FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -  July 17, 2025
Contact: Cyndee Clay, Executive Director, [email protected]
 HIPS Announces Planned Executive Transition

Today, HIPS announced that after 25 years as HIPS’ executive director, Cyndee Clay will be stepping down from her role in December 2026.
HIPS was formed in 1993 by community representatives in response to the need for specialized services for youth engaging in transactional sex in Washington, D.C. HIPS has since grown into a comprehensive and dynamic organization providing a variety of services, education, and advocacy for people in street economies. 
About her departure, Clay said, “At HIPS, we try to create a community that supports people in becoming their best selves. When I started as a volunteer, so many years ago, I never  imagined that I would have the honor of leading and caring for this work for so many years. HIPS has changed so many lives, including my own. I am beyond proud of the work HIPS has done, for the community we have helped create, and I am excited to see what this tremendous team - board, staff, volunteers - everyone who helps make HIPS, “HIPS”  is creating for its next chapter.”
Of Cyndee’s leadership, Devon Trotter, board chair said, "For nearly three decades, Cyndee has led pioneering, innovative, and compassionate public health and harm reduction programs for individuals engaging in sex work, drug use, and underground economies—grounded in a philosophy of dignity, agency, and non-judgmental support. Under her stewardship, HIPS grew from a modest outreach initiative into a multi-department organization. Her commitment to preserving the organization's home base—leading the charge for its building’s purchase—is a testament to her long-term strategic vision and deep roots in the DC community. The board is grateful for the thought and care Cyndee is putting into this transition. We look forward to our continued work with Cyndee and the HIPS team over the next year to set the stage for our next executive director.” 
During the course of Clay’s leadership, HIPS has grown from a borrowed outreach van staffed primarily by volunteers to a staff of thirty eight providing services at four pop up or fixed site locations to over 3,000 people a year.  Cyndee believes deeply in the power and expertise of people with lived experience - paving the way for HIPS’s current team where 85% of HIPS current staff has lived experience in our issues. Through her tenure, HIPS served at the forefront of local and national policy -- working to expand syringe access in DC, expanding naloxone access, addressing inequality in the housing voucher system, and reducing criminalization of the people HIPS serves. Her financial stewardship of the organization grew HIPS from a 350K budget to a 4.5 million dollar budget, and led to the purchase of HIPS’s own building on H St, NE, the first comprehensive harm reduction center in the DC area that co-locates no barrier drop in, social services,  medical care, and treatment in a one stop shop.
Diana Thu-Thao Rhodes, board Search Committee member, added, “In our conversations with Cyndee about this transition, we decided on a long transition plan that allows us to thoughtfully and intentionally shepherd the organization into its next era. Cyndee’s leadership has been integral to the growth and success of HIPS over the years. While we are sad to see her depart, we are so thankful for her service and her ongoing contributions to ensuring a smooth and successful transition.”
Search Committee member Kyle T. Collins also added, “The transition team, in consultation with the board, will launch a national search starting in the fall. The team looks forward to engaging stakeholders as we move through the process of hiring HIPS’ next executive director. HIPS is so grateful to the ongoing community support; this work would not be possible without you.”

PRAISE FROM COLLEAGUES
​
Michael Kharfen, former Senior Deputy Director of the DC HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Administration reflected, “Cyndee has been on the frontlines of saving lives in DC, tirelessly advancing the dignity of people, advancing innovative programs, and never holding back on what will serve the community. When I worked for the DC Department of Health, she told it like it was,  in no uncertain terms,  and made public health better. Her outstanding leadership transformed HIPS from the back of a strip mall with an unmarked door to a comprehensive harm reduction, prevention, and care center visible to all. She formed ground-breaking partnerships to cure people of hepatitis C, provide life-saving opioid treatment and prevention, and empower people for success. She is a change agent, visionary, and champion. And the people of DC are better for her.”

Stephen Lee, former HIPS Board Member and Executive Director of NASTAD said, “Cyndee Clay has been a tireless advocate both locally and nationally for better policies, better practices, and better outcomes in HIV prevention, harm reduction, and public health. Under Cyndee’s leadership as Executive Director of HIPS, every extraordinary achievement—from expanding life-saving harm reduction services to building trust and resilience in marginalized communities—stands as a testament to her unwavering dedication, visionary spirit, and the transformative power of compassionate leadership."


HIPS advances the health, rights, and dignity of people and communities impacted by sex work and drug use by providing non-judgmental harm reduction services, advocacy, and community engagement led by those with lived experience.