John Peller, CEO of AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC), will step down at the end of 2026 after more than two decades with the organization, including 12 as its leader.
Peller said the decision comes after “an incredible experience” leading one of the state’s largest HIV service organizations and a personal readiness for change.
“There’s no right time to leave the organization,” Peller said. “I love [AIDS Foundation Chicago], I love the people, and I’m so proud of the impact and the work that we’ve done together. But after 12 years as CEO, I’m personally ready for change … and it’s also really healthy for the organization to have new leadership, new vision and really new energy.”
Peller will remain in the role through December as AFC prepares to launch a national search for its next CEO and plans for a leadership transition. The change comes as the organization navigates an uncertain funding landscape and rising HIV cases.
The transition is designed to be intentional and extended, with Peller planning to overlap with his successor to ensure continuity. He said he does not have another role lined up and is approaching the decision as a deliberate transition.
The AIDS Foundation Chicago Board is expected to launch a national search for the organization’s next CEO later this year, with a transition and search committee guiding the process.
Peller said the decision was a long and intentional one, and that leading AFC has been “the honor of my professional life,” pointing to the organization’s growth and the thousands of people it now serves each year.
Peller said he has not yet decided what comes next, but emphasized that his commitment to HIV advocacy will continue.
“No matter what I do, my heart is always going to be with the work to end the HIV epidemic,” he said.
But he said the decision to pass the torch was shaped in part by the demands of leading a nonprofit through the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing political pressures during President Donald Trump’s second administration.
“It really feels like dog years,” he said, describing the cumulative strain of the past several years.
Peller added that leadership transitions are becoming more common across the nonprofit sector after several years of sustained challenges.
Peller’s tenure has seen major advancements in HIV treatment and prevention, from once-daily medications to the widespread adoption of PrEP and the understanding that undetectable equals untransmittable—all of which have transformed what it means to live with and prevent HIV.
Alongside those advancements, Peller has overseen a significant expansion of AFC’s reach and services.
Since becoming CEO, Peller has led the organization’s budget growth by 68% and expanded its staff by more than 50%. AFC now serves nearly 9,000 people annually through case management, housing, harm reduction, behavioral health and other services.
The organization’s housing portfolio has grown from about 866 units in 2014 to more than 1,100 today, helping provide stable housing to more than 2,000 people living with HIV each year.
“We know that housing is health care,” Peller said. “That’s 2,000 people who know where they’re going to lay their head, and they can prioritize taking their medication and maintaining their health.”
Under his leadership, AFC has also expanded its focus on the social determinants of health—addressing barriers such as housing instability, lack of insurance and limited access to dental care that can prevent people from engaging in HIV treatment.
“The amazing medical technology we have today doesn’t mean anything if people are scrambling to find a place to sleep at night,” Peller said.
Those challenges remain central as the organization looks ahead. Peller warned of a “very unstable funding environment,” noting that while federal HIV funding has remained level in recent years, future appropriations are uncertain.
He also pointed to threats to health care access, including rising marketplace costs and potential cuts to Medicaid, which covers approximately 18,000 people living with HIV in Illinois. Disruptions could have serious consequences for both individual health and efforts to prevent transmission, he said.
At the same time, Chicago saw a 12% increase in new HIV cases in 2024, a trend Peller said is especially concerning as public health infrastructure faces cuts.
“The CDC has been essentially gutted,” he said. “Some of the people who would have helped support local responses to increases like this have just been fired.”
The next CEO will need to navigate those overlapping challenges while continuing to build on AFC’s community-driven approach.
“My advice would be to listen to the community,” Peller said. “We don’t need to sit in our office and think up solutions—we need to talk to the community and find out what those solutions are. When organizations go off track, it’s because they don’t listen.”
Peller also reflected on the people who shaped his time at AFC, including colleagues, board members and predecessors who helped build the organization. He specifically pointed to longtime advocate Jim Pickett, who hired him for his first role at AFC.
“I’m just so grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from those folks,” Peller said.
