ICASO welcomes three extraordinary new board members
The ICASO Board is proud to announce the election of three new members: Phylesha Brown-Acton, Alexander Pastoors, and Ben Plumley. ICASO board chair Marama Pala confirmed the elections following the Annual General Meeting on October 20, 2017. “We are honored to have these three dedicated veterans of the global AIDS movement on our team. ICASO and our partners are surely strengthened by their coming onboard at this critical time in our collective history,” said Ms. Pala.
The new members will fill two existing vacancies, as well as the seat of outgoing board member Don Baxter. Don has been a long-term champion of ICASO, and the staff and board are sad to see him go. “Don is not only a friend to me and ICASO, but he is a treasure in the global fight against AIDS. He has played an important role in our organizational evolution and we hope to continue working alongside him for years to come. We extend our deepest gratitude to Don for his incomparable service to ICASO,” said ICASO’s Executive Director, Mary Ann Torres.
Phylesha Brown-Acton has worked in the HIV sector and on behalf of LGBTQI communities for more than 20 years. Based in New Zealand, Phylesha is the founder and Director of F’INE Pasifika Aotearoa, which is an organisation that provides navigational support services to indigenous LGBTQI people in Auckland city. She is also the Co-Chair of the Asia Pacific Transgender Network (APTN), an advisor to the Northland District Health Boards Advisory for Transgender Health Services Advisory group, and a trustee of INA Maori, Indigenous & South Pacific HIV & AIDS Foundation.
Alexander Pastoors is currently Chairman of the Dutch Association of People Living with HIV. A long-time HIV activist, Mr. Pastoors brings a wealth of experience in European and global AIDS advocacy to the ICASO board. He currently sits on the Conference Coordinating Committee for AIDS 2018, which will be held in Amsterdam. Alexander lives in Rotterdam.
Ben Plumley brings an unparalleled mix of experience in high-level health policy and philanthropy, and direct program implementation to the ICASO board. He has worked with UNAIDS several times, serving as the Civil Society Coordinator at the first UN General assembly on AIDS, and later as the Director of the Executive Office. Ben was the founding executive director of the Global Business Coalition on HIV & AIDS. And in 2010 Ben became CEO of Pangaea Global AIDS, until its closure in 2017. Ben lives in San Francisco.
The new members will begin their service to the board immediately.
