Meet the Team

  • Smiling woman with long brown hair, wearing glasses and a purple top, standing with arms crossed in an outdoor brick patio with plants.

    Rhoda Breeden

    Executive Director

  • A smiling man wearing glasses holding a fluffy tabby cat.

    Chase Peterson

    Program Director/Education Coordinator

  • A smiling woman with shoulder-length gray hair and glasses, wearing a white sleeveless dress with embroidered flowers, standing outdoors beside a plant and a brick wall.

    Wendy Miller

    Financial Manager

  • Felix Cardenas

    Financial Manager

  • A woman with glasses and long blonde hair smiling, wearing a purple graphic t-shirt, seated in front of a blue wall with framed artwork.

    Nan Blue

    Medical Case Manager

  • A woman with short hair wearing a black cardigan and a black t-shirt with white cursive text and decorative design, standing in front of a black background with Christmas-themed decorations.

    Jacque Brown

    Case Manