Andy Meléndez-Salgado

Originally, from Puerto Rico, Andy has over 20 years of experience in community health and development, and has done work in over 20 countries. He began his career as an outreach worker in rural north Florida before joining the Florida Department of Health to to increase minority access for HIV Counseling and Testing. Andy started working internationally in 2003, when he joined the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors in Washington, D.C. Two years later, an opportunity in India took him to Kolkata and Mumbai, where he managed a national network of sexual minority community-based organizations.

In 2007, he moved again, this time to London, to work with Interact Worldwide managing a portfolio of HIV, Sexual & Reproductive Health, and Community Health projects in South Asia. He later joined CARE International to provide technical support on addressing HIV issues within humanitarian, conflict, governance, and private sector engagement programs, and he served on the executive committee of the UK Consortium on AIDS and International Development, as well as the Interagency Standing Committee Task Force on HIV in Emergencies.

Before coming to Tulane, Andy worked as a Senior Advisor with the International Services Division of the American Red Cross. Through this work, he became involved in resilience building programs, focusing on the development of approaches to address health and community resilience.