Adrian Shanker

Adrian Shanker (he/him) is a senior fellow at Lehigh University's College of Health. A nationally-regarded policy expert in LGBTQI+ health policy and data equity, Adrian has worked at the nexus of LGBTQI+ policy and health policy at the federal, state, and municipal levels for 15+ years.

Adrian was a senior political appointee in the Biden administration, where he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy and Senior Advisor on LGBTQI+ Health Equity at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to that, he was a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. At the state level, Adrian served as Commissioner on the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission where he served at the appointment of Gov. Tom Wolf. He also served the Wolf Administration as Commissioner and Health Committee co-chair on the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQI+ Affairs.

After the Biden administration, Adrian launched Shanker Strategies, a boutique consulting practice offering non-profit management, LGBTQI+ health, and government relations / advocacy consulting for the LGBTQI+ and HIV movements nationally. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for CenterLink: the community of LGBTQ Centers and on the National Campaign Board for the LGBTQ Victory Institute.

A seasoned non-profit leader, he served as executive director of LGBTQI+ community centers in Pennsylvania and California and served as board president of Equality Pennsylvania during the marriage equality fight. In PA, he founded and developed Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center to a $1.6M agency with 24 FTEs, a 13,000 SF mortgage-free facility, and robust health, youth, and arts programs. He created and broadly implemented the biannual Pennsylvania LGBTQ Health Needs Assessment in 2015, '18, '20, and '22. In California, he led a $2.9M Ryan White agency that provided HIV case management, PrEP navigation, and harm reduction services.

Adrian earned a Graduate Certificate in LGBT Health Policy & Practice from The George Washington University and a B.A., cum laude, in Political Science and Religion Studies from Muhlenberg College. Adrian has been recognized with many awards including Out in National Security's 2024 Out Leaders List, GLMA Achievement In Advocacy award, City and State PA's inaugural Healthcare Power 100 list, Lehigh Valley Business ‘Healthcare Hero’ award, and he was twice named ‘Person of the Year’ by Philadelphia Gay News. Adrian has edited two anthologies, Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health and Crisis and Care: Queer Activist Responses to a Global Pandemic.