Board and Staff

Meet Our Team

Darya Shahgheibi
(she/her or they/them)
Executive Director
executivedirector@gcapnow.com

Darya Shahgheibi is a passionate and long-standing advocate for health equity, community healing, transformative justice, social change, and LGBTQIA2S+ rights.

They have experience working in nonprofit management and administration, community organizing, advocacy, and fundraising. Prior to her position at GCAP, Darya was employed at Champaign Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) where she acted as a Case Manager/Counselor for folks living with HIV/AIDS. Darya’s prior employment also includes roles such as Programming Director, Research Coordinator, and Family Advocate.

Darya is actively involved in Board/Committee work and serves on the Independent Media Center Board of Directors and the National Foster Parent LGBTQ Committee. She has also previously served on the Urbana School District LGBTQ Task Force, Carle Hospital LGBTQ Committee, and Visit Champaign County DEI Committee.

When not working, Darya enjoys spending time with her daughter, painting, hiking, and connecting with her family in Iran.

Meg McDonald
(she/they)
Client Advocate/Case Manager
meg@gcapnow.com

Meg McDonald (she/they) is a passionate advocate and artist deeply committed to creating positive change through meaningful community action. As a longtime Champaign-Urbana resident, Meg uses their in-depth knowledge of local resources to connect community members with essential support.

Their experience spans food access, sustainable farming, LGBTQ+ rights, prison justice reform, and affordable housing initiatives. Meg also has a history of volunteerism with GCAP, including recent participation as an artist in Artists Against AIDS. Meg’s work and volunteer history demonstrate a profound commitment to bettering our community and supporting those in need.

When not advocating for community well-being, Meg finds joy in making art, biking, gardening, and exploring Champaign-Urbana’s natural beauty.

Victoria Martinez
(she/her)
Humanities in Action Scholar Fall 2024

Victoria Martinez (she/her/her’s) is a 2024 Humanities in Action (HIA) scholar through the University of Illinois Humanities in Action program. This program provides support for selected undergraduate humanities students who are interested in pursuing community engagement opportunities within the Champaign-Urbana community.

Victoria majors in English and political science (international relations). She is a founding member and membership coordinator of the Illinois Global Review Journal, an RSO dedicated to reporting on global issues through op-eds. She is also an Illini Tower resident advisor and an active member of the English Student Association and the Women’s Undergraduate Law Society.

As a first-generation college/law school student, she hopes to help people of a similar background. Victoria is passionate about giving back to the community and helping other Hispanic students pursue higher education. She is studying international relations because she wants to embrace other cultures and support those who are underrepresented on a global scale.

Virginia Leach
(she/her)
Humanities Without Walls Intern Summer 2024

Virginia is a fourth-year PhD student in the Department of Sociology at UIUC. Her research interests include intersectionality, disparities in health, and health equity. Her work serves to highlight the injustices in the cancer care continuum.

During her GCAP internship, Virginia focused on identifying and addressing barriers to care within our program, with the goal of furthering health equity in East Central Illinois. She also utilized a SMART goals framework to develop an inclusive outreach plan for the organization.

Meet Our Board of Directors

To contact one of our Board members, please email board@gcapnow.com

Georgia King
(she/her)
President

A woman with short, dark hair and glasses smiles at the camera. She is wearing a leopard print top and large, brown earrings. A brick wall is visible behind her.

Sandra Darby
(she/her)
Vice President

Sandra is retired after 30+ years in manufacturing. During those years she had responsibilities for implementing and maintaining an ISO Quality Management System. Her position included duties in auditing and training personnel in problem solving and conflict resolution.

Before moving to Champaign, Sandra lived in Paris, IL and raised two daughters. Her civic time was devoted to serving on fundraising committees, which included the construction of the Paris Community Hospital and the Paris YMCA. She also served as Chair and Treasurer of the Edgar County March of Dimes.

Sandra enjoys opportunities which provide for the health and well being of others. In Champaign she was introduced to GCAP’s annual Artist Against AIDS and Winter Gala. When invited to join the GCAP Board 7 years ago, she accepted and currently serves as Vice President.

During her free time she enjoys learning opportunities at OLLI , social activities at Krannert and body maintenance at the YMCA and Leonard Center. At home she can be found reading from her cookbook collection and making one new recipe each week.

Amanda Bell
(she/her)
Secretary

A fair-skinned woman with shoulder-length brown hair and a slight smile. She is wearing a colorful crocheted cardigan. The background is blurred and features a string of lights and a plant.

Laura Koritz
(she/her)
Secretary

Laura Koritz (she/her/her’s)

Before settling into her career as a humanities teacher at Urbana High School, Laura Koritz studied as a poet, worked as an editor for a publishing company, sold books at an independent bookstore, ran workshops for developing interview skills, and provided one-on-one resume-writing consultations. She was also a Dairy Queen dilly-bar maker, horse wrangler/trail-ride leader, and a Certified Nursing Assistant.

Service has been forever important to her – she has been a volunteer for Greater Community AIDS Project since 1997 and has served on the board of directors since 2015.

Teaching high school is her passion, and she loves building relationships with students. Urbana High serves diverse populations in our area, which makes for rich and meaningful conversations about leading intentional lives. Besides teaching English and Psychology courses, she also co-sponsors the Habitat for Humanity Club. It’s all about fostering that spark of volunteerism, and showing kids that you get what you give. That putting in hard work for others can generate a powerful reciprocal dynamic of blessings. GCAP’s mission is especially personal; as a young person, Laura lost several close friends to HIV. She currently holds the position of board secretary.

Morene Christman
(she/her)
Member at Large/ Client Services Committee Chair

Morene Christman started her career in 1970 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics as head nurse and clinical specialist in the ENT department, working with cleft lip and palate children.

Following completion of her Master of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1982, she worked as a certified nurse practitioner in primary care at Cabrini Green, serving African American and Latino patients.

In 1985, Morene moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she continued to serve African American and Puerto Rican patients with the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department.

In 1992 she moved back to Illinois and began a 30 year Advanced Practice Nurse career at Carle Clinic in Adult Medicine. She was mentored by Drs. Phil Johnson, Tom Speck, Steven Dolan, and Amir Khan to care for patients living with HIV/AIDS. In recognition of her exceptional contributions, Morene was honored with the Exemplary Nurse award in 2015 and the Pioneer Award in 2017, signifying her commitment to advancing HIV care.