11508LeeCarson

www.ambiente.us DECEMBER | DICIEMBRE 2008

Lee Carson to be Awarded Leadership Achievement Award

The Attic Youth Center to Recognize LGBT Activist

PHILADELPHIA - On November 15, 2008, activist,
researcher, educator and social worker Lee Carson will
receive the Leadership Achievement Award at The Attic
Youth Center’s annual gala at the Ritz-Carlton in
Philadelphia. The Attic Youth Center is Philadelphia's
only agency exclusively serving LGBT youth and is one of
only thirteen LGBT youth centers nationally. “Lee Carson
is a man on a mission,” says The Attic’s executive
director, Carrie Jacobs. “He is an individual who already
has and will continue to make a huge difference in the
LGBT community, particularly in the LGBT community of
color.”

Carson has worked in the areas of HIV prevention and
substance abuse rehabilitation in the LGBT community
for the past ten years. “I am grateful to be receiving an
award from The Attic,” says Carson, “and at the same
time I am fully aware that my work is only one small part
within a larger mosaic of efforts put forth by many
toward creating a better quality of life for Philadelphia’s
LGBT citizens.”

Currently a research associate at Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), Carson works on several
projects related to HIV prevention among men who have sex with men. "We are very proud of Lee and his
recognition by The Attic,” says Lynne Kotranski, vice president of PHMC’s Research and Evaluation
component. “Lee brings a unique set of skills to his work and commitment to the community–great clinical
training blended with an understanding of conducting research on vulnerable populations.”

In addition to his research work, Carson works part-time as a mental health therapist for the Mazzoni Center,
a health center serving Philadelphia’s LGBT population. Carson also serves as an adjunct instructor in the
graduate social work department at Temple University.

Carson’s work as an activist in the LGBT community began in 2000, when he became an active member of
the New York-based Men of Color Health Awareness Project (MOCHA), an HIV prevention organization. While
at MOCHA, Carson served as a board member for the New York State Black Gay Network. After moving to
Philadelphia, Carson co-founded and became president of a local nonprofit organization called the Black
Gay Men’s Leadership Council, which advocates for black gay men in Philadelphia. He is also a founding
member of the LGBT People of Color Coalition, which presently consists of 14 organizations that represent a
broad cross section of LGBT communities across race and gender.

Carson’s commitment to the LGBT community has garnered him both local and national recognition. This
past fall, he began serving on Mayor Nutter's advisory board on LGBT affairs. His familiarity with the LGBT
community also led to his selection by the Centers for Disease Control as an expert on an advisory panel for
a new HIV prevention campaign targeted towards black gay men. Carson has a bachelor’s of arts degree
from SUNY Brockport, a master’s of social work degree from Nazareth College and is a licensed social
worker in the state of Pennsylvania.

About PHMC
Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) is a nonprofit public health institute that builds healthier
communities through partnerships with government, foundations, business and other community-based
organizations. It fulfills its mission to improve the health of the community by providing outreach, health
promotion, education, research, planning, technical assistance, and direct services. Formerly the
Philadelphia Health Management Corporation, PHMC has served the Greater Philadelphia region since
1972. For more information on PHMC, visit www.phmc.org.

Copyright © AMBIENTE MAGAZINE. Do not reproduce without citing this source.