Secretariat Staff

George Ayala, PsyD, Executive Officer
Dr. Ayala has worked in the nonprofit HIV/AIDS sector managing social service programs for twenty years. He is the former Director of Education at AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), where he oversaw HIV prevention; capacity building assistance; community-based research; print, video, and web-based media programs for six years. A clinical psychologist by training, Dr. Ayala has also conducted social science and community-based intervention research since 1996. Dr. Ayala worked as a researcher at RTI International and the University of California, in Los Angeles and San Francisco. His research has mainly focused on understanding the mechanisms through which social discrimination impacts health among gay men and other men who have sex with men. Dr. George Ayala can be reached via email: contact@msmgf.org

Omar Baños, Program Associate
Omar Baños has worked in HIV prevention and AIDS treatment education and other capacity development areas for more than nine years. He has international experience working in Latin America with MSM organizations. As the Program Associate, Baños will develop a vision, message and content for the multimedia publication inline with the MSMFG core goals and objectives, perform as the primary representative of the MSMGF multimedia publication component for MSMGF’s partners, staff and members and plan technical assistance opportunities with regional and international MSM networks. Omar Banos can be reached via email: obanos@msmgf.org

Jack Beck, Communications Associate
Jack Beck comes to the MSMGF with a background in international development and global health. His work, mainly in Asia and the United States, has focused on civil society support, HIV prevention programming, and access to essential medicines. As Communications Associate, his efforts are primarily focused on promoting meaningful global communication and collaboration on issues concerning MSM and HIV.   This includes responsibility for the MSMGF's global communications, continued development of the MSMGF's international network, and the ongoing evolution of MSMGF.org. Jack Beck can be reached via email: jbeck@msmgf.org

Lily Catanes, MBA, Operations Associate
With foundations in international business, leadership and marketing, Lily brings forth experience in event, project and office management. Her background also includes instructional design and development for online education and training. She supports the MSMGF in an administrative and logistical capacity for all of its operations, which include project implementation, office management, travel and meeting planning/coordination. Lily Catanes can be reached via email: lcatanes@msmgf.org

Pato Hebert, Senior Education Associate
Pato Hebert has been working in HIV prevention since 1994. His focus has been cultural production, programming and information messaging. He will be leading the HIV prevention foci of the MSMGF while also helping to develop identity and cohesion across our coordinated programmatic and material efforts. Pato Hebert can be reached via email: phebert@msmgf.org

Krista Lauer, MSc, Senior Policy Advisor
Krista’s passion for public health, social justice and human rights has included work on issues of HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. She has been fortunate to learn from and collaborate with communities in Benin, Zambia, Scotland and northern Canada. Her work with the MSMGF includes frontline advocacy and capacity building for global advocates, the development of policy briefs and action alerts on key issues, and initiatives to address policy barriers and strengthen access to HIV-related services for MSM worldwide. Krista Lauer can be reached via email: klauer@msmgf.org

Goldie Negelev, Communications Assistant
Goldie Negelev comes to the MSMGF with a passion for academics and social justice, aiming to coalesce these two pursuits in a way which is meaningful and affirming. She brings a strong focus on gender and racial politics to her work, as well as commitment to LGBT rights. She is responsible for the production of the MSMGF Eblast, as well as maintaining the MSMGF’s online database of articles and reports on the health and human rights of MSM around the world.  Goldie Negelev can be reached via email at gnegelev@msmgf.org.

Mohan Sundararaj, MBBS, MPH, Policy Associate
Mohan Sundararaj grew up in India where he trained as a physician in Internal Medicine and most recently graduated with a Public Health degree from Harvard University concurrent to a Catherine B. Reynolds Fellowship in Social Entrepreneurship. He brings a broad range of clinical, research and international service delivery experiences particularly in Asia and the United States and will focus on integrating these skills with current and future MSMGF policy and advocacy strategies. Mohan Sundararaj can be reached via email: msundararaj@msmgf.org