NMAC appoints Harold Phillips as incoming CEO in advance of the 29th U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, September 2, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Ahead of its 29th U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA), the nation’s largest convening of community and stakeholders, NMAC (formerly the National Minority AIDS Council) proudly announces Harold Phillips as its incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Phillips, who previously served as the Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), was selected in April 2024 by Executive Director, Paul Kawata, to co-lead the organization through an anticipated period of pivotal leadership transition. Kawata will retire after 36 years of dedicated service to the organization and to the HIV movement on October 7, paving the way for Phillips to take over immediately upon Kawata’s retirement.

Over the past year, Phillips has guided NMAC’s Center, Coalition, Communications, Policy, and Treatment divisions, while co-leading the Conferences and Development divisions. His leadership arrives at a critical moment for both public health and NMAC’s strategic direction. With deep federal experience shaping domestic and global HIV initiatives—and as someone living with HIV—Phillips brings both professional expertise and personal insight to the role. Having started his career in HIV at NMAC in the 1990s, his return to the organization marks a powerful homecoming, and the announcement of his new leadership role at this year’s USCHA themed “Aging with HIV,” is profound.

Lance Toma, Chair, Board of Directors, NMAC and CEO, San Francisco Community Health Center said, "The Board has exuberantly elected Harold Phillips as our new CEO. In this unprecedented moment, there is no one more strategically positioned and experienced to lead our movement through what we know will be some of the most tumultuous and complicated times ahead. The Board absolutely adores, admires, and applauds Paul Kawata; he is a force of nature and over the past 36 years has set NMAC up to fiercely and boldly confront the challenges ahead."

Harold Phillips, Incoming CEO, NMAC, shared, “It will be an extraordinary honor to lead NMAC at such a critical point in the HIV epidemic and in public health overall. Under Paul Kawata’s visionary leadership, NMAC has championed the needs of communities most impacted by HIV—those often furthest from healthcare and biomedical advances. As we move into our strategic implementation phase, I’m excited to strengthen our dedicated team and expand the partnerships that recognize NMAC’s unique value proposition in ending the HIV epidemic”.


About NMAC: Launched in 1987 during the early years of the HIV/AIDS crisis, NMAC is a national HIV organization that offers capacity building, leadership development, policy and advocacy, and public engagement to end the HIV epidemic among communities most impacted in the United States. We convene the Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit - the nation’s largest gathering of the public health workforce focused on PrEP for HIV prevention and the U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS - the nation’s largest gathering for community mobilization and workforce development.

For media inquiries or more information, please contact:


NMAC Press Contact:

Pavni Guharoy
NMAC
+12029099118 ext.
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.