The Aging and HIV Institute (A&H) is led by David “Jax” Kelly, whose work has focused for decades on the intersection of aging, HIV, equity, and public policy. His leadership brings together lived experience, legal and public health training, and long-standing engagement with the systems that shape how people age with dignity.

A&H’s leadership is grounded in the belief that systems change requires credibility, accountability, and sustained presence. It requires the ability to work across sectors, to translate lived experience into policy insight, and to remain engaged in spaces where decisions are made.

Leadership Through Systems Engagement

Jax Kelly’s leadership has been shaped by sustained involvement in aging, HIV, and health equity systems at the local, state, and national levels. His work includes service on advisory bodies, participation in policy development processes, and engagement with institutions responsible for planning, funding, and oversight.

Serving on state and local committees is a form of systems intervention. These roles shape how populations are defined, how priorities are set, and how responsibility is distributed across agencies and programs. This work is often quiet, but it is where alignment and durability are built.

Speaking as Systems Education

Conference speaking and public presentations are a core part of A&H’s systems education work. Through invited talks, panels, and convenings, A&H contributes analysis that helps policymakers, practitioners, and advocates understand where aging and HIV frameworks intersect and where they fall short.

This work is not about visibility for its own sake. It is about helping systems leaders recognize structural gaps, ethical tensions, and opportunities for alignment that may not be visible from within a single sector.

Lived Experience as Policy Insight

A&H’s leadership is informed by lived experience, but that experience is not treated as anecdote or testimony. It is used as a source of insight into how systems function in practice, particularly for people navigating multiple forms of marginalization as they age.

This perspective helps A&H identify where inclusion depends on discretion rather than responsibility, and where policy language fails to translate into meaningful accountability. Lived experience, in this context, strengthens policy analysis rather than replacing it.

A Legacy-Oriented Approach

A&H’s leadership approach is shaped by a long view. The goal is not short-term visibility, but durable change that can be carried forward beyond individual administrations, funding cycles, or personalities.

By focusing on systems intervention and systems education, A&H works to support progress that can be sustained by others. This orientation reflects a commitment to legacy, not ownership.