Brandy has worked, locally, nationally and internationally as a project manager for several diverse projects. The projects have focused on support for persons living with HIV and Hepatitis C, harm reduction, sexual health and HIV education. Brandy has also done consulting work in the United States, Norway, Italy, and the UK.

Brandy has been invited to present and attend several local, national and international conferences including the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the Canadian AIDS Society. She was a media co-chair for the International AIDS Conference 2006.

In 2007 she was the Youth United to CAP (Canadian African Partnership) AIDS Project Coordinator. The project promoted women’s education, empowerment and sexual self esteem through training, employment and the instigation of micro loans in remote communities in Malawi.

Brandy has also had the privilege of exploring her creative side as a professional photographer for the last four years as well as producing and directing. Most recently she produced, wrote, and directed a campaign for amfAR, www.makingaidshistory.org. She is excited to be able to bring these skills to the organization, ensuring that Does HIV Look Like Me? International continues to be the leader in producing innovative and relevant HIV Campaigns.

Brandy is so grateful and excited to lead Does HIV Look Like Me? International, and is looking forward to bringing her skills, and passion to the table while learning from all the amazing ambassadors, board and partners involved with the Does HIV Look Like Me? International.

e-mail: brandy@doeshivlooklikeme.org

Her primary focus with QHO was collaborating with Kenyatta University (KU) students to develop a Sexual Health & Life Skills curriculum for the Kenya project to be used in informal settlements around Nairobi. Her work ultimately led her to Kenya to teach the curriculum in secondary schools of the informal settlements whilst training the KU students to become facilitators.

Natalie’s experiences with QHO equipped her with a deeper understanding of the many challenges HIV positive individuals are faced with. Inspired by the desire to continue working in the field of HIV, she moved to Vancouver to work for bioLytical Laboratories as a research scientist. Natalie’s main focus at bioLytical was the development of the company’s pipeline of antibody and antigen detection assays and coordinating product defect investigations. However, her experience was not limited to Research & Development, she also assisted with Quality Assurance & Quality Control duties and regulatory FDA audits. Due to her familiarity with the HIV rapid test, Natalie often trained nurses and health practitioners on how to use the test.

After 3 years Natalie moved on from bioLytical Laboratories to pursue more community based HIV projects. Apart from joining Does HIV Look Like Me? International, she continues to maintain her ties with YouthCO HIV and HepC Society of BC as a board member.

e-mail: natalie@doeshivlooklikeme.org

Don has managed and conducted a broad range of financial investigations for private and public companies, various levels of governments and private individuals.

Don joined Deloitte FAS in 1998 after having spent three years with a large international accounting and management-consulting firm as vice president of its forensic practice. Prior to that, Mr. Svendson had a 26-year career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), ending as the Officer in Charge, Economic Crime Branch.

At the RCMP, Don managed and conducted numerous criminal investigations involving fraud, theft, secret commissions, breach of trust, commodities and futures trading, stock market manipulation, corruption of government officials, money laundering, gambling, drugs and violent crimes. Mr. Svendson’s primary focus was in the area of white-collar crime. He has provided expert testimony and fact-based testimony numerous times.

Dirceu believes that the fostering of leaders living with HIV and supporting them to share their experiences as people living with the illness, is the most effective way to work against the stigma that people living with HIV experience.

He has been working in Vancouver’s AIDS service community for 5 years in both professional and volunteer capacities and through this work has come to value the importance of building PLWHIV’s capacity to speak to their experiences living with the illness. He feels that the sharing of day-to-day experiences of stigma and how people with HIV surmount them is an effective way to do away with stigma and misinformation that infests the greater community. Dirceu is a firm believer in the strength of voice of strong leaders coming from within the community of people living with HIV and works to find meaningful and effective ways to facilitate this process. Dirceu currently divides his time between YouthCO AIDS Society and A Loving Spoonful Meals Society in his role of Finance Coordinator at both organizations and brings his finance skills and nerdery to Does HIV Look Like Me? In his spare time he enjoys being photographed by Brandy and riding his bike.

e-mail:   dirceu@doeshivlooklikeme.org

Her work began with YouthCO AIDS Society, Canada’s only youth-led HIV and AIDS organization, where Caitlin began volunteering at age 15. After directing several youth video productions, she later went on to become the provincial Hepatitis programs coordinator for the Agency. Caitlin also coordinated Crystal Clear, a harm reduction program for and by street-youth who use methamphetamines.

Caitlin then became Vancouver’s (Canada) first Youth Advocate Mentor, an advocacy position that reported directly to Mayor and City Council on the needs of children and youth in the city. With this position, she worked on issues as varied as youth homelessness, law enforcement relations and a monitoring project based on the Conventions on the Rights of the Child.
After leaving Vancouver for San Francisco and then Mexico, Caitlin began her international work with Youth RISE and then as the International Campaigns Coordinator for Hope’s Voice International and the “Does HIV Look Like Me?” training in Thailand.

She has been involved in several national and international committees, such as the Youth Advisory to the Public Health Agency of Canada, sub-committees for the International AIDS conference in Mexico City 2008, and currently sits on Youth RISE’s International Advisory Committee. She is regularly invited to speak, facilitate and moderate youth-related sessions and panels at High Level meetings within the United Nations Agencies, international organizations and conferences.

After several years of traveling and working internationally, Caitlin followed her desire for adventure to Cambodia. She worked on several HIV/AIDS, public health policy and human rights initiatives both within Cambodia and the South East Asia Region. These include advocacy and scaling-up of needle and syringe exchange programs, a training guide for stakeholders interested in implementing needle and syringe exchange programs, and an regional advocacy strategy for health and drug policy reform. After several fulfilling years working in SE Asia, Caitlin has recently moved to Mexico to be closer to her family.

Caitlin received her diploma in Child and Youth Care Counseling and Bachelor’s of Arts in Interdisciplinary Humanities and Psychology. She speaks French and Spanish, a little Thai and Khmer. She has traveled to 15 countries during her international work and has gained so much from these experiences. In her free time, she loves to dance, play with art, and be outside.

Caitlin is excited to be involved with Does HIV Look Like Me? International. She is looking forward to supporting young people around the world being networked together, creating change in their home countries and internationally, by making their faces, voices and stories seen and heard. She is honored to be able to support this process and to have the opportunity to work with so many courageous leaders.

e-mail:   caitlin@doeshivlooklikeme.org

It was through her work with YouthCO AIDS Society and Positive Women’s Network that she realized a true passion for working with people affected and infected with HIV/AIDS. Since then she has worked with Camp Moomba (a summer camp program for children affected and infected by HIV/AIDS), an HIV medication administration program for people on the DTES of Vancouver and sat on the Blue print coalition for action on women & girls and HIV/AIDS.

In 2007 Rachel was hired to supervise The Vivian, a harm reduction housing project for sex workers on the DTES on Vancouver. She has also presented at Canadian AIDS society Skills conference, Pacific AIDS Network Conference and the National Youth Conference.

Currently, she is completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and is honored and excited to bring her skills and passions to the board of Does HIV Look Like Me? International. In her free time, she loves to ride her bicycle and make a mess in her kitchen.

 He most recently helped to produce our Stop the Stigma video, and looks forward to working on our next national campaign.

e-mail:   dirceu@doeshivlooklikeme.org