Andrew Santos Moreira is a proud First Generation of Brazilian descent and New Jersey native. As an undergrad at Rutgers-Newark, Andrew served as Co-President to his campus’ only LGBTQIA+ student organization, RU Pride. During his tenure, Andrew and his team spearheaded events and collaborations that fostered meaningful dialogue around diversity, equity and inclusion. These collaborative events included supporting the Muslim Student Organization’s protests against the Trump administration's ban against predominantly Muslim countries, as well as inviting an international speaker and founder of IraQueer to speak on and advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights in Iraq. 

Following the end of his tenure leading RU Pride, Andrew worked closely with the Director of the LGBTQ & Intercultural Resource Center to bring the 2018 Northeast LGBT Conference to Newark. This conference included partnerships with the Mayor's Office of Newark, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Essex County College. During the 3-day weekend, Newark welcomed hundreds of students, staff, and community members from all around the northeast to a peer-led conference offering dialogues focused on intersectionality, body positivity, community-empowered collective activism, and more. Upon graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Andrew was honored with the 2018 Dean James Credle Award, the 2018 Legacy Leader Award, and the 2018 Outstanding Leadership Award.

Andrew's first job out of college was as a Public Health Representative within the Infectious Diseases Practice (IDP) providing HIV testing and counseling services for patients at University Hospital. In his role, Andrew coordinated events that expanded testing opportunities across Newark, within college communities and the Ironbound. In addition to testing, Andrew used his marketing expertise to develop a branding logo for University Hospital's newly founded LGBTQIA+ PRIDE organization and curated a new website for the IDP with a modernized user interface to boost community outreach. 

As Andrew grew in this position, he moved laterally to Research With A Heart (RWAH) continuing his work around public health advocacy. In this position, he focused on building and fostering dialogue around, and recruiting participants for, culturally competent research study opportunities about HIV and COVID-19. In this role, Andrew continued his partnerships with community-based organizations and academic institutions and sought collaborations for events around sexual health advocacy and awareness. While leading a department-wide brand refresh, Andrew also managed the social media for the department, and developed a new website to spotlight all of the wonderful initiatives and opportunities at RWAH. Throughout this process, Andrew worked closely with colleagues throughout the department, community, and University Hospital to pursue a brand identity that best serves the needs of the greater Newark community.

In his quest to focus on addressing and improving mental health outcomes in the workplace, Andrew is currently pursuing his Master of Public Administration (MPA) with an expected graduation date of Spring 2023. Through this work and his existing community connections and relationships, Andrew is looking to build a supportive and inclusive future for all. Andrew couldn’t do this alone and is working during this process with his sidekick, and most handsome tuxedo cat, Chip, who Andrew rescued from a local shelter in Newark. In time, Andrew aims to inspire change and collective activism through innovative ideas and initiatives.


Chip - the handsome tuxedo cat and sidekick