Matt McAdooProfileMatt McAdooAge: 31Position: Executive director of Chattanooga CARESEducation: Majored in political science and biology at the University of Tennessee, has a master’s of business administration from UTC and a law degree from the University of Memphis.Professional: Interned with former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, interned in the legal department of Wal-Mart, adjunct professor at Tennessee Temple University, in-house counsel for BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.Personal life: McAdoo is married and has one step-son. McAdoo attends Silverdale Baptist ChurchPastime: Duck huntingCHATTANOOGA CARESChattanooga CARES has 200 volunteers and 22 full-time staff members. The nonprofit agency, which is funded in part by Ryan White federal funding for low-income people with HIV and AIDS, provides medical care, medication, housing assistance, testing, outreach and educational classes.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic still disproportionately affects gay men, but the area’s largest HIV/AIDS prevention agency wants to distance itself from homosexuality.
Matt McAdoo, the newly hired director of Chattanooga CARES, said the group has let people from outside define who they are.
“In the public persona we are an organization that treats gay men with AIDS,” he said.
Slowly, McAdoo plans to rebrand CARES as an agency that treats the virus but doesn’t endorse sexual preferences.