Jason Grueneich

HIV advocate | Founder, Shine Bright & Live | LGBTQ+ addiction recovery leader

Jason Grueneich is fighting for HIV advocacy and recovery support in North Dakota. Drawing on his experience as an HIV-positive man who has experienced homelessness and addiction, he has helped launch and lead transformative initiatives: North Dakota’s HIV Peer Navigation Program, Bismarck’s first LGBTQ+ recovery group and the state’s first nonprofit dedicated to people living with HIV—Shine Bright & Live.

Jason leads with vulnerability, wisdom and a strong belief in people’s capacity to heal. He is known for his magnetic presence, charismatic communication and ability to bring people together, even in tense situations. He chairs the North Dakota HIV Advisory Board, has shaped public policy around LGBTQ+ inclusion and HIV awareness and built coalitions that include doctors, police departments, libraries and faith leaders. He knows what it’s like to feel hopeless—and what it takes to walk through fire and emerge as a force for others. 

With the Bush Fellowship, Jason will focus on personal healing as a foundation for his growth as a leader, deepen his nonprofit leadership skills and develop a long-term vision for destigmatizing HIV in rural America.

What has shaped your approach to leadership?

I have changed my own life and work to help others do the same. I am lucky to be alive. In adolescence, I got heavily involved in alcohol and drugs. I led myself down a path of homelessness, drug addiction and sex work in Minneapolis. My world turned upside down when I was diagnosed with HIV in 2006. In 2016, I moved back to Bismarck, where I found recovery and dedicated myself to my community. 

What change are you trying to create?

The HIV+ community has needs in housing, transportation, substance use disorders, poverty alleviation, food sustainability, medication management and community involvement. We cannot address these needs without decreasing stigma. I want to create space for people living with HIV in North Dakota to be safe and accepted while being open about their status. I want every newly diagnosed patient who is scared and overwhelmed to hear, “It is going to be alright, and you are not alone.” And I want there to be systems of support in place to back up that promise.