The POZ 100: S-T

Introduction | A-C | D-F | G-H | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-T | V-Z

Donald ‘Bud’ Sadler

Donald ‘Bud’ Sadler
IT and Facilities Manager
Northland Cares
Prescott, Arizona
Positive since 1994

Donald ‘Bud’ Sadler personifies the mission of Northland Cares, which is “to improve the quality of life for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS through care and education in the communities we serve.” Bud spends twice as many hours volunteering as he does as a paid contractor. He uses every opportunity to reach out to those who are struggling with their diagnosis, or to teach a young person the facts of HIV/AIDS, or to provide his compassionate counseling to a scared and vulnerable person coming in for testing. He holds himself to the highest standards and keeps the needs of the clients first and foremost in his mind at all times.

Raquel Sapien

Raquel Sapien
Leadership Committee Member
National Latino AIDS Action Network
Joplin, Missouri
Positive since 1992

Raquel Sapien has been at the forefront fighting for the rights of the transgender community and people living with HIV/AIDS. She is on the National Advisory Board of the Center of Excellence for Transgender Health and an active member of the Global Network of People Living with HIV/North America. Raquel serves as the Midwest representative for the Leadership Committee of the National Latino AIDS Action Network and is part of the CDC’s HIV/AIDS awareness and anti-stigma campaign, “Let’s Stop HIV Together.” Raquel was awarded a certificate of recognition from the California State Senate for her work promoting, protecting and improving the health of the transgender community, and last year she spoke in the Global Village at the International AIDS Conference addressing the health disparities of transgender individuals in this country and their exclusion from society as a whole.

Joe Scarborough

Joe Scarborough
Ambassador of Hope
Dab the AIDS Bear Project
Wilmington, Delaware
Positive since 1992

Joe Scarborough has been working in the HIV/AIDS community for more than 20 years. As an ambassador of hope for the Dab the AIDS Bear Project, he shares the project’s message of hope, love and compassion for people living with the virus. Joe is a cochair of the Delaware HIV Planning Council and works part-time at the Delaware HIV Consortium as a community planning and policy development specialist. He played an integral role representing the HIV community in the introduction and passage of several pieces of legislation including ones on medical marijuana, needle exchange and routine opt-out HIV testing. Joe is an advocate for the homeless, especially those living with AIDS. He is a regular guest speaker at high schools, universities, community events and conferences. He also teaches classes on advocacy for people living with HIV in Delaware.

Scott Schoettes

Scott Schoettes
HIV Project Director
Lambda Legal
Chicago, Illinois
Positive since 1999

Scott Schoettes is the HIV Project Director for Lambda Legal, the oldest and largest national legal organization committed to achieving recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and people with HIV. He co-chairs the HIV Legal Working Group at the Positive Justice Project and has worked on the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act. Scott was also involved in the effort to take down the travel and immigration ban against people living with HIV. This year, he received a standing ovation at Lavender Law for his presentation about the continued need for the LGBT community’s support of HIV legal advocacy. He has done an incredible amount of work on HIV criminalization, including cases that have challenged existing state laws. Scott is a legal champion for people living with HIV.

Nicole Seguin

Nicole Seguin
Director
National HIV/AIDS Disability Project
Hamtramck, Michigan
Positive since 2005

While in school for computer engineering, Nicole Seguin was diagnosed with HIV, and it inspired her to become more involved in the HIV community, particularly addressing issues affecting women, infants and children. She joined the Ryan White Part D Michigan Community Advisory Board and was soon elected chair. Her unwavering dedication to educate the community about research has given women a much-needed voice in the Detroit HIV community. Nicole was selected to be the regional representative for the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trial Network (IMPAACT). She was also selected to be a part of the AIDS Alliance Consumer Leadership Corps Training Program and appointed by Detroit Mayor Dave Bing to represent the community on the Southeastern Michigan HIV/AIDS Planning Council. Nicole is the board treasurer for the Detroit chapter of the Positive Women’s Network and is in school pursuing a degree in political science.

