News

President Bush Expands AIDS Policy Team

Evertz to Coordinate U.S. Role on Global Fund Board; O'Neill Moving Into National Policy Office

July 18, 2002

(WASHINGTON, DC) – Following up on his commitment to a two-front war on the AIDS epidemic – both at home and abroad – President Bush is expected to appoint his director of national AIDS policy to coordinate U.S. policy on the international Global Fund to fight AIDS and infectious diseases, and Dr. Joe O'Neill to head up the Office of National AIDS Policy.

The move would add another openly gay Bush Administration appointee on the administration's AIDS policy team, and adds manpower in the fight against the epidemic at home and abroad.

"President Bush continues to lead where others merely offered speeches and rhetoric," said Rich Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans. "With Scott Evertz and Joe O'Neill, we have two of the best qualified people in the nation on the President's team fighting the AIDS epidemic both at home and abroad."

"This sends a message to people with HIV/AIDS everywhere that the United States will continue to lead the world in this fight, in terms of funding, manpower, expertise and commitment," Tafel said.

President Bush named Evertz national AIDS policy director in 2001, and was the first openly gay person appointed to the position in history. He was a leader inside the Administration in support of creating the Global Fund, and joined President Bush and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in a Rose Garden ceremony last year announcing the launch of the fund, with seed money from the United States.

O'Neill is currently the acting director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy at the Department of Health and Human Resources. Before taking over OHAP, O'Neill directed the HHS bureau administering over $1 billion in annual grants under the Ryan White CARE Act. Before entering government, O'Neill was on the medical staff of the Chase Brexton Clinic in Baltimore, Md. Board certified in internal medicine, he is a graduate of the School of Medicine of the University of California at San Francisco, and holds degrees in Business Administration, Public Health, and Health and Medical Sciences from UC Berkeley.

Log Cabin Republicans is the nation's largest gay and lesbian Republican organization, with state and local chapters nationwide, a full-time national office and a federal political action committee.