Phill Wilson

Joined the amfAR board in February 2019. Expertise in HIV/AIDS public policy and advocacy.

Phill Wilson is an internationally renowned HIV/AIDS advocate and activist. He is the founder and former President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute, a think tank whose mission is to stop the AIDS pandemic in African American communities. He announced his retirement from the Institute in February 2018 and stepped down at the end of that year. 

Prior to founding the Institute in 1999, Mr. Wilson served as the AIDS Coordinator for the City of Los Angeles from 1990 to 1993, and the Director of Policy and Planning at AIDS Project Los Angeles from 1993 to 1996. He was co-chair of the Los Angeles County HIV Health Commission from 1990 to 1995, and was an appointee to the Health Resources & Services Administration AIDS Advisory Committee from 1995 to 1998.

Mr. Wilson was the co-founder of the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum and the National Task Force on AIDS Prevention. He has been involved in the founding of a number of other AIDS service organizations and community-based organizations, including the Chris Brownlie Hospice, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the National Minority AIDS Council, the Los Angeles County Gay Men of Color Consortium, and the CAEAR Coalition.

Mr. Wilson has worked extensively on HIV/AIDS policy, research, prevention, and treatment issues in Western and Eastern Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. He was the coordinator of the International Community Treatment and Science Workshop at the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th International AIDS Conferences. He has published articles in publications such as the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, LA Weekly, Essence, Ebony, Vibe, Jet, POZ, and HIV+.

Mr. Wilson holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University. In 2016, he received the Spirit of Justice Award from GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders). He was named one of the “2005 Black History Makers in the Making” by Black Entertainment Television. In 2001, he was a recipient of the Ford Foundation’s Leadership for a Changing World award, and in the same year he was honored with amfAR’s Award of Courage.

Founder and former President and CEO, Black AIDS Institute. He resides in Los Angeles.