Azadeh Khalili
Revson Fellow 2001-2002
Executive Director
HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance Project
Azadeh Khalili is the Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. The Office is a bridge between immigrant communities and New York City government, providing policy analysis and constituency services. From 1994 to 2001 years, Azadeh served as the CEO of the Youthbase, an agency that works in collaboration with the New York City Board of Education to provide technical assistance to all New York City public high schools on youth-centered HIV/AIDS education. Prior to founding Youthbase, Azadeh worked on behalf of marginalized communities and individuals serving immigrants, prisoners, former-offenders, and inner-city youth.
During the past ten years, Azadeh has facilitated national and international workshops on leadership skills for activists, and eliminating racism and internalized racism. Born in Iran, Azadeh holds an M.P.H. from Columbia University. Before her appointment at the Mayor’s Office, she was a Fellow with the Annie E. Casey Foundation selected to participate in an intense, yearlong program designed to strengthen her capacity to lead large-scale reform to benefit vulnerable families. Azadeh has received numerous awards for her many professional and humanitarian endeavors and accomplishments including from the Human Rights Commission, Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Borough President and the United Nation’s Nation to Nation Award.
(Biography updated 3/27/2007)
Biography at time of acceptance:
Azadeh Kahlili is the Executive Director of the HIV/AIDS Technical Assistance (TA) Project, an agency that works in collaboration with the New York City Board of Education to provide technical assistance to all New York City public high schools on youth-focused HIV education. Born in Tehran, Iran, Ms. Khalili came to New York in 1980 to earn a B.A. at the New School University. She also holds an M.P.H. from Columbia University. Ms. Khalili has worked on behalf of people with HIV/AIDS for over sixteen years, primarily serving marginalized communities and individuals including prisoners, former-offenders, and inner-city youth. Before coming to the HIV/AIDS TA Project in 1994, Ms. Khalili had worked with the Fortune Society, designing and implementing HIV programs for ex-offenders. Previously, she worked at the New York City Commission on Human Rights, where she helped to develop a groundbreaking system of advocacy and quick resolution of human rights violations against people with AIDS, working as an Investigator, then as Supervisor of Investigation of AIDS-related discrimination cases, and later as Director of the Office Mediation. During her eight years at HIV/AIDS TA Project, Ms. Khalili has led the agency in the provision of training for New York City Public High School students and parents, conducting citywide conferences, publishing a bimonthly newsletter, building a network of community based organizations to assist young people, and funding and supporting student-led peer education initiatives. The TA Project’s BASE Grants Program has awarded more than 900 grants of up to $1,000 each to young people to design and implement their own youth-focused HIV prevention programs. Evaluated in 1995, the BASE Grants program has been replicated by the National AIDS Fund in seven other cities. Ms. Khalili was the Chair of the Adolescent Workgroup of the New York City HIV Prevention Planning Group and the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the New York AIDS Coalition. While at Columbia, Ms. Khalili studied public policy and the effects of globalization on public health.
The Revson year was an opportunity to recharge mental and spiritual batteries, to deepen my own understanding of important issues at what turned out to be a crucial time in our history, and to do so in the company of committed co-conspirators in the quest for peace and justice. It brings the enormous resources of a great university to the Fellows and time to reflect on how we can best utilize that knowledge to make a better New York City and world.
