David "Jax" Kelly, JD, MPH, MBA (He/Him)

Founder, President and CEO, Aging and HIV Institute

President, Let's Kick ASS Palm Springs (AIDS Survivor Syndrome)

Years as an ANAC member: 2

Local ANAC chapter: Palm Springs Chapter

What does Southern HIV and Aging Awareness Day mean to you? 

National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day is a vital reminder that our movement must evolve with our bodies, our wisdom and our long-term survival. More than 50% of people living with HIV in the U.S. are now over 50. Yet aging is still treated as an afterthought in too many HIV systems. This day invites us to confront the stigma of growing older with HIV, honor those who have made it this far and demand policies and services that support our continued health, dignity and leadership.

Leadership, in this context, means more than representation. It means recognizing older adults living with HIV as essential voices in shaping programs and policies that affect their lives. It means supporting peer-based models, training community leaders and valuing lived experience as a form of expertise. Long-term survivors have sustained this movement for decades. Policies must now invest in their capacity to lead — not just to participate — and build systems that are shaped by those most impacted. I see this day as an opportunity to bridge HIV and aging services in ways that make that kind of leadership possible.

I was diagnosed with AIDS in 2006, with a T-cell count of just over 40. That experience shaped my understanding of vulnerability, survival and the urgent need for integrated care. As someone now building a national think tank focused on HIV and aging, I believe this work must be grounded in the leadership of those who’ve lived it.

Why did you join the fight to end HIV/AIDS?

I began this work in 1991 as a board member of the Upper Room AIDS Ministry in Harlem, now Harlem United. This was before the federal Ryan White program existed. I was drawn in by the human devastation I saw around me and the extraordinary response of communities of color, LGBTQ+ people and allies who built clinics, organized care teams and refused to let our stories disappear. That early experience still grounds me. Today, we face a different kind of crisis among older adults living with HIV who are navigating isolation, cognitive decline and systemic neglect.

What does ANAC mean to you?

To me, ANAC represents the generational evolution of HIV care. Its members include people who were there in the early days, when HIV was a death sentence, as well as younger professionals who have only known HIV as a chronic condition. I’m grateful that ANAC has welcomed me as a member, even though I am not a nurse. As someone living with HIV and leading a national think tank focused on aging and HIV, I’ve found camaraderie with other HIV-positive members and the potential to collaborate with professionals across disciplines. ANAC provides a space where lived experience and professional expertise meet with purpose.

Do you have a mentor or mentors who have been instrumental to your career and, if so, whom and how?

I’ve had many mentors across fields, including advocacy, organizational leadership, event planning, financial management and the law. I’ve also drawn inspiration from storytellers and scholars who encouraged me to find my voice. Tennessee Williams and Tony Kushner have shaped my sense of emotional truth. In public speaking, I often draw from Maya Angelou—not her exact words, but the deliberate power with which she spoke them.