THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

The letter reads as follows:

"I am writing to let you know that I have made the decision to leave my position as the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy ( ONAP ) and Senior Advisor on Disability Policy at the end of this year. There is never a good time to make this type of transition and there is always more work to be done and more opportunities in front of us. After developing and releasing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States and spending a year and a half on implementation, now is an appropriate time for me to move on to the next phase of my life.

"I have been incredibly fortunate to serve in President Obama's Administration and contribute to his important work on behalf of the American people. I cannot fully express how honored I feel to have been given the task of leading the process to develop our country's first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy. I am grateful to the HIV community and our many, many partners inside and outside of government that helped us develop a roadmap for moving forward at this critical juncture in our Nation's response to the domestic HIV epidemic. I am very proud of what we have accomplished together and I will leave knowing that we wrote a report that has not been soon forgotten, and we developed an evidence-based plan built on the lessons of the past 30 years that has and will continue to be implemented long after my tenure at ONAP. I am also grateful to the many members of the disability community with whom I have worked on issues related to health and long-term services and supports, civil rights, housing, and other issues.

"I will continue to serve in the White House through the end of the year, and the White House has already begun the process for finding my replacement. Regardless of who that is, the President has said that the implementation of the Strategy cannot fall to the Federal government alone. I know that the President is deeply committed to responding to HIV epidemic in the United States and around the globe and that he will continue to need your strong support. I am humbled by the opportunity I have had to work at the White House and I would like to thank all of you who have been critical partners, personal supporters, and committed advocates on behalf of people living with HIV and other people with disabilities."