LaJuene Hubbard

Executive Director

 

I have served in the human service field in various capacities for over 15 years and developed a passion for assisting others in changing their lives as a direct result of turning my life around from a drug abuser and being homeless in the streets of New York. to whom you see now.

 

I began my career at nineteen years old at the AIDS Center of Queens County as a Risk Reduction Specialist and after one year I was promoted to the Woman’s Peer Education Coordinator.  In the five years of employment at ACQC I gained experience in street outreach, recruiting peer educators, training volunteers/staff about HIV/AIDS, community outreach, community liaison work, supervise peer educators (50), develop curriculums on HIV/AIDS and substance abuse.  I wanted to expound on my experience in the human service field, which lead me to work at numerous other organizations in various capacities.  I engaged in substance abuse counseling, HIV counseling and the development of an HIV program in a woman’s shelters system.  During this time I was developing experience in the field, I realized the need to continue my education.  At that point I enrolled at the College for Human Services in which I obtained my Bachelors degree in Human Services.  

 

After some time I made a decision to change focus and develop knowledge on the administrative side of the human service field which is how I arrived at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center.  I worked at this medical center for one year in the capacity of Executive Administrative Assistant.  This gave me an understanding of what goes on behind the scene and to appreciate all the components in operating a human service organization.  

 

The next decision I made was to achieve my Masters Degree at Metropolitan College of New York.  My Master’s Degree is in Public Administration.  During this time I embarked on an opportunity at Lexington Women’s Shelter to manage a staff of sixty employees.  I was responsible for overseeing both client services and operations of this one hundred and one bed shelter for women.

 

I have extensive experience working with adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders in which I have utilized that knowledge working with the Children’s Guild.  I also worked at Good Shepard which is a group home setting for adolescent females for six months.

 

Currently, I am working with the Black Educational Aids Project, Inc. in the capacity of Executive Director.  This organization is the oldest continuously operating AIDS organization in Baltimore serving the African-American community.  During this period of time I made a decision to develop more skills necessary to meet the needs of our clients.  I have been certified by the Maryland Board of Nursing to dispense medication, oraquick testing, recruitment and retention; grant writing,  CRCS training, giving results in a rapid testing world, etc.   

 

Thus my experience in this field coupled with my education gives me the confidence in my ability to meet the challenge of being employed at BEAP.  I believe that with my enthusiasm, compassion, and sincere effort, I can make a difference in the African-American community.  My staff and I go beyond the call of duty, feed people, cloth people, get people into detoxification, provide them with ID so they can get into drug treatment, sober houses, etc.   We meet the client on the level they are and work with them towards achieving wellness in not just prevention of HIV but in their lives as a whole.