For Immediate Release October 17, 2006
Media Contact: Geoffrey Knox: 212-229-0540

(New York, October 17, 2006) — The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission’s (IGLHRC) Board of Directors elected seven new members at its Fall 2006 meeting. The new members include leaders in the fields of HIV/AIDS prevention and services, international relations at the governmental and NGO levels, as well as corporate and individual philanthropy.

"We are so pleased to welcome such a talented group of people to our Board of Directors," said Paula Ettelbrick, Executive Director of IGLHRC. "Their experience, both in the United States and globally, will bring additional insight and expanded expertise to our work to promote and protect the human rights of LGBT people everywhere."

The newly elected members, based in Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, include:

• Al Bellesteros, Los Angeles, CA, is the Chief Executive Officer of JWCH Institute, Inc. With more than 12 program sites and five primary care clinics, JWCH provides medical services to more than 35,000 persons annually. Bellesteros was formerly the Associate Vice President of HIV and Substance Services for AltaMed Health Services Corporation, and the immediate past Co-Chair of the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV Health Services. He is a founding member and current publisher of ADELANTE Magazine, LA’s distinguished Latino gay and lesbian bilingual publication. Bellesteros serves on the Los Angeles Police Department’s Gay and Lesbian Community Task Force.
• Michael Conway, Los Angeles, CA, is the Chief Administrative Officer of the United Talent Agency, a leader among the entertainment industry’s talent and literary agencies. Conway has been involved over the years in co-chairing a number of major fundraising events for groups, such as AIDS Project Los Angeles, and other HIV and LGBT groups in Los Angeles.
• Tim Lane, PhD., San Francisco, CA, is an Assistant Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California at San Francisco. His current research, "HIV Prevention among High-Risk Men in South Africa," will include an ethnography of the social and sexual lives of men who have sex with men (MSM) in greater Johannesburg, South Africa. Lane has been a member of the African Studies Association since 1998.
• Todd Larson, New York, NY, is Senior Counsellor at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), where he undertakes extensive outreach throughout North America on behalf of WIPO. He has been with the United Nations system for over 15 years, previously serving out in the field with both the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations.
• Harvey Makadon, M.D., Boston, MA, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Vice President of Global Programs at Harvard Medical International. He has been on the forefront of efforts to improve care for people with HIV as well as for LGBT communities. Makadon was previously Director of Education and Professional Training at The Fenway Institute, Fenway Community Health, Boston area’s largest LGBT health center. He is developing HIV education efforts through a foundation he co-founded in Mumbai, India and is also working with the MSM community in Mumbai through the Humsafar Trust. He founded and chaired the AIDS Task Force of the Society of General Medicine.
• José Román, New York, NY, is Director of Grants & Contracts Management and Compliance at the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Román has over 20 years experience working in government and non-profit management in the United States, Europe and the Developing World. Prior to his work at IRC, José was the Director of Global Operations Finance and Administration at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.
• Runa Saeki, New York, NY, is the Senior Vice President, IBD Legal at Lehman Brothers. Saeki is responsible for internal legal support of all transactional aspects of Lehman Brothers’ investment banking business, including M & A, equity capital markets and leveraged finance departments. She is an active member of Lehman Brothers Gay & Lesbian Network.

The new Board members join IGLHRC’s present Board, which includes:

• Ally Bolour, Immigration Attorney, Law Office of Ally Bolour, Los Angeles, CA
• Jenesha de Rivera, Nonprofit Financial Consultant, Berkeley, CA
• Tom Dougherty, (Board Co-Chair) Executive Director, Doctors of the World USA, New York, NY
• Dianne Forte, Managing Director, DC Office, Heifer International, Washington, DC
• Dipti Ghosh, Vice President-Investments, UBS Global Financial Services, San Francisco, CA
• Sel Julian Hwahng, Research Investigator, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc.; Visiting Scholar and Adjunct Professor, Columbia University, New York, NY
• Yulin J. Ling, CEO, Dream Hatch, New York, NY
• Pamela Merchant, Executive Director, The Center for Justice and Accountability, San Francisco, CA
• Dorothy E. Sander, (Board Co-Chair) Private Investor, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

(Organizational affiliations listed with Board names are for identification purposes only.)

"IGLHRC’s work is needed more than ever around the world, and as our organization continues to grow, we are delighted that such a prestigious group of community members are making this commitment to our global human rights mission," said Tom Dougherty, IGLHRC’s Co-Chair.

For full biographies of or to arrange interviews with the newly elected IGLHRC Board members, please contact Geoffrey Knox at 212-229-0540 or gknox@geoffreyknox.com.
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