About Us

		Paula French		Co-Executive Director, Programs		317-259-7013		ext. 14
Paula French is the co-founder and Co-Executive Director of Step-Up, Inc. Ms. French began her career in HIV prevention following the death of her brother in 1994. She is the founder of the Youth At Risk Program, where she co-authored the Y.O.U.R.S. curriculum, which is designed for youth at high risk for HIV/STDs. Ms. French is an American Red Cross certified HIV/AIDS educator where she was named Outstanding HIV/AIDS Educator for 1997-98. Ms. French was also named one of the 25 Trail Blazers in Health by the Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis and is the recipient of the Mary McClelland Volunteer Award from Jameson Camp. She is a frequent guest speaker, trainer and workshop facilitator on Youth and HIV. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Ryan White Part A Services Council.
		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.
		Ryan Nix		Prevention Director & Testing Coordinator		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 and outreach programs including: CRCS, venue based testing programs, Care Coordination, and multiple DEBI interventions.   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 13 years.
		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.
		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.
		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.
		Tommy Chittenden		Transitions and Thresholds, Program Director		317-259-7013		ext. 22
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.
		Jamie Roberts		Youth at Risk, Program Director		317-259-7013		ext. 26
Jamie is serves as the Program Director for the Youth At Risk Program. She graduated from Arsenal Technical High and earned a B.S. degree in Psychology from IUPUI. Jamie began her career in the HIV field through the AIDS United/Caring Counts AmeriCorps program in 2008. After completing a year of service at Step-Up, Inc., she became Program Director. She has been certified by both the Red Cross and the Indiana State Department of Health as a HIV/AIDS instructor, counselor and tester. Her current duties include HIV/STD prevention education to incarcerated adolescents as well as youth in drug rehabilitation and routine HIV and STD testing at several facilities.
		Michael Robinson		Testing Coordinator		317-259-7013		ext. 19
Michael Robinson serves as a Testing Coodinator. Michael has been testing for Step-up for almost three years. He has been certified by both Red Cross and Indiana State Department of Health as a HIV/AIDS instructor, counselor, tester.
		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.
		Hannah Kistler		HIV Care Coordinator		317-259-7013		ext. 16
Hannah Kistler recently stepped into the position of HIV Care Coordinator with Step Up, Inc. In addition to excitement for her new role, Hannah brings with her multiple years of experience and a diverse perspective that she developed from her previous roles in case management. She holds a B.S.W. from Anderson University, and is certified to practice case management through the Indiana State Department of Health.
		Eric Perry		AmeriCorps Member		317-259-7013		ext. 13
Eric Perry has been serving as a member of the 2012/2013 Public Allies AmeriCorps team since September 2012.  He is a 2011 graduate of Purdue University, where he studied Psychology and Sociology. He has been certified by both the American Red Cross and Indiana State Department of Health as an HIV/AIDS instructor, counselor, tester. He does testing, prevention, and outreach in the MSM community through the I-MAP program. His future goals include receiving a Master’s degree in Public Health or Nonprofit Administration. In his spare time, Eric like to eat, drink, and be merry. He is looking forward to a fun and eye-opening year with Step-Up!