Shadow Politics, December 3, 2017
The first of December is World AIDS Day and our guest on Sunday is Bill McColl, an 18-year advocate for HIV/AIDS policy, drug treatment and policy and criminal justice reform. He is the Vice President and Director of Health Policy at AIDS United whose mission is to end the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. through strategic grant making, capacity building, policy/advocacy, technical assistance and formative research. His interest in HIV work began while serving as Government Relations Director at NAADAC: The Association for Addiction Professionals in Washington, D.C. where he worked on syringe exchange policy and later became Executive Director. In addition to his tenure at NAADAC and AIDS United, McColl is past director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance. He is also current co-chair of the Ryan White Working Group, a convening group member of the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership. McColl is also a lawyer, currently serving on the American Bar Association HIV/AIDS Coordinating Committee.
Guest, Bill McColl
William D. McColl, Esq., the Vice President for Policy and Advocacy for AIDS United, has been an advocate on behalf of the HIV/AIDS community, alcohol and other drug treatment and reform issues and criminal justice reform for more than 20 years. He works on implementation of health care reform, strengthening Medicaid, Medicare and the Ryan White CARE Act, implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, syringe service program issues and ending HIV-specific prosecutions, increased punishment, and government-sponsored discrimination against people with HIV.
Prior to joining AIDS United, McColl worked to shape national policies on syringe exchange, treatment instead of incarceration and drug policy reform as the national affairs director at Drug Policy Alliance. As director of government relations and later executive director of NAADAC: The Association for Addiction Professionals, he worked on alcohol and substance abuse parity legislation and state level licensing issues. Earlier, McColl served in the U.S. Air Force as a Deputy Missile Combat Crew Member advancing to the rank of Captain in the U.S.A.F. Reserve. A native of Michigan, Bill earned his law degree at the University of Maryland School of Law where he wrote the first major law review article on drug courts. He also holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan and an M.S. in International Relations from Troy State University.
AIDS United’s mission is to end the AIDS epidemic in the United States.
Shadow Politics
Shadow Politics is a grass roots talk show giving a voice to the voiceless. For more than 200 years the people of the Nation's Capital have ironically been excluded from the national political conversation. With no voting member of either house of Congress, Washingtonians have lacked the representation they need to be equal and to have their voices heard. Shadow Politics will provide a platform for them, as well as the millions of others nationwide who feel politically disenfranchised and disconnected, to be included in a national dialog.
We need to start a new conversation in America, one that is more inclusive and diverse and one that will lead our great nation forward to meet the challenges of the 21st century. At Shadow Politics, we hope to get this conversation started by bringing Americans together to talk about issues important to them. We look forward to having you be part of the discussion so call in and join the conversation. America is calling and we're listening… Shadow Politics is about America hearing what you have to say. It's your chance to talk to an elected official who has spent more than 30 years in Washington politics. We believe that if we start a dialog and others add their voices we will create a chorus. Even if those other politicians in Washington don't hear you — Senator Brown will. He's on a mission to listen to what America has to say and use it to start a productive dialog to make our democracy stronger and more inclusive. If we are all part of the solution we can solve any problem.
