amfAR Names New Chief Financial and Operating Officer

Shawn Davidson brings 30 years of nonprofit financial management experience to the role; current CFO Bradley Jensen to retire this summer

NEW YORK, April 21, 2025 — amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, has named Shawn Davidson as the Foundation’s new Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. The appointment is effective immediately.

Davidson has oversight of amfAR’s financial strategy, risk management, and operating budget and joins the management team. He succeeds current CFO Bradley Jensen, who previously announced his retirement. Jensen will stay on through the end of June to advise Davidson and ensure a smooth transition.

“Shawn is a skillful and highly effective finance executive, and we are fortunate to have him as a part of amfAR,” said Chief Executive Officer Kevin Robert Frost. “He brings with him three decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge to his new role.”

Added Frost, “I speak for everyone at amfAR when I express my heartfelt gratitude to Bradley Jensen for serving as CFO with extraordinary dedication and distinction for nearly 20 years. In particular, his financial leadership was instrumental in enabling amfAR to successfully navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Brad has been essential to amfAR’s success for the past two decades, and he will be greatly missed.”

“Shawn brings an impressive track record of financial management and discipline to amfAR, and we’re thrilled to welcome him to the team,” said Kyle Clifford, amfAR Chief Development Officer and incoming CEO. “As amfAR advances its 40-year legacy as a leader in biomedical research, Shawn’s unique perspective will be invaluable as we forge new paths in breakthrough science and address global health challenges.”

“I am extremely honored to join amfAR and contribute to their vital mission of finding a cure for HIV,” Davidson said. “I look forward to playing my part in finding a cure and supporting global public health.”

Davidson most recently served as CFO at the American Ballet Theatre, where he was responsible for leading the organization’s finance, IT, and facilities departments. Prior to his tenure at American Ballet Theatre, he held various leadership roles at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts where he was responsible for budgeting, strategic planning, and financial systems. He has devoted his time to supporting American dance through Dance/USA and his position on the board at 890 Broadway, a building devoted to the performing arts and arts education.

Davidson holds a degree in accounting from St. John’s University and will complete his Master of Business Administration from Boston University this summer. He currently resides in Long Island, N.Y., with his wife and young son.

About amfAR
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and advocacy. Since 1985, amfAR raised nearly $900 million in support of its programs and has awarded more than 3,800 grants to research teams worldwide. Learn more at www.amfAR.org

Media Contact:
Robert Kessler, Program Communications Manager
(212) 806-1602
robert.kessler@amfar.org