Executive Director: Joan Benoit

Joan Benoît is an enrolled member of the Chippewa of the Thames, First Nation and has been the Executive Director of the Native American AIDS Project since 1999.

Joan has over 20 years of experience in the HIV care and prevention field. She has developed and implemented HIV care and prevention programs within Native American communities, integrating traditional Native approaches with western interventions to create effective and innovative programming to meet the needs of the most at-risk populations in American Indian communities.

Joan has served as an HIV Regional Consultant for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was a member of the Native American HIV Dialogue Group for the CDC and Indian Health Service and a member of the San Francisco HIV Prevention Planning Council. Since 2008, Joan has served on the National Minority AIDS Council, American Indian Policy Advisory Group. As part of her ongoing training as a HIV/AIDS specialist and leader in the Non-profit Community, Joan is currently participating in the National Minority AIDS Council's Nonprofit Executive Leadership Academy, after being selected through a national competitive selection process. This program is designed for mid-career Executive Directors to enhance leadership capacity skills, including sessions on Strategic Visioning, Systems Development and one-on-one executive coaching. This builds upon her work as a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Price Fellow for HIV Prevention Leadership, in 2002, where she was the only Native American to serve in this capacity. This program provided fellows with an opportunity to exchange HIV prevention and other health related issues with other CBO leaders, CDC personnel, state and local health department representatives throughout the county.

Joan has been on numerous Boards of Directors for various non-profit organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, has served on several Federal grant review committees and provided professional consultation for the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, as well as participated in planning committees for local and national HIV prevention and care conferences.

HIV Prevention Case Manager: Gayle Burns

Gayle Burns is fifty-nine years old and has worked at NAAP for 9 years. She has held several job positions including, health educator, outreach worker, and is at the present time Native American AIDS Project’s Prevention Case Manager. Gayle Burns has been a member of the S.F. HIV Prevention Planning Council for 8 years, served 4 years on the HPPC Council as Co-Chair, and is also a San Francisco Representative for Urban Coalition For HIV/AIDS Prevention Services on a National Level. Gayle Burns is also a member of the Transgender Advisory Committee for 8 years, Grandmother, Great-grandmother of 1. She is also pow wow dancer.

Mental Health Specialist: Mike Sanders

Mike Sanders has been a psychological therapist for over thirty years. He is a licensed Marriage and Family Counselor. Mr. Sanders has been working as a therapist for Native American AIDS Project since January 1998. His specialty is alcohol and drug substance abuse counseling. Mr. Sanders also served as a Clinical Director at Ohlhoff Outpatient Programs for seven years. Mr. Sanders is a dedicated ally and supporter of health and wellness in the Native American community.

Peer Advocate: Anna LeRoy

Anna LeRoy (Umaha and Northern Ponca) has been a Peer Advocate at Native American AIDS Project for over eight years. She has also been the Taking Care of the Tribe Pow Wow Coordinator, which commemorates National Native American AIDS Awareness Day, since its inception in 2007. Ms. LeRoy grew up as a Southern Traditional Pow Wow dancer, contest judge, pow wow coordinator, and seamstress. She has worked to educate our community on cultural arts such sewing and beading traditional regalia, worn by dancers during a pow wow. Ms. LeRoy is an avid health educator and advocate for the incorporation of traditional arts and healing.

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