Miss Johnson is a native of Richmond, Virginia by way of Northern Virginia. She has had an interest in HIV/AIDS education since 2000, when the disease hit too close to home. Deirdre began her journey in Health education in Northern Virginia where she was a peer health educator and then moved to Richmond, VA to take up a position as a Prevention Case Manager. Her career has led her to do outreach for a local free clinic, as well as, aid in facilitation of free or low-cost medication to indigent patients in the Richmond and Central Virginia Area.
While performing outreach she heard of a training that would bring more education to the African – American woman on HIV/AIDS prevention, self esteem, gender pride, relationship issues, healthy decision making and other women related topics through a five session series of discussion. Since 2004 Miss Johnson has had the opportunity to facilitate the SISTA Project (Sistas Informing Sistas on the Topic of AIDS) for over 350 African-American Women between the ages of 18 – 34. Currently, she promotes healthy life choices using life experiences as an educational tool for all ages and walks of life. She is candid, honest and open about HIV/AIDS, Sexually transmitted infections, sex education, relationship issues, safer sex practices and healthier decision making.
She currently resides in the Central Virginia Area and is mostly remembered as “the woman that talks openly about HIV/AIDS”, healthy relationships and everyday issues that affect us all. Many may know her, but few ever forget her name after hearing her story, laughing at her jokes, and sampling one of the prevention products that she designs.
Her favorite quote is “Minutes +/-moments = lifetime. It takes a minute to complete a task, a moment to make (or not make) a difference to equal a lifetime of good or bad memories, so make every minute and moment count for a lifetime of great memories”, which she coined herself.
Prepare to laugh, cry and be edutained by a passionate and dynamic speaker on a sensitive topic with the hope of a lifetime of good prevention and decision making messages to pass on to the next generation.
