John Michael has spent more than 20 years in development, marketing, and public relations, including 8 years of experience helping LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS organizations expand their influence and build resources for the clients they serve. John Michael currently works as the Director of Development and Community Engagement at Friends For Life in Memphis, the area's largest and oldest AIDS service organization. In his current role as a development leader and a grant writer, he had helped grow the agency from $3 .2 to more than $5 .3 million in renewed or expanded funding annually, including more than $500,000 in brand-new funds. He has also expanded the agency’s major events to include quarterly Big Gay Dance Parties, designed to empower and unite the LGBTQ community and its allies, and also hosts special events like “Clue: The Party .” He is most proud, however, of creating, launching, and funding the Status: Memphis Campaign, the Mid-South’s first public awareness campaign focused on recognizing and reducing HIV-related stigma