AIDS United Names Monique Tula to Vice-President of Programs

AIDS United, dedicated to ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S., has promoted Monique Tula to vice president of programs, overseeing all grant-making and capacity building initiatives at the agency, effective March 1. Tula brings more than 20 years of progressive leadership, harm reduction and organizational development experience in the HIV field.

Tula has developed and managed HIV prevention programs, provided expert technical assistance in strategic planning and organizational development. Tula is a recognized proponent of both harm reduction and the meaningful involvement of people living with and at risk for HIV in the design and implementation of services and policies that impact them.

"I'm deeply honored to have been considered for the position and excited about the opportunity to bring my on-the-ground experience to the work AIDS United does at the national level," said Tula. "I believe an intersectional approach remains the most important tool the HIV community has in our arsenal: understanding and combating health disparities through a socioeconomic, social justice and a biomedical lens. As a person deeply affected by HIV and viral hepatitis on a personal level, I look forward to the day when we can say with confidence that we've won the fight by using effective, innovative and person-centered strategies."

Prior to being named Vice President of Programs, Tula served as senior program manager for the AIDS United Access to Care initiative and most-recently, as director of capacity building, where she oversaw all capacity building and some grant-making initiatives. Under her leadership, AIDS United launched the capacity-building assistance program Getting to Zero, which is funded through a five-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As director of capacity building, Tula thoughtfully aligned unique services and strengths of complementing AIDS United initiatives in order to better serve people impacted by HIV.

"Tula's targeted and systematic approach to program planning, implementation, and evaluation and deep appreciation for strengthening systems has a been a true asset for AIDS United," said AIDS United President and CEO Michael Kaplan. "I'm thrilled to continue my work with Ms. Tula in this new capacity," said Kaplan.

Dr. Robert Hilliard Jr, chair of the AIDS United Board of Trustees, said, "We couldn't be more excited to welcome Ms. Tula into the position of vice president of programs. Her passion for innovative and responsive program design, ability to build capacity among staff and partners as well as her strength in identifying opportunities for AIDS United to become more efficient and streamlined couldn't have come at a better time."

Created by a merger between the National AIDS Fund and AIDS Action in late 2010, AIDS United's mission is to end the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., through strategic grant-making, capacity building, formative research and policy. AIDS United works to ensure access to life-saving HIV/AIDS care and prevention services and to advance sound HIV/AIDS-related policy for U.S. populations and communities most impacted by the epidemic. To date, our strategic grant-making initiatives have directly funded more than $91 million to local communities, and have leveraged more than $115 million in additional investments for programs that include, but are not limited to, HIV prevention, access to care, capacity building, harm reduction and advocacy.