Bebashi’s longstanding Executive Director, Gary Bell, who had been with Bebashi since 1996, retired from the organization effective October 1, 2020. During Bell’s nearly 25-year tenure, Bebashi grew in revenue, staff, and service offerings. His expertise in combatting health disparities and in particular, HIV, contributed to the organization expanding its initial emphasis on HIV prevention and treatment to an expanded scope that addressed many social determinants of health. Mr. Bell will now have more time to help care for his wife who is ill.[1]
The organization now boasts 50 employees and a Board of Directors with experience running major organizations. Bebashi expanded its mission and its offerings now include:
See: https://www.bebashi.org/ (under the “How We Help” tab). Mr. Bell’s contributions have laid the foundation for the organization to continue to grow and play a pivotal role in underserved communities.
Bebashi has launched a search for a new Executive Director. Until a new Executive Director is appointed, Sebrina Tate, Bebashi’s distinguished Director of Programs & Administration, has been named Acting Executive Director, ensuring our seamless continuity of services. At Bebashi, our top priority will not change: to deliver the quality, professionalism, confidentiality, and breadth of services that the community has come to expect from us.
In the coming months, the Board will launch a search for an innovative and inspiring Executive Director whose vision and sense of Bebashi’s potential align with our strategic plan.
About Bebashi:
Bebashi – Transition to Hope was founded in 1985 to address the AIDS crisis among people of color. It is a full-service HIV/AIDS organization with a special interest in serving low-income people of color with HIV disease. As the second-oldest AIDS service organization in the Philadelphia region, Bebashi was the first African-American organization in the United States to address the AIDS crisis. It remains one of Philadelphia’s largest community-based minority providers of HIV/AIDS education and services for the urban community.
Mission Statement:
Our mission is to empower people to enhance the quality of their health and overall well-being by providing access to culturally sensitive high-quality healthcare, HIV/AIDS services, health education, and social services.
[1] Mrs. Bell specifically authorized the release of this information and expressed her gratitude to her husband for retiring from Bebashi to care for her.
