The White House
announced Thursday that Jeffrey S. Crowley will be the Director
of Office of National AIDS Policy.
Crowley, a Senior
Research Scholar at Georgetown University's Health Policy
Institute, will coordinate the federal government's efforts on
HIV/AIDS policy and will help guide the administration's
development of disability policies, according to a release.
"Jeffrey Crowley
brings the experience and expertise that will help our nation
address the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis and help my administration
develop policies that will serve Americans with
disabilities," President Barack Obama said in a press
statement. "In both of these key areas, we continue to face
serious challenges and we must take bold steps to meet them. I
look forward to Jeffrey's leadership on these critical
issues."
The Office of National
AIDS Policy (ONAP) is tasked with coordinating the
government's efforts to reduce the number of HIV infections
across the United States. During the 2008 election, President
Obama pledged to develop a national AIDS strategy -- a job
which will now be spearheaded by the Office of National AIDS
Policy. ONAP also coordinates with international bodies in the
fight against HIV/AIDS.
The press release
praised Crowley's 14 years of experience with working to
improve access to health and social services for people living
with HIV/AIDS, people with physical and mental disabilities,
low-income individuals, and other vulnerable populations.
Crowley previously
served as the deputy executive director for programs at the
National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA). While at
NAPWA, he helped implement key initiatives such as the National
HIV Testing Day Campaign and the Ryan White National Youth
Conference.
Crowley received his
Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University's
School of Hygiene and Public Health, and his Bachelor of Arts
in Chemistry from Kalamazoo College. He also served in the
United States Peace Corps as a high school science teacher at
the Nsongweni High School in Swaziland.