About NC AIDS Action Network

Ciara Zachary is an assistant professor at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Prior to coming to NC Child, Ciara worked as a policy analyst on the Health Advocacy Project at the NC Justice Center and as health program director at NC Child. In addition to research and analysis, she worked with statewide partners and coalitions to protect and strengthen the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Through this work, Ciara began working with NC AIDS Action Network to fully implement the ACA by expanding Medicaid. She also has experience as a public health researcher focusing on injury prevention. Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Ciara relocated to the Triangle in 2015. Ciara received her doctorate from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, her Master’s from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Public Health, and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Elijah King graduated from high school in Durham, North Carolina, where he co-founded the Durham Neighbor’s Free Lunch Initiative and the Durham Youth Environmental Initiative. King is the current Third Vice Chair of the North Carolina Democratic party and has held key leadership positions within the North Carolinas Democratic Party, including the executive committees of the state party, the 4th Congressional District, and the Durham Democratic Party. He is currently working as a communications professional with a particular focus on government relations and digital organizing.

Jeffery Edwards-Knight is the supervisor of the HIV/ STD Community Testing and Outreach program at Mecklenburg County Public Health. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Jeffery was selected to attend and graduated from the African American HIV University in Los Angeles, sponsored by the Black AIDS Institute in collaboration with UCLA. Jeffery was featured in the POZ 100 Celebration of 100 long-term survivors. He started his work in the HIV field with the Metrolina AIDS Project as the MSM Health Educator in 2006.

In the past, Jeffery has served on the boards of the Charlotte Lesbian and Gay Community Center, Metrolina AIDS Project and the North Carolina AIDS Action Network, where he served as President. He has served on the State Community Planning Group with the North Carolina Communicable Disease Unit and the Mecklenburg County HIV Council. Jeffery now serves on the Mecklenburg County Getting to Zero Committee and the North Carolina Ending the Epidemic Committee. He heads the Mecklenburg County PrEP Initiative and has presented at numerous conferences and organized workshops around HIV. Jeffery currently is a member of the Charlotte BTAN (Black Treatment Advocates Network) chapter where he served on the Executive Committee.

Mike Weir is a senior manager on the Policy and Legislative Affairs team at NASTAD (National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors). He assists in the implementation of NASTAD’s legislative and policy priorities on HIV and hepatitis-related federal appropriations and legislative priorities. Mike currently serves as an elected member and Co-Chair of the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership (FAPP) and HIV Prevention Action Coalition. Prior to NASTAD, he interned at the White House in the Employee Benefits Division and the Office of National AIDS Policy, as well as at the Regional AIDS Interfaith Network (RAIN) in Charlotte, NC. Originally from New Bern, NC, Mike now resides in Washington, DC. Mike received his Master of Public Health from the George Washington University and B.A. in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Grace Wilkins has delivered care to people living with HIV/AIDS since the early 1980s. She provides care to the HIV & AIDS population of eastern North Carolina at ECU Adult Specialty Care, where she is also the Director of Clinical Operations. She is a board-certified nurse practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She has over 20 years of clinical research experience involving clinical trials for the development of new medications to treat HIV. She maintains the Antiretroviral Pregnancy Registry at ECU Adult Specialty Care for women who receive HIV treatment during pregnancy. She lectures locally, statewide, and nationally at HIV-related conferences and to community, student and provider groups. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1982. She completed a Master’s in Public Administration from East Carolina University in 1998. She received her Master’s in Nursing from the Duke University School of Nursing in 1998. She is most passionate about delivering direct patient care. She is devoted to community service and is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Chelsea Gulden is a longtime HIV advocate, service provider and inspiring national speaker. She joined the RAIN staff in 2010 after creating and implementing the first comprehensive program serving HIV positive youth in North Carolina, Empowering Positive Youth (EPY). EPY regularly receives national attention for its peer leadership model. The program has served over 1,000 positive youth through individual case management and support groups. Gulden began working in the HIV service sector shortly after her own diagnosis. She is an expert in HIV service delivery, programming and prevention. She brings 15 years of experience in coordinating programs for optimal health. Gulden spoke at the national virtual Ryan White conference and was a co-presenter on Intersectional Stigma and HIV for the National Institute of Health. She is currently Co-Chair of the Ryan White HIV Planning Body for Anson, Cabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Union, and York Counties. She is a presenter at national conferences, college campuses and a frequent guest on radio/television broadcasts. In 2006, she was a panelist on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Gulden has conducted prevention work in Ghana Africa and participated in the U.S. Executive Summary Report advocating for Comprehensive Sexual Education in schools. Gulden has received numerous honors including features in POZ Magazine and HIV Plus. She holds a Masters of Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research focused on the intersection of intimate partner violence and HIV. She has additional training in trauma informed care. She is currently the President and CEO at RAIN, Inc. in Charlotte NC.