HIV/AIDS activist to be inducted during Sorority’s convention in July

Dr. Helen D. Gayle, president and CEO of CARE, USA, a leading humanitarian organization, and entrepreneur extraordinaire Sheila C. Johnson were recently inducted into Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority as Honorary Members, during separate members-only induction ceremonies.

Presiding over the inductions was Alpha Kappa Alpha's 27th international president, Barbara A. McKinzie. Also in attendance were Mae R. Carr, the international chairman of Alpha Kappa Alpha's Honorary Members/Awards Committee, Loann Julia Honesty King, AKA's international program chair, Mary Shy Scott, 23rd International President, Ella Springs Jones, South Atlantic Regional Director and Executive Director Deborah Dangerfield.

Immunologist and Balm In Gilead, Inc. founder Pernessa C. Seele will join the Sorority as an Honorary Member in a private ceremony on Wednesday, July 14, during its biennial convention, July 9-16, in St. Louis, MO.

An Honorary membership is the most prestigious designation the Sorority presents. Those who are inducted represent the highest standards of character, courage and womanhood and are committed to the organization's mission to serve.

"We are filled with pride to have these outstanding women of such great stature join our great Sorority," said McKinzie. "They represent the best in their fields, the most committed to Alpha Kappa Alpha's noble service mission and the best in character. We look forward to embracing them as members."

Gayle, Johnson and Seele have achieved phenomenal success in their respective fields and command worldwide respect for the strides they have made. 

Helene D. Gayle is an expert on health, global development and humanitarian issues and spent 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control, working primarily on HIV/AIDS. She then worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, directing programs on HIV/AIDS and other global health issues.

Gayle chairs the Obama administration's Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and serves on the President's Commission on White House Fellowships. Named one of Foreign Policy magazine's "Top 100 Global Thinkers," Newsweek's top 10 "Women in Leadership" and The Wall Street Journal's "50 Women to Watch," she has published numerous scientific articles and been featured in many media outlets. She serves on several boards and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Sheila C. Johnson is a successful entrepreneur and impassioned philanthropist. As a partner in Lincoln Holdings, Johnson is the only African-American woman to have ownership in three professional sports teams: the WNBA's Washington Mystics-holding the post of President and Managing Partner-the NBA's Washington Wizards and the NHL's Washington Capitals.

As CEO of Salamander Hospitality, a company she founded in 2005, Johnson oversees a growing portfolio of luxury properties, which include Five Diamond-rated properties. In 2006, she was named global ambassador for CARE and spearheaded "Sheila's I Am Powerful Challenge," which was instrumental in helping raise funds for CARE's important work. Johnson is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was recently appointed by President Obama to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. She also serves on numerous boards.

Pernessa C. Seele is one of the nation's most prominent voices on issues of HIV/AIDS and other health disparities. She is founder and CEO of The Balm In Gilead, Inc., a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization with a mission to prevent diseases and improve the health status of people of the African Diaspora. Now in its 21st year, the Balm In Gilead has provided capacity development and technical support to more than 20,000 faith institutions.

Under Seele's leadership, the organization has supported the establishment of over 12 national health offices within the national headquarters of Catholic, Protestant and Muslim communities in Africa and the U.S. Furthermore, The Balm In Gilead has engaged nearly 10 million churchgoers throughout the U.S. in health awareness campaigns through the effective mobilization of the African-American church to address public health issues.