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Toni D. Newman

Director of the Coalition for Justice and Equality Across Movements for NMAC

Toni Newman

Toni Newman is the Director of The Coalition for Justice and Equality Across Movements at NMAC in Washington DC. She was previously the Interim CEO of the Black AIDS Institute and Interim President of the LYRIC Youth Foundation. Toni is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors for TransCanWork. She serves as the Membership Chair of the California Black Leadership Council and appointed member to the Los Angeles County Workforce Development Board.

Toni was the Interim Director of Employment Services at the SF LGBT Center, Executive Director for St. James Infirmary, and the Director of Development for Maitri Compassionate Care AIDS Hospital. She previously served as the Interim Director of Development & Communications at To Help Everyone Health and Wellness Centers and as a Strategic Fundraiser, Volunteer Recruiter, and Legislative Aide for Equality California.

Toni is a graduate of Wake Forest University and a current candidate for her Juris of Doctorate (JD). In 2024, Toni received awards from the National Bar Association LGBTQ Division, Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, Anthem Awards and The Williams Institute of the UCLA School of Law for Unity and Leadership.

Additionally, Toni is a best-selling author, noted for her memoir I Rise -The Transformation of Toni Newman, released in 2011. Her memoir was based on the poem I Rise by the late Wake Forest University Reynolds Professor Dr. Maya Angelou. In 2025, her second book, Living My Authentic Life in an Unapologetic World, will be released. Toni and her partner of 21 years, Alton Willoughby, live in Hollywood Hills, CA.

Panel Information

HEALTHCARE - Hard Truths, Real Solutions: Chronic Disease and the Latino Experience

2:00 PM

Chronic diseases are often diseases of the powerless. In Latino communities, conditions like diabetes, obesity, and asthma reveal deep systemic failures—limited access to care, food insecurity, environmental injustice, low health literacy, and a long history of exclusion. This session brings together a panel of healthcare leaders to examine where we are, how we got here, and what it will take to turn the tide. From clinical care to community-based interventions and research-backed strategies, speakers will share what’s working and why. Attendees will leave with a clearer picture of the root causes of health disparities—and practical tools to help close the gap.