Staff & Interns

Staff

Lisa Hazirjian

Lisa Hazirjian, Ph.D. is NCAAN's Executive Director. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Studies, Graduate Certificate in Women’s Studies, and doctorate in History from Duke University. She has done HIV prevention education among migrant farmworkers in eastern North Carolina and served as Project Coordinator for Sexual Health Advocates, an online advocacy project based at the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland with the mission of increasing the HIV/AIDS community’s engagement in sexual health advocacy. Additionally, she co-founded Ask Cleveland, a grassroots, volunteer-driven LGBT rights organization that engaged over 2600 Cleveland residents in a successful legislative campaign to pass a city ordinance banning gender identity discrimination.

Contact Lisa 919-576-0448 or at lisa@ncaan.org.

Andrew Porter

Andrew is NCAAN’s Community Organizer. He is originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Andrew fought for the rights of all North Carolinians in the legislative campaign to defeat the anti-gay constitutional amendment as Equality North Carolina’s eastern NC organizer. Additionally, Andrew was successful deputy campaign manager in a hotly contested 2010 NC House race. He also worked for the Washington D.C. based non-profit Men’s Health Network as their public affairs manager. Andrew co-owns a small comic shop, Fantom Comics, in D.C as well. He spends most of his free time with his wonderful girlfriend Emily, and their dog Bucky.

Contact Andrew at 910-322-1771 or at andrew@ncaan.org.

Current Interns

Simone Boney

Simone Boney is serving as an Outreach intern with NCAAN during the spring 2012 semester. She is a sophomore nutrition major at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is working to increase HIV awareness and NCAAN volunteer involvement among UNC students, especially among communities of color. Additionally, she is representing NCAAN at community events as we work to build greater public support for responsible HIV policies.

Tara Steinmetz

Tara Steinmetz served as a full-time graduate intern with NCAAN during the summer of 2011 and is continuing to intern part-time during the 2011-2012 academic year. Tara produced fact sheets and met with elected officials during the budget process, conducted foundation grant research, and developed a Communications Plan for NCAAN. She is currently a Master of Public Policy (MPP) candidate at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and is pursuing a Certificate of Nonprofit Management.

Past Interns

Tiphany Jackson

Tiphany Jackson served as a Policy Advocacy Intern with NCAAN in the spring of 2011. Tiphany prepared a fact sheet on health disparities and assisted with outreach events and Advocacy Day. After graduating from Duke University with a major in sociology and minors in women's studies and chemistry, Tiphany became an Organizing for American Summer Fellow in Durham, North Carolina. She currently works at the Infectious Diseases Clinic at UNC Hospitals and plans to attend medical school.

Will Jackson

Will Jackson served as an intern with NCAAN during the summer 0f 2011. Will recruited volunteers at advocacy and outreach events, as well as ran several phone banks in the triangle area. Will is a senior at Carrboro High School and plans to attend university next year, with an interest in film as a medium for advocacy and education.

Samantha Korb

Samantha Korb served as Triad Regional Community Organizing intern during the summer of 2011. Samantha ran community outreach events, phone banks, and data entry nights in central North Carolina. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Public Health at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

Carla Lardizabal

Carla Lardizabal served as a Development & Policy intern with NCAAN in the spring of 2011. Carla conducted corporate grant research and helped to prepare fact sheets and related materials for HIV/AIDS Advocacy Day. After completing her internship she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in biology and entrepreneurship. She is currently an intern at RTI International and plans to attend pharmacy school.

Julie McCracken

Julie McCracken served as 2011 Summer Intern. Julie was an active participant in phone banks held in the Triangle, working to recruit NCAAN Action Team members. She also helped to train volunteers and assisted with data entry. She is now in her senior year at The College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, where she is a biology/pre-med major who hopes to work with non-profits in the future.

Masia Nallo

Masia Nallo served as fall 2011 Triad Regional Community Organizing intern. She started off doing volunteer work for NCAAN during summer 2011. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor's in Public Health at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

Chris Speer

Chris Speer served as Triad Regional Community Organizing intern for NCAAN in the spring of 2011. Chris led NCAAN's outreach program in the Triad and played a pivotal role in helping us to surpass our goal of recruiting over 1115 new NCAAN Action Team members by April of 2011. After her internship, she graduated from Guilford College and became a Field Organizer with the Human Rights Campaign.

NCAAN welcomes internship applications at all times from students and others who can make a minimum commitment of ten hours a week for three months or more. We believe in designing internships to allow interns to advance their personal goals while helping NCAAN to meet our goals.

Contact our Executive Director, Lisa Hazirjian, at lisa@ncaan.org for more details.