Michael Siever

Michael Siever
Independent Agent
Social Justice Activism
San Francisco, California
Positive since 1991

Throughout his many years of service in San Francisco, most recently as the director of Behavioral Health Services for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Michael Siever has always been a champion for harm reduction and gay men’s health. Sixteen years ago, he founded the Stonewall Project, a family of counseling, treatment and support services for gay and bisexual men who want to address their alcohol and drug use. He was also one of the founders of Magnet, the gay men’s health center in the heart of the Castro neighborhood, which offers an array of free sexual health services for HIV-negative and HIV-positive men. Now in its 10th year, Magnet promotes the health and well-being of the gay community and provides more than 16,000 tests for HIV and sexually transmitted infections each year.

Bob Skinner

Bob Skinner
President/CEO
Valley AIDS Information Network Inc.
Corvallis, Oregon
Positive since 2000

Bob Skinner moved to Oregon after his AIDS diagnosis and  has since dedicated his time working on HIV/AIDS issues. He began as a volunteer for Valley AIDS Information Network Inc. and has been the president and CEO since 2007. Bob was the co-chair of Oregon’s State Planning Group for two years. He is an avid speaker, and last year, he reached nearly 1,500 students of all ages through his educational presentations. He is a master trainer with Stanford’s Positive Self-Management Program, also known as Living Well with HIV. When Bob isn’t speaking to students or facilitating a positive self-management workshop, you can find him thinking of ways to get the word out to high-risk groups. His dream is to see the end of this disease.

D Gregory Smith

D Gregory Smith
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Yellowstone AIDS Project/AIDS Outreach
Bozeman, Montana
Positive since 2007

An original member of the Montana Governor’s AIDS Advisory Council, D Gregory Smith has been active in Montana HIV/AIDS work since 1994. He is passionate about HIV education, prevention and treatment and works primarily as a licensed mental health counselor, conducting HIV support groups, counseling, speaking, writing and helping facilitate men’s health retreats statewide. But he is also a teacher, health educator, activist, poet, spiritual adventurer and future husband—as well as an opinionated and witty optimist. He loves writing (his work can be found on The Bilerico Project and LGBTQ Nation) as well as his partner, Ken, and their two dogs, Bandit and Phyllis.

Lawrence Stallworth II

Lawrence Stallworth II
Youth Services Coordinator
AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland
Euclid, Ohio
Positive since 2009

Lawrence Stallworth II discovered he was HIV positive at the age of 17. After confronting discrimination and stigma, he got involved in the community. He became a member of the Ohio Advocates Youth Leadership Council at the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland and gained broad expertise on sexual health and HIV/AIDS rights issues, policies, advocacy and new media. Lawrence has appeared on TV and at universities to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and sexual health issues. He has educated policy makers and advisory councils—including the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS—about the need to establish budgetary allocations specific to young people’s sexual health and regarding access to antiretroviral therapy. Lawrence is currently the youngest member of the Cleveland Planning Council for Ryan White HIV/AIDS Services.

Wayne Starks

Wayne Starks
Board Member
VOCAL-NY
New York, New York
Positive since 1986

Wayne Starks became an activist in 2006 when the governor of New York introduced a policy that would have forced thousands of low-income New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS into homelessness. A former New York City bus driver, Wayne spent many years living on the streets and in HIV/AIDS Services Administration housing after he was diagnosed with HIV. Today, he uses that experience in his work with VOCAL-NY, a statewide grassroots membership organization. He is involved with their campaigns advocating for the “Robin Hood tax,” as well as expanding access to hepatitis C testing and care and ensuring legal protections for syringe access. Wayne has been active in Occupy Wall Street, National People’s Action, Right to the City and other movements for economic and racial justice.

