For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Justin Burke - 213.201.1525
AIDS PROJECT LOS ANGELES ELECTS MICROSOFT EXECUTIVE AND EVENT PRODUCER TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Michael Strand and Tom Whitman to Support Efforts for AIDS Service Organization
Los Angeles, Calif., July 12, 2006 – Microsoft executive Michael Strand and event producer Tom Whitman have been elected to the board of directors of AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), the agency announced today.
Strand will also serve as co-chair of the organization’s development committee, which is charged with guiding fundraising activities to support the agency’s $17.8 million budget. APLA is dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by HIV disease; reducing the incidence of HIV infection; and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy.
“We are pleased to have two exceptional leaders and exceptional people join us as board members,” said Craig E. Thompson, executive director of APLA. “Both Michael and Tom have demonstrated major support for our work in the past, and we are pleased to welcome them to the board. We are confident that their skills, knowledge and ties to their community will be great assets for this organization.”
As new members of the 22-person board of directors, Strand and Whitman will participate in APLA’s strategic planning process and help oversee the agency’s local, national and global programs.
Strand is the U.S. Enterprise Sales Director for the Microsoft Business Solutions division. He is responsible for field sales and operational support for Microsoft Dynamics products including Financials Management, Supply Chain and Customer Relationship Management to enterprise customers in the U.S.
Originally from Seattle, Strand holds a bachelor’s of science degree from Washington State University in communications and journalism. He currently resides in West Hollywood.
Whitman worked as a producer/director in television and film for nearly a decade, predominantly with MTV Networks and Nickelodeon. He has produced concert shows with performances by *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, and the Backstreet Boys, among others, and is writer/director of the animated short films “The Rape of Ganymede” and “Sexy,” both of which premiered in Los Angeles.
In 2000, Whitman started his own company, Tom Whitman Presents, Inc., which currently produces more than 150 events a year. Whitman received his bachelor’s degree in mass communications from UCLA, and currently lives in Los Angeles.
AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA), one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the United States, provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation. Founded by four friends in 1982, APLA is a community-based, volunteer-supported organization with local, national and global reach. For more information, visit www.apla.org.
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