Sandra Thurman

Sandra L. Thurman has been a leading advocate in the fight against AIDS for more than two decades. She is the President of the International AIDS Trust (IAT), a nonprofit organization dedicated to policy and leadership development in the global effort to combat HIV/AIDS. Under her leadership, IAT created the first AIDS Leadership Programs for Heads of State, Parliamentarians, and women leaders from around the world. Ms. Thurman chaired the Women's Leadership Program at the International AIDS Conference in Barcelona in 2002. In addition, IAT created the Organization of African First Ladies Against AIDS to focus on the disproportionate impact of the epidemic on women and children. IAT has provided training to leaders at national, state and local levels worldwide on the development and implementation of policies that foster effective prevention and treatment programs. From its inception, IAT has worked closely with its founding co-chairs, Former President Bill Clinton, Former President Nelson Mandela and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to support the active involvement of leaders in all sectors in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

In addition to her work with IAT, Ms. Thurman serves as a consultant to foundations and high net worth individuals on the development of investment strategies and programs in the areas of HIV/AIDS, children's health and women's issues in the developing world. She is also a lecturer at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and continues to work as an author.

From 1997-2001 Ms. Thurman served as the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy at the White House and was appointed by President Clinton to serve as the first Presidential Envoy for AIDS Cooperation. During her tenure in the White House, Ms. Thurman expanded the portfolio of ONAP to include international AIDS programs. Ms. Thurman led the efforts to triple funding for the US government's international HIV/AIDS programs, and double funding for domestic HIV/AIDS programs increasing total US spending on HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs to over $10 billion annually, making hers the largest AIDS portfolio in the world. In 1999 Ms. Thurman led the first U.S. delegation to look at the impact of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. That trip led to the first report by the President of the United States to the Congress on the impact of AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children. She created the First Presidential Initiative on AIDS (the LIFE Initiative) which included a multi-sectoral approach to addressing the epidemic. In her capacity as Presidential Envoy for AIDS Cooperation, she worked with a variety of world leaders to develop policies and mobilize the resources necessary to address the epidemic.

Before her appointment to the White House, she was the Director of Citizen Exchange Programs at the United States Information Agency.

From 1993-1996 Ms. Thurman served as Director of Advocacy Programs for the Task Force on Child Survival and Development at the Carter Center. The Task Force, which was co-sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation, the World Bank and UNICEF focused on increasing immunization and child survival rates worldwide. She coordinated all advocacy and outreach activities and directed the development of a comprehensive advocacy strategy with Rotary International to increase US government funding for the effort to eradicate polio.

From 1988-1993 Ms. Thurman served as Executive Director of AID Atlanta, one of the nation's oldest and largest community-based nonprofits providing health and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS and HIV prevention programs.

A lifelong advocate for the poor and disenfranchised, Ms. Thurman began her career as a volunteer in a poverty rights office, worked as a counselor and developed employment training programs for ex offenders. She has served on the boards of a variety of nonprofit organizations including the March of Dimes, National Kidney Foundation, Atlanta Ballet, National Episcopal AIDS Coalition, Atlanta Interfaith AIDS Network, and the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation among others. In addition, she has chaired fundraising events for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Heart Strings, and other charities.

She obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Resources Administration and Management with an emphasis in Counseling from Mercer University.