Gerald Garth, at AMAAD Institute (Arming Minorities Against Addicti

July 2024 - Thera Community Champion

Gerald Garth, Jr. serves as Executive Director of the AMAAD Institute (Arming Minorities Against Addiction & Disease). Garth has over 20 years of leadership and has led health equity work for over ten years, previously serving as Chief Operations Officer of AMAAD and Manager of Prevention and Care with the Black AIDS Institute (BAI). Under Garth’s leadership and now celebrating ten years of service, AMAAD provides HIV prevention and care, housing services, behavioral health support, reentry support, recovery support, community education, and other essential services for BIPOC communities, LGBTQ+ individuals, youth and young adults, women of color, and other underserved communities across Los Angeles County. Garth also serves as faculty for the CRIBB Fellowship (Creating Responsible Intelligent Black Brothers), a nationwide initiative through NAESM designed to provide leadership development for young Black men in the fight against HIV. Garth was also appointed to the Commission of the Los Angeles Commission on HIV in 2022 and is founding co-chair of the Black Caucus of the organization; he was named Workforce Hero 2024 by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Division of HIV and STD Programs.