Golden Rainbow welcomes Gary Costa, an established nonprofit and HIV/AIDS advocate, as its new Executive Director.
In his new role at Golden Rainbow, Costa will help improve the lives of Southern Nevadan men, women and children living with or effected by HIV/AIDS by overseeing Golden Rainbow’s Permanent Housing Program, a housing program designed specifically for people living with HIV/AIDS; being a local spokesperson for the cause by providing the community with HIV/AIDS education, resources and assistance; maintaining the nonprofit’s fundraising efforts throughout the year including “Ribbon of Life,” the organization’s largest annual benefit; among other duties.
This year’s “Ribbon of Life” is themed “Under the Big Top” and will be full of exhilarating circus-inspired acts. The spectacular will take place on Sunday, June 22 at The Penn & Teller Theater at Rio all-Suite Hotel & Casino.
ABOUT COSTA:
Costa comes from California where he established himself as a leader in the HIV/AIDS community. He started as a program coordinator for The Center OC’s AIDS Response Program, and later he moved to Los Angeles to further his career as the executive director of Being Alive - People with HIV/AIDS Action Coalition. Through these organizations, he was instrumental in developing and implementing successful programs that focused on HIV prevention and served on several nonprofit boards such as the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV.
In 2000, Costa was named associate director of Dartmouth College Western Regional Development office where he worked for nine years on a $1.5 billion capital campaign. Following, he returned to his nonprofit roots as the resource coordinator of Coachella Valley Autism Society and later took the position as the executive director of The LGBT Community Center of the Desert in Palm Springs, California.