As the President and CEO of AIDS United, Carl Baloney Jr. is pushing forward nonprofit’s historied advocacy efforts, helping to bring federal-level funding and effective policy change to support people living with or vulnerable to HIV. Hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, Baloney’s efforts in health equity and social justice are heavily informed by his upbringing in the Deep South as a Black gay man. After working as a staffer to then-Congressman Charlie Melancon of Louisiana, Baloney formed the foundation of his extensive nonprofit career through legislative work at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s. In 2015, he joined AIDS United policy department, making his way to vice president of the organization before he was announced as the new president and CEO of the longstanding nonprofit. Baloney may have a new role, but his mission to continue the fight to end the HIV epidemic is steadfast.