We are Greater Cincinnati’s nonprofit devoted to positively changing lives in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Through HIV prevention, housing and care, our work to end the HIV epidemic is essential to a healthy community.
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The Fight Isn’t Over
The fight against HIV has come a long way. Advances in prevention and treatment—and years of strategic investment—have brought us closer than ever to an HIV-free future. Across the country, communities have used these resources to expand care, reduce new infections and address the inequities that have fueled the epidemic for decades. It’s a pivotal moment—where science, strategy and community momentum are aligned.
But this progress is fragile. In some regions and states, shifting priorities and stigma-driven policies are already slowing or reversing gains. We know what works—but ending the HIV epidemic will take continued investment in the people, programs and policies that drive real change.
At Caracole’s Caracon Symposium 2025: The Fight Isn’t Over, speakers explored how communities are responding to HIV—what’s working, where progress is stalling and the barriers we still need to overcome. Watch the sessions and follow along with the Powerpoint slides below.
Divestment and Criminalization: Attacks on People Living with and Deeply Impacted by HIV
Explore the current legal landscape and its impact on HIV care, prevention, and criminalization across the United States. See how legal cases and judicial rulings are shaping public health efforts in 2025.
Hamilton County Public Health Drug Checking Program
Examine an innovative Hamilton County Public Health program that tests and tracks the street drug supply in partnership with people who actively use drugs. Understand how the program informs interventions and builds relationships with an underserved community to center their voices and safety concerns.
Advancing Health Equity for Black SGL Men in Chicago
Discover how the Chicago Black Men’s Caucus supports same-gender-loving Black men through psycho-social events. Learn how community-centered spaces advance public health messaging and improve health outcomes and equity for a population heavily impacted by HIV.
From Exam Rooms to Living Rooms: The Shift Toward HIV Self-Testing
Follow the shift from in-person HIV testing to self-testing and explore how programs are adapting. Learn strategies for reaching underserved communities with actionable public health messaging and why the community values self-testing.
Jesse Milan, Jr., JD
CEO Emeritus, AIDS United
Jesse Milan, Jr., JD is a nationally recognized leader in HIV policy with over 30 years of experience in public, private and nonprofit sectors. He retired as President & CEO of AIDS United on July 1, 2025 and now serves as CEO Emeritus, following nearly a decade leading the organization’s national efforts in grantmaking, capacity building, policy, and advocacy to end the HIV epidemic.
A trusted advisor and advocate, Milan has served on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, the PEPFAR Scientific Advisory Board and boards including Funders Concerned About AIDS, the Black AIDS Institute and AVAC. A lawyer, he previously chaired the CDC/HRSA Advisory Committee on HIV and STD Prevention and Treatment and served as AIDS Director for the City of Philadelphia.
Milan has been widely honored for his service, including an honorary doctorate from Virginia Theological Seminary and the first Lifetime Achievement Award from the US People Living with HIV Caucus. He has lived with HIV for over four decades.
Meet some of our 2025 speakers (in alphabetical order).
Jaasiel Chapman is a native Cincinnatian who is dedicated to fighting for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Currently, he works at Hamilton County Public Health as the EHE Program Coordinator overseeing the Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative. His work there focuses on engaging and empowering community partners with resources and tools to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Greater Cincinnati area. Previously, Chapman worked with IV-CHARIS, the only minority-run HIV/AIDS organization in the area and as a community educator for University of Cincinnati College of Medicine Infectious Diseases Research Center. Jaasiel attended the University of Cincinnati.
Jada is a passionate advocate for mental health and wellness, focused on helping others embrace the power of self-advocacy and self-care. Her journey with mental health inspired her to take a holistic, trauma-informed approach to healing, recognizing the connection between individual well-being and the need for community support.
As a Black woman committed to health equity, Jada believes true change starts within. She encourages others to prioritize self-care, rest, and self-compassion as tools for empowerment. To her, being an ambassador for change means ensuring that those doing the work are also cared for and uplifted. Jada is dedicated to creating spaces where people feel seen, supported and encouraged to thrive on their own terms.
