Paul Caponi
Zeta Eta – South Florida
After graduating from the University of South Florida with a bachelor’s degree in biology, Paul attended Texas A&M University where he obtained a master’s in public health. While at Texas A&M, Paul served as the President of the Community Health Promotion Students Organization, Treasurer of the Texas A&M Public Health Student Association, won a Texas Public Health Scholarship for his work in program evaluation, worked on a multi-university research project about healthcare in clinics, and graduated top of his class to win the Department Achievement Award. After graduate school, Paul worked for a year at the American Cancer Society Corporate Office in Austin, Texas to help people and families affected by cancer. Looking to spread his reach to the LGBTQ+ community, Paul decided to move to New York City and got a job as a Program Coordinator at a Federally Qualified Health Center where he ran a program for HIV prevention and education, taking the program from 0 to over 1,000 active patients. After two years he was given the opportunity to become the Associate Director of Infectious Disease and LGBTQ Programs at the largest non-profit in New York City for Federally Qualified Health Centers, where he is now in charge of over 5 million dollars in grant-funded programs for HIV, STIs, sexual health, and all programs related to LGBTQ+ health. At 26, Paul is not only the youngest person with an Associate Director title at his company but also at any other non-profit organization with Federally Qualified Health Center designated status in New York City.