Yvette Bello joined Latino Community Services (LCS) in June 2005 and is currently serving as the Executive Director. Based in Hartford, Conn., LCS works to reduce the further spread of HIV/AIDS among the Latino community and other populations at risk, and improve the quality of life of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS.

Yvette also serves on the board of the Medical Interpreting Association of Connecticut, The Ryan White Latino Caucus, the Connecticut Association for Nonprofits board and the Mayor's Commission on AIDS.

Here's Yvette...

What is the mission of Latino Community Services? And how do you view your role as its Executive Director? Do you have a particular mission or particular goals?
The mission of Latino Community Services (LCS) is to reduce the further spread of HIV/AIDS among the Latino community and other populations at risk and improve the quality of life and health outcomes of individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. My role in the organization is to ensure that the resources of the organization are used to achieve the mission. As general as that statement is, my job is to make critical decisions that in most cases will immediately affect people living with HIV/AIDS.

LCS does not claim to be the only organization to serve high risk populations, but I do like to say that we are the only organization that targets the most “challenging� populations and changing the quality of care for these populations.

My personal goals are very much in alignment with those of LCS. I am personally committed to addressing the issue of health disparities and changing the health outcomes of populations already living with chronic illinesses. On how do we do this and what my role is, it's really to create an organization that is not afraid of change and to hire people that are committed and “on fire� to help their community.

How did you make your way to the work that you are currently doing?
I have always worked in a role that required a challenge and commitment, and serves a needs for the greater community. Some of the roles I have held have been in organizations such as the Connecticut Army National Guard and the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

What particular challenges do you feel many Latinos of Hartford, CT face?
This question conjures up the regular list of challenges such as poverty and lack of healthcare, but what I feel is the greatest challenge is the lack of leadership that invokes a sense of hope. I find that a leader that can encourage hope can begin healing the root of the symptoms.

What do you think about the upcoming presidential election? Any favorites? And how do feel about the focus on illegal immigrants this election, as opposed to gay marriage and rights during the last presidential election?
I am still weighing the candidates. Personally, I am looking for a leader that is strong yet humble enough to begin healing America. I feel that America needs someone that provides a clear definition of what an American is that goes beyond where he or she was born, but bases the definition by what they believe in. Give me a leader that can get America to think about what that is and not who that is, and they can have my vote.