T’Keyah Grier, PhD, CHES, is the program director of the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center (MATEC) of Ohio. T’Keyah is a triple alumna of the University of Cincinnati where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree, Master of Public Health degree, and doctorate in health education. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist and adjunct faculty at UC Blue Ash College and has a strong passion for public health and community outreach. She also loves to coach volleyball and has been a volleyball coach for the past 8 years.
JeMarr Jackson is a HIV Testing Coordinator at Caracole specializing in prevention and community outreach. In his role, he helps to change the lives of those who are living with HIV as well as work to ensure the prevention of HIV for those at high risk. A Cincinnati native, Jackson received his bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Cincinnati. At Caracole, he demonstrates his passion for those living with and at risk for HIV and exhibits the agency’s values through his work in the community. Prior to his work at Caracole, JeMarr also worked with various other populations, including homeless and at-risk youth.
Jeniece D. Jones, MPA, JD, is the Chief Executive Officer of Caracole, Greater Cincinnati’s HIV services organization. With over two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, public policy advocacy and race equity, she provides strategic direction to advance health equity and community partnerships.
Previously, Jeniece led the Public Justice Center in Baltimore and Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) in Cincinnati, driving impactful policy changes in housing, civil rights, and eviction prevention. She also served as CEO of Community Shares of Greater Cincinnati, growing donor engagement by 68%.
A dedicated advocate for social justice, she has been recognized by the Cincinnati Women’s Political Caucus and the National Caucus of Negro Women. She holds degrees in Journalism, Public Administration, and Law.
Outside of work, Jeniece enjoys reading and writing speculative fiction.
Kay Johnson graduated from the University of Cincinnati and completed her medical training at the Medical College of Ohio, followed by her residency and fellowship at the University of Cincinnati. She specializes in HIV in primary care and has worked at the Infectious Disease Center at the University of Cincinnati since 1991, focusing on HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B chronic infections.
She also sees patients through UC Health at the Montgomery Primary Care Network office.
Kay was honored to receive Caracole’s Volunteer of the Year Award in 2020 and the Timothy Freeman Sustained Excellence Award from the University of Cincinnati in April 2024.
Dr. Tavell L. Kindall, PhD, DNP, APRN, AACRN, AAHIVS, FAANP, FADLN, FNAP, FAAN is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. He currently works at St. Thomas Community Health Center in New Orleans, LA. He provides primary and specialty care, and education and prevention services to adolescents and adults at risk for and/or living with a wide array of infectious diseases. He completed the RN and APRN programs at Grambling State University, the DNP degree at the University of South Alabama College of Nursing, and the PhD degree in nursing education at William Carey University. He is a gubernatorial appointee representing advanced practice to the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. He is active locally and nationally in numerous professional organizations in nursing. He speaks locally and nationally on a wide range of nursing and healthcare topics.
Devin Knutson is a Senior Epidemiologist for Hamilton County Public Health (HCPH). She has been with HCPH since July 2021. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2020 with a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology. Devin is passionate about harm reduction. In addition to conducting overdose surveillance, she has helped establish and develop HCPH’s Drug Checking Program. She also works on and oversees several projects within the Division of Epidemiology focused on keeping the community informed of emerging drug and substance use trends.
Sean McCormick (he/him) is a Staff Attorney with the Positive Justice Project, an initiative of The Center for HIV Law and Policy, where he has focused on addressing the HIV epidemic, the overdose crisis, and other related health challenges through legal and policy solutions that center justice for people most affected by systemic oppression. Before attending law school, Sean worked to improve clinical care for people living with substance use disorders, HIV, and HCV, publishing his findings in eight peer-reviewed journals. After graduating, Sean advanced harm reduction and overdose prevention policies in the Chicago Department of Public Health through the CDC’s Public Health Law Fellowship. Sean frequently writes about and presents on effective strategies for ending HIV criminalization and other carceral approaches and implementing evidence-based public health solutions. He obtained his Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois and Bachelor’s degrees in public health and Spanish from The Ohio State University.
