Steven Vargas, Consultant/Trainer at Houston Ryan White Planning Council, Latino HIV T

April 2025 - Thera Community Champion

Steven Vargas has been a dedicated HIV advocate since 1989, using his lived experience as an HIV Long-Term Survivor to champion the needs of people living with HIV. Having spent over half his life—30 years—navigating the challenges of HIV, he remains deeply committed to community health planning at the local, state, and national levels. Steven plays a pivotal role in multiple HIV-related organizations. He is a past Community Co-Chair and current member of the Houston HIV Prevention Community Planning Group and the Secretary and Emeritus Chair of the Latino HIV Task Force. His leadership extends to the Houston EMA Ryan White Planning Council, where he is a past Chair and current Steering Committee member. Additionally, he is a founding member of the oH Project and serves as Chair of the Texas Developmental Center for AIDS Research Community Advisory Board (CAB). On a statewide level, Steven is the Houston Regional Co-Chair of the Texas HIV Syndicate. He chairs the Governance & Data Committee of the Texas HIV Medication Program (ADAP) Advisory Committee. He is also a founding member of the Texas Strike Force. Nationally, Steven has been a Community Member Panelist on the DHHS Antiretroviral Guidelines Panel for Adults and Adolescents since 2017. His advocacy extends to aging populations with HIV as a founding member and Chair (2020-2023) of the National HIV and Aging Advocacy Network. In addition to his advocacy work, Steven has been a Facilitator for the English and Spanish versions of NMAC's ESCALATE and ELEVATE programs, having previously worked with their Building Leaders of Color (BLOC) initiative. He has also assisted the Federal Health Resources Service Administration (HRSA) with their Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance and Training (CHATT) services.