Antiona Bowman
Board Member
Antiona “Tiona” Bowman (She/They) is a black woman of Trans experiance. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, by a single mother and is the oldest of four siblings. Tiona’s transition began in 1994 while attending Charleston Job Corps at the age of 16 in Charleston, WV.
Tiona uses her lived experience as a former survival sex worker, her recovery from drug and alcohol addiction, homelessness, and time spent incarcerated to advocate for holistic healthcare and resources for trans-folks in Virginia with a primary focus on BIPOC transgender communities while ensuring the Inclusion, Empowerment, and Unity of Black Trans-women of color lived experience. In using her experience, Tiona continues to help shape policies and procedures for transgender HIV prevention and healthcare while ensuring the equality of trans.
Believing that no one holds the complete puzzle to life. However, we should put our biases aside and bring our broken pieces to the table to pursue equality for all. Tiona has consulted and organized multiple TGNC roundtables, panel discussions, and town halls to shed light on the social and economic disparities faced by Virginia’s transgender community.
Tiona has held the following positions: TGNC coordinator, Lead TGNC Support Group Facilitator, lead CLEAR! (Choosing Life, Empowerment, Action, and Results!) Program Facilitator, Health Educator, HIV/STI/HepC Tester, Prevention Counselor, Social Media Manager, Community Engagement Coordinator, Community Outreach Specialist, Community PrEP/nPEP Navigator. Tiona is currently employed as a Comprehensive Harm Reduction Program Specialist I.
Tiona serves as a member of Virginia’s Community HIV Planning Group (CHPG) Board where she sits as Community Vice Chair, and The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) anti-racism sub-committee.
Tiona is an alumni member of: The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) Minority Leadership Program (MLP), The National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) G.L.O.W. (Growing Leadership Opportunities for Women) Fellowship program, The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Trans-Justice Initiative Elevate Fellowship, and one of Virginia’s National PrEP Ambassadors for the Greater Than AIDS Campaign “via” KFF.
Tiona’s motto is:
“People will tell you nothing comes to a dreamer but a dream. However, I believe your dreams are not dead as long as you are alive. Run, jump, skip, or hop; don't allow no one to stop you until you reach that dream, and yes, dreams are evolutionary."