Cedric Sturdevant

Cedric Sturdevant
Project Coordinator
My Brother’s Keeper
Jackson, Mississippi
Positive since 2005

In 2006, Cedric Sturdevant began volunteering with Magnolia Medical Clinic (MMC), and it launched his passion for AIDS advocacy. After completing HIV 101 courses at MMC, he enrolled in the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN), a program created by the Black AIDS Institute that provides individuals with the training and tools to respond to the AIDS epidemic in their communities. Cedric is now a co-chair of BTAN. As a project coordinator for My Brother’s Keeper, Cedric underscores the importance of HIV prevention, education and awareness. He is also the project coordinator for Project TRUST (Through Response Uplifting & Supportive Talk), and he facilitates the only African-American MSM HIV-positive support group in the state. Last year, Cedric appeared in Deep South—a documentary about HIV in America’s Southern states.

Teresa Sullivan

Teresa Sullivan
Project TEACH Instructor
and Peer Support Specialist
Philadelphia FIGHT
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Positive since 1997

Teresa Sullivan is an instructor and peer support specialist for Project TEACH (Treatment Education Activists Combating HIV), an innovative health education program that trains people living with HIV to be peer educators and advocates in the underserved communities hardest hit by the epidemic. She also advocates for HIV-positive individuals who are being detained in the Philadelphia Prison System. Teresa sits on the board of the Positive Women’s Network and is co-coordinator of its Philadelphia chapter. As a TEAM (Treatment Education, Adherence and Mobilization) navigator for the National Minority AIDS Council, Teresa trains other HIV-positive people how to begin a dialogue about treatment as prevention in their own communities. She is a graduate fellow of the Black AIDS Institute and is currently seeking a degree in health care service management.

Coleman Terrell

Coleman Terrell
Program Administrator
Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Positive since 1987

Coleman Terrell has worked for decades battling the HIV epidemic. He was one of the influential voices of ACT UP Philadelphia thanks to his savvy ability to mobilize people, plan effective demonstrations, utilize the media to maximum effect, and work with the government and pharmaceutical companies. He fought in the trenches and was once beaten in the head by the police and taken away in handcuffs at a demonstration. Coleman worked for one of the first AIDS service organizations and later transitioned to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health in the AIDS Activities Coordinating Office. His current position is as program administrator. Coleman’s intellect, vision, ability to spot trends and his passion for the work and compassion for others have helped shape the effectiveness of the city government and have enhanced the ability of many service providers in the jurisdiction.

Justin B. Terry-Smith

Justin B. Terry-Smith
Author and Blogger
Justin’s HIV Journal
Laurel, Maryland
Positive since 2006

Justin B. Terry-Smith is an HIV and gay civil rights activist who has worked and volunteered in several organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign, Black AIDS Institute, Equality Maryland, Whitman-Walker Health and the National Black Justice Coalition. He created “Justin’s HIV Journal,” a personal blog filled with insight, info and intelligence, to advocate for HIV/AIDS education, prevention and awareness. He has written for the Black AIDS Institute, TheBody.com, A&U Magazine, GBMNews.com and Baltimore Gay Life; plus, he is a correspondent for GLO TV and writes an HIV advice column called Just*in Time. He’s also the author of a children’s book, I Have A Secret, which is a story about a young boy living with the virus. He is developing an HIV campaign called “Write a Letter to HIV” and is working toward a master’s degree in public health.

Kerry Thomas

Kerry Thomas
Board Member
The Sero Project
Boise, Idaho
Positive since 1983

Kerry Thomas is an inmate in the Idaho Correctional Center. He has been sentenced to over 30 years for nondisclosure of HIV despite the fact that (1) the woman who leveled these accusations was not infected, (2) a condom was used, and (3) he was told by a medical professional that he was considered non-transmittable. During his time in prison, Kerry has worked with various outreach organizations on issues surrounding HIV criminalization and has given interviews on the topic. Kerry works with the Sero Project to help raise awareness of HIV criminalization laws and to use his story to sway the conversation toward a more enlightened justice system.

Introduction | A-C | D-F | G-H | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-T | V-Z

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