Taria Poteat is a passionate advocate for public service, with a diverse background in HIV/AIDS Programming, Health Policy, Graduated Medical Education, and Public Health Administration. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Management and also pursued the College of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health at Florida A & M University to further her education for her master’s degree in Public Health, Health Policy and Epidemiology Concentration. Deeply-rooted into her dedication to serving others, she has made significant contributions to various organizations and government agencies. Her journey in public health began as the Program Coordinator, Designated Institutional Official and Contract Manager to the Preventive Medicine Public Health Residency Program at the Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County, where she worked closely with Medical Residents and Department Leadership gaining valuable insights into the intricacies of public health administration, the state and local government, and graduate medical education, to provide vital oversight to community residents and their families.

Exploring further opportunities to make a difference, she transitioned to the federal government sector, serving in esteemed positions such as a Public Health Analyst for the HIV Workforce and Development Team at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) responding to the Ending the HIV Epidemic national initiative within the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program grant recipients. During her tenure at the HIV/AIDS Bureau, Taria authored the Funding Opportunity for the Building the HIV Workforce and Strengthening Engagement in Communities of Color project, funded by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health’s Minority HIV/AIDS Fund, solely designed to foster HBCU’s existing relationships to address HIV-related stigma in Black communities. Driven by her desire to impact the public health field on a broader scale, she recently joined the Office of Health Center Program Monitoring at the Bureau of Primary Health Care within HRSA as a Program Specialist, analyzing existing or proposed systems, strategies, services for long-range implementation and administration for nearly 1,400 health centers that provide affordable, accessible, and high-quality care to underserved communities at more than 15,000 sites across the U.S. and its territories.

With a profound understanding that community is her greatest asset, she goes above and beyond to intentionally save lives, provide community resources, and foster economic empowerment. She embraced her role as a member of the Executive Leadership Board and Chair for the Community Service Events Committee for Thursday Network, an auxiliary of the Greater Washington Urban League Young Professionals, becoming a champion for positive change, building upon her academic background, professional experiences, and unwavering passion for public service. Presently, Taria remains devoted to making a lasting impact on her community, inspiring others through her resilience, and working towards a world where public service is synonymous with empowerment and equity.