to protect local care funding. She holds dual master’s degrees in public administration and public health from the University of California, Berkeley.