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Adrian Shanker, executive director of the Spahr Center in California, has been appointed senior advisor on LGBTQI+ health equity to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Shanker has been volunteering in the Biden-Harris administration as a member of the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS since 2021. He joined the Spahr Center, which provides health care and other services to LGBTQ+ residents and people living with HIV. in Marin County, in April. Formerly of Allentown, Pa. He founded and directed the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center for over seven years.
While at the Spahr Center, Shanker led organizational branding with a new logo and website, expansion of programs for LGBTQ+ families, and introduction of the organization’s training institute. He has been a critical advocate for MPX vaccine access in Marin County, and he is the editor of the 2020 Anthology. Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists in Health and the new anthology Crisis and Care: Queer Activist Responses to a Global Epidemic.
“It has been a pleasure to work with the team at the Spahr Center to develop and expand programs and services for members of the LGBTQI+ and HIV+ community in Marin,” Shanker said in a press release from the center. “When I started at the Spahr Center, I did not envision a short tenure; however, I am confident that the organization will be in a strong position to continue its positive progress in serving Marin’s LGBTQI+ and HIV+ communities. I am deeply moved by the invitation to join the Biden-Harris administration in this endeavor and the administration’s commitment to advancing health equity for the LGBTQI+ community.” I look forward to supporting his efforts.
“When we hired Adrian, we knew we were bringing someone with great expertise in LGBTQI+ health,” Denny David, chair of the Spahr Center’s board of directors, said in the release. “The Biden administration agrees. For decades, the LGBTQI+ community has been fighting for a seat at the table, and we’ve seen the devastating consequences of being ignored. While we are saddened by the loss of Adrian, that sadness is tempered by great community pride. We are pleased to have a champion for our community’s health who will travel to Washington to advise the administration, and at Spar Center, we will continue to seamlessly deliver the services and programs our community needs.
Cindy L. Myers has been named interim executive director of the Spahr Center. The organization will conduct a national search for a new executive director, led by Kevin Chase’s executive search.
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