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 | | Paula French | | Co-Executive Director, Programs | | 317-259-7013 | | ext. 14 |
 Paula
French serves as Co-Executive Director, Programs at
Step-Up. Since 1994 Ms. French has
focused on HIV prevention programming and has authored and implemented a widely
recognized HIV prevention curriculum for high risk, incarcerated youth.
Ms.
French is a member of the Clarian Health Community Advisory Committee, a past President of The League of Women Voters
of Indianapolis, and member of the Indiana State Department of Health’s
Community Planning Group, where she served as past Co-Chair. She has been
certified by the Great Lakes Institute for Community Health Educators and was
named Outstanding HIV/AIDS Educator for 1997-98 by the American Red Cross.
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| | Brad Gumbert | | Co-Executive Director, Administration | | 317-259-7013 | | ext. 15 |
 Brad
Gumbert serves as the Co-Executive Director, Administration at
Step-Up.
Mr. Gumbert began his
career in 1987 as a Prevention Specialist
working with at-risk youth on the Southside of Chicago. Since moving to Indianapolis, he has served as Education
Consultant for out-of-school programs at the Indiana Department of
Education, has been the Program Director
for the Community Action Group program
and has served as the Executive Director
of a United Way agency. Mr.
Gumbert is an Instructor Trainer for
the American Red Cross and serves as the Chair of the Program Review Committee
at the Indiana State Department of Health. He earned his Bachelor of Science
degree from Indiana University.
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| | Ryan Nix | | Prevention Director & Case Manager | | 317-259-7013 | | ext. 12 |
 Ryan Nix serves as the Prevention Coordinator and has an
extensive background in HIV prevention and outreach. Ryan directly implemented
several prevention based programs and outreach grants at a southern Indiana agency including an Indiana State Department of
Health (ISDH) Prevention Case Management program, as well as a directly funded
project from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Mr. Nix was selected as a scholar to the
prestigious CDC Institute for Prevention Leadership in Atlanta and has been trained in numerous outreach and
prevention curricula. He has worked in the field for 10 years.
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| | Vicenta Muniz-Bledsoe | | Program Director, Women Taking Charge | | 317-259-7013 | | ext. 11 |
 Ms. Bledsoe serves as the Program Coordinator for the Women Taking Charge Program at
Step-Up. Ms. Bledsoe graduated from Columbia
University with Associates in
Business.
Vicenta has been in the HIV/AIDS field for four years with
previous experience as an advocate for the homeless in New
York City. In the HIV/AIDS field, Ms. Bledsoe has worked
as a Care Partner, an Outreach Prevention & Testing Specialist, and a High
Risk Behavioral Specialist. She is
certified with the State of Indiana
to administer Ora Sure and Ora Quick HIV testing. She also has certifications in Partner
Counseling and Partner Elicitation in both Spanish and English. Ms. Bledsoe has
been trained in the CDC DEBI Sister to Sister, which an intervention program is
for African American women and has extensive experience working with the Latino
community in HIV Prevention and Care.
Vicenta is Bilingual and can speak Spanish & English and
has several certifications in Training and Education.
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| | Dolores Horgan | | Project Coordinator | | | | |
 Dolores
Horgan serves as the Project Coordinator for the Indiana
Seniors HIV/AIDS Prevention Education (IN-SHAPE) program. Ms. Horgan has been a leader in the HIV/AIDS
arena in Indiana for many years. Affectionately known as the “Mother of the
HIV/AIDS Quilt”, Dolores joined the Indiana Chapter of the NAMES Project in
1993, housed then at Indiana Cares. In 1996, she became the Coordinator,
responsible for ordering and returning the Quilt via San Francisco as well as scheduling the display throughout the
state. She continues her work with the Quilt out of her home.
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| | | Lisa Fernandez | | Bookkeeper | | | | |
Lisa Fernandez serves as the bookkeeper/accountant for Step-Up. Lisa is a graduate of the University
of Indianapolis and has been
working as an accountant for the past eleven years. Lisa has worked for several local non-profit
agencies, including the Marion County
Family Advocacy Center,
School on Wheels and Chrysalis Academy of Indiana.
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| | Tommy Chittenden | | Transitions and Thresholds, Program Director | | 317-259-7013 | | ext. 13 |
 Tommy graduated from Atlanta Christian College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Cross-Cultural Communications and Youth Ministry. He served as a Youth Pastor in churches in Atlanta, Georgia and Plainfield, Indiana before beginning a 28 year career in the Travel & Entertainment arena.
In the Summer of 2008 Tommy was appointed as a member of the AmeriCorps team and placed at Step-Up, Inc. to do outreach and HIV testing in the MSM community through the I-MAP program. He has been certified by both the Red Cross and the Indiana State Department of Health as a HIV/AIDS instructor, counselor and tester. Tommy Chittenden served Step-Up, Inc. as an Outreach Specialist until 2009 when he joined the staff full time to serve the male incarcerated population.
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| | Jamie Roberts | | Youth at Risk, Program Director | | 317-259-7013 | | ext. 26 |
 Jamie is a 2004 Tech High School graduate and is currently pursuing a degree in psychology from IUPUI. Jamie signed on as an AmeriCorps member for the 2008-2009 National AIDS Fund/Caring Counts program. As part of her AmeriCorps appointment, she works as a Program Facilitator with the Youth at Risk program at Step-Up doing HIV and STD prevention education at juvenile corrections centers as well as adolescent drug treatment facilities. She has been certified by both the Red Cross and the Indiana State Department of Health as a HIV/AIDS instructor, counselor and tester. |
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| | | Michael Robinson | | Testing Coordinator | | | | |
 Michael Robinson serves as a Testing Coodinator. Michael has been testing for Step-up for almost one year. He has been certified by both Red Cross and Indiana State Department of Health as a HIV/AIDS instructor, counselor, tester. |
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| | Elias Quintana Jr. | | Case Manager/Youth at Risk | | 317-259-7013 | | ext. 19 |
Elias Quintana Jr. has served in the United States Air Force
from 2001-2005. He is pursuing a degree
in Communications, and has served as the Outreach Coordinator for the I-Map
program at Step-Up. Currently Elias
works as a Case Manager for the Ryan White Program Program for
Step-Up. Certified by both the Red Cross
and Indiana State Department of Health as a HIV/AIDS instructor and counselor,
Elias also works as a Program Facilitator with the Youth at Risk Program;
providing HIV and STD prevention education at juvenile detention centers.
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| | John Cocco | | Thresholds &Transitions Case Manger | | 317-259-7013 | | ext. 20 |
John Cocco has worked in case management since April of
2007. He originally worked in mental health before transitioning into
addictions case management, eventually working for a SAMHSA funded Co-Occurring
Disorders grant with a focus on HIV education and outreach. He sees
working with incarcerated and recently released men as a natural evolution of
his interests and experience. He has been trained in motivational
interviewing, Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment (IDDT) methods, and is a
state certified HIV counselor, tester and referrer. John recently started
in the Masters in Social Work program at IUPUI.
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| | Nathan Mensah | | Americorps Member | | 317-259-7013 | | ext. 10 |
Nate received his Bachelor of Science degree in
Psychology and Minor in Music in General Studies in 2010. In 2011 he completed
his Postbaccalaureate in Pre-Medical Studies. As an Americorps member in the
2011-2012 AIDS United Program, Nate assists with community service
planning, volunteer coordination, and the Thresholds and Transitions
program. He is a certified both as an HIV/AIDS Instructor and an HIV Counselor and Tester through the Indiana
State Department of Health.
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| | | Adam Hammond | | Health Educator | | | | |
Coming Soon!
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