Adam Reilly has worked in HIV prevention and with people living with HIV for more than 17 years. His experience includes HIV testing, counseling and both individual and group support services. A longtime harm reduction advocate, Adam helped launch syringe exchange efforts in Cincinnati and played a key role in the passage of Ohio’s 2014 law expanding syringe access statewide.
He was named “Advocate of the Year” in CityBeat’s 2011 Best of the City issue, received the Oscar Armstrong Award from Public Allies in 2013, and led The Cincinnati Exchange Project to win the Cincinnati Business Courier’s 2015 Health Care Heroes award. Adam is a fellow with Caring Ambassadors and serves on the steering committee for the Ohio Health Modernization Movement. He has led Caracole’s Caraconference planning for the past eight years.
Pierre, a proud Chicago native from the South Side, is a distinguished gentleman who believes that peace and stability are essential for growth. With over 15 years of experience in hospitality, networking, and customer service, he has cultivated a deep understanding of community connection and the importance of creating spaces where people can thrive without unnecessary conflict. After earning his BA, Pierre transitioned into community work, joining the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus (CBGMC) to serve and uplift his own. His mission is to ensure that the voices of Black gay, bisexual, and same-gender-loving men are heard, their contributions recognized, and that true equality for all is achieved—all while fostering an environment of understanding, respect, and tranquility.
Josh builds campaigns that change how communities prevent, treat, and talk about HIV. As Director of Public Health Marketing at KW2, a national agency that works with public, private, and nonprofit partners to empower communities and improve lives, he brings more than a decade of experience with federal, state, and local jurisdictions. Guided by the belief that budget should never limit impact, Josh develops communication frameworks that remove barriers to care and prevention, ensuring that no one is left behind. His work across the country blends behavioral science, community partnerships, and culturally responsive storytelling to move people from awareness to action.
Cole Stines is a Senior Community Outreach Coordinator at Hamilton County Public Health (HCPH). Prior to obtaining his position at HCPH in January of 2024, he was employed in the sales industry for 13 years. Cole’s time spent in the sales business interacting with many people of different socio-economic backgrounds propelled his interest in finding ways to improve health equity for all. His attitude towards health equity led Cole to complete his Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from East Tennessee State University in 2023. Cole is enthusiastic about harm reduction and helping those in underserved populations. Some of his work includes working with local partners to prevent adverse health outcomes in Hamilton County, Ohio and developing quality improvement measures to reduce barriers to access of needed supplies and services in the communities he serves.
Cederick A. Taylor is a dynamic force in community development, public health and education whose career bridges the worlds of outreach, empowerment and storytelling. As a licensed Community Health Worker (CHW) and seasoned instructor, he has trained and mentored new generations of CHWs through Cleveland State University, equipping them with the tools to navigate health systems, build trust in their communities and deliver care that uplifts the whole person.
With more than eight years of experience in HIV outreach, navigation and peer support, Cederick has worked on the frontlines of public health in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Washington DC, and now Columbus, building programs that connect people to lifesaving care and resources. His expertise lies in turning challenges into opportunities—whether it’s through facilitating support groups, creating workforce readiness initiatives or developing innovative community-based programs that merge health, education and the arts.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Cederick is deeply committed to community empowerment. He has launched initiatives under his own Taylor & Associates banner, helping residents in underserved neighborhoods access emergency housing, utility assistance and health education. His work embodies the belief that strong, healthy communities are built not only through services, but through connection, dialogue and shared growth.
And for a fun twist—Cederick is a certified canoe instructor who can’t swim. That irony captures his spirit: someone who jumps into challenges fearlessly, leads with resilience and proves that with determination and creativity, anything is possible.
Cederick’s voice is one of lived experience, professional expertise and authentic passion. Whether in a classroom, at a community meeting, or behind a megaphone at a rally, he continues to champion equity, access, and empowerment for all.
Please contact the symposium organizer Adam Reilly at [email protected].
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