PACHA REMEMBERS FORMER MEMBER REV. VANESSA SHARP

April 27, 2016 • By B. Kaye Hayes, MPA, Executive Director, Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Rev. Vanessa Sharp

The members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) mourn the loss of Rev. Vanessa Sharp, whose four-year term on PACHA concluded last September. Vanessa died on April 7 in Atlanta.

At Rev. Sharp’s memorial service recently, PACHA member Bishop Oliver Allen, Presiding Bishop of the United Progressive Pentecostal Fellowship of Churches, paid tribute to her on behalf of the Council. In his remarks he observed, “Reverend Sharp was a brave woman, a woman of strong faith. She broke her silence as a woman living with HIV in 1997 when she was a speaker during a World AIDS Day program. We witnessed firsthand her bravery on the PACHA…Her passion for strengthening the response to HIV/AIDS in her community and around the globe was inspiring.”

Rev. Sharp previously served as the Coordinator for the Metro Atlanta Affiliate of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA), Board Chair for SisterLove, Inc., and a consultant for ChangeOneLife, Inc. in Kenya and Ghana. A recognized leader and advocate for women’s health in the U.S. and globally, Rev. Sharp was selected as the co-chair of the PACHA Global Sub-committee where she brought her wealth of international knowledge to the work of the Council. Her passion for achieving an AIDS-free generation was unwavering.

On behalf of the Council and the HHS Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, we extend our condolences to Rev. Sharp’s family and many friends.