After 36 years of transformative leadership, Paul Kawata, one of the longest-serving and most influential voices in the fight to end HIV, retired as Executive Director of NMAC (formerly the National Minority AIDS Council) on October 7, 2025, following the U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) in Washington, D.C.
How do you say farewell to a leader like Paul Kawata? For nearly four decades, his unapologetic, fearless leadership has shaped not only NMAC but the HIV movement itself. Since taking the helm in 1989, at the height of the AIDS crisis, Paul has been a steadfast champion for communities of color and LGBTQ people. At a time when HIV was steeped in fear, stigma, and loss, he built something enduring: a space for healing, advocacy, and unapologetic visibility.

Paul’s decision to lead NMAC came at a moment when steering an HIV/AIDS organization was neither glamorous nor career-building. Yet, for him, the choice was personal and necessary. The communities he cared for—communities of color, queer and trans people, those often erased from national conversations—deserved power and protection.
Under his leadership, NMAC became a cornerstone of HIV advocacy and racial justice, centering equity long before it became a policy buzzword. Paul’s vision gave birth to powerful initiatives that changed the landscape of HIV prevention and response, including the U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS, the Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit, and the Coalition for Justice and Equality Across Movements. Each one became a lifeline—a place where community leaders could gather, mobilize, and demand more from systems meant to serve them.
“Paul’s legacy is written into NMAC’s DNA,” said Lance Toma, Chair of NMAC’s Board of Directors and CEO of the San Francisco Community Health Center. “Our unapologetic centering of communities of color, our coalition-building across political lines, and our unwavering commitment to inclusion and equity—all of that comes from him.”

For many, Paul’s leadership has been both professional and deeply personal. His mentorship helped cultivate a generation of HIV advocates, public health professionals, and movement builders who carry forward his ethos of love, accountability, and resilience.
“Paul’s contributions have inspired a generation,” said Harold Phillips, NMAC’s Deputy Director of Programs. “We know the work is far from over—and our team is committed to continuing the mission and blazing new trails in the spirit he modeled for decades.”
As Paul prepares to close this chapter, NMAC stands as a reflection of his relentless drive—to center marginalized voices, to confront systemic inequities, and to build power in the face of adversity. His leadership has transformed NMAC from a small advocacy group into one of the nation’s most respected public health organizations dedicated to ending the HIV epidemic.

Paul’s final USCHA, held September 4–7, 2025, in Washington, D.C., served as both a homecoming and a celebration of his lifetime of work. It marks the end of an era, but also the continuation of a movement he helped define.
As NMAC looks toward its next chapter, the organization remains grounded in the foundation Paul built—a foundation of love, justice, and unrelenting community care.
Because of Paul Kawata, countless people are alive, connected, and empowered. His impact will not only be remembered in the history of HIV activism but felt in the lives of those who continue the fight.
The community carries his words forward: “The fight for equity remains as urgent as ever.”