David Ernesto Munar

Appointed President/CEO of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) in February 2011, David Ernesto Munar brings to his work more than two decades of accomplishments fighting HIV/AIDS. Prior to his current appointment, he served as the organization’s vice president with oversight and management of a $16 million portfolio of HIV-related programs and services. He joined AFC in 1991 and has held senior management positions over programs, policy and communications since 1998. In 2007, Mr. Munar helped launch the Coalition for a National AIDS Strategy, which lead to the National HIV/AIDS Strategy unveiled by President Obama in July 2010. He has served on numerous advisory boards for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources Services Administration, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He currently serves on the Illinois AIDS Drug Assistance Program Advisory Board, the Illinois Intergovernmental HIV/AIDS Task Force, the Pediatric AIDS Chicago Prevention Initiative Board of Directors, and AIDS United’s Policy Committee. At the 2010 International AIDS Conference, Mr. Munar represented the U.S. on a regional panel for Canada and the United States. He was a plenary speaker at the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference; the 2009 Creating Change National Conference on LGBT Equality; the Global AIDS Alliance’s 2008 National Democratic Convention luncheon; and co-moderated with Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) a session at the 2008 International AIDS Conference. The International AIDS Society selected Munar to serve on the 2012 International AIDS Conference Coordinating Committee and POZ Magazine named Munar as one of its 100 most influential AIDS advocates of 2010. In 2010, Munar was inducted into the City of Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. Beyond his professional experience, Munar draws on his perspectives as a bilingual Colombian American and gay man living with HIV. He is an avid runner and graduate of Northwestern University.