Adrian Shanker (he/him) is a seasoned policy and non-profit leader with specialized policy expertise in LGBTQI+ health policy, data equity, and access to care strategies. Adrian has worked at the nexus of LGBTQI+ policy and health policy at the federal, state, and municipal levels.
He served in the Senior Executive Service in the Biden-Harris Administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy and Senior Advisor on LGBTQI+ Health Equity at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and previously served as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
Prior to his federal service, Adrian served as Commissioner on the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, the state’s civil rights enforcement agency, where he served from 2018-2022 at the appointment of Governor Tom Wolf with unanimous confirmation by the state senate. He also served the Wolf Administration as Commissioner and Health Committee Co-chair on the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQI+ Affairs.
The majority of Adrian’s career was in non-profit leadership. He served as executive director of LGBTQI+ community centers in Pennsylvania and California and served as board president of Pennsylvania’s state equality organization during the marriage equality fight. In Pennsylvania, he founded and developed Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center to a $1.6M agency with 24 FTEs, a 13,000 SF mortgage-free facility, and robust programs in community health, original research, positive youth development, fine art galleries, and a community archive. In that role, he created and broadly implemented the biannual Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment in 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2022. In California, he led a $2.9M Ryan White agency that provided HIV case management, PrEP navigation, and harm reduction services.
Adrian earned a Graduate Certificate in LGBT Health Policy & Practice from The George Washington University and a B.A., cum laude, in Political Science and Religion Studies from Muhlenberg College.
Adrian has received numerous awards for his leadership and advocacy impact, including:
- Out in National Security Out Leaders List
- GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality Achievement Award
- Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center Legacy Award
- City and State PA inaugural Pennsylvania Healthcare Power 100 list
- Lehigh Valley Business Healthcare Hero Award
- Philadelphia Gay News ‘Person of the Year’ 2012 and 2018
- Human Relations Commission of the City of Allentown Human Relations Award
Adrian has edited two anthologies, Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health and Crisis and Care: Queer Activist Responses to a Global Pandemic and authored chapters in three additional books.
Image description: professional headshot of Adrian, a white man wearing a navy blue suit, white shirt, and orange tie. He is wearing an intersex-inclusive pride flag pin and standing in front of a grey background. (photo credit: DeMarcus Bolds)