In 2017, as part of our mission to prepare and involve women living with HIV in all levels of advocacy and decision making tables that impact their lives, we launched a yearlong federal policy training fellowship program for people who identify as women living with HIV. We’re thrilled to congratulate our first 12 PWN policy fellows for graduating on April 13, 2018, during the SPEAK UP! Summit.

These fellows participated in extensive policy advocacy trainings and completed a 3-month practicum where they worked with host organizations to apply what they learned. Fellows were supported by the PWN Policy Department and a team of Policy Coaches:  Suraj Madoori from Treatment Action Group, Kathie Hiers from AIDS Alabama, Jessica Terlikowski formerly of AIDS Foundation of Chicago, and Kim Miller formerly of the HIV Medicine Association.

Check out what our amazing 2017-2018 PWN Policy Fellow graduates worked on:

  • Thandi Harris (CA) -interned at Project Inform and created an advocacy toolkit for new HIV advocates
  • Angela Hawkins (TX ) – interned at Family Justice Network and created a factsheet on paid family leave in Texas
  • Chunnika Hodges (MI) – worked with Black Treatment AIDS Network (BTAN) – Detroit and developed a working group on sexual and reproductive health and rights of women in Michigan, particularly women living in rural areas
  • Stacy Jennings (SC) – worked with the Women’s Rights Empowerment Network and wrote “To Bare or Not To Bare”, a reproductive justice-based family planning fact sheet for WLHIV
  • Shyronn Jones (GA) – worked with Georgia Equality in partnership with the Georgia Coalition to End HIV Criminalization and organized a postcard project to get facts about HIV criminalization and stories of people living with HIV to GA legislators
  • Kamaria Laffrey (FL) – worked with the Florida Community Health Worker Coalition and wrote a policy brief comparing Medicaid expansion in Florida to Medicaid expansion efforts in other Republican-led states
  • Arianna Lint (FL) – worked at Arianna’s Center/Positively Trans to develop a needs assessment survey for trans women of color living with HIV in Florida,
  • Tiommi Luckett (AR) – worked with PWN-USA and created a best practices tool kit based on Affordable Care Act advocacy
  • Teresa Sullivan (PA) – worked with Planned Parenthood PA and wrote “Abortions Past The 2nd Trimester Is A Woman’s Reproductive Right”, a policy brief on PA SB 3 (a 20 week abortion ban bill)
  • Evany Turk – (TX) – worked with the Afiya Center and created a factsheet highlighting the intersection of reproductive justice and HIV
  • Brandi Velasquez (OR) – worked at Quest Center for Integrated Health to  develop a needs assessment survey on the availability HIV services for women in Oregon
  • Katie Willingham (AL) – worked with Thrive Alabama to organize an advocacy day for a group of Alabama voters to meet with their state legislators.