Vallerie joined APLA Health in 2006 as the director of health and wellness programs and became director of education in July 2007.
Prior to joining APLA Health, Vallerie served as the COO at the Black AIDS Institute, the first black HIV/AIDS policy center dedicated to reducing HIV/AIDS health disparities by mobilizing black institutions and individuals in efforts to confront the epidemic in their communities. Prior to joining the Institute, she was the director of education and social services at the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Before entering the world of nonprofit management, Vallerie worked as an engineer at Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 15 years on the Voyager and Galileo projects. She received her B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA. She received her M.S. in electrical engineering from Tuskegee Institute in 1983 and was the first woman to receive a master’s degree in engineering from that institution. A tireless advocate for the human rights of the LGBTQ+ community and people with HIV, Vallerie has worked with culturally and linguistically diverse populations locally, nationally, and internationally for more than 30 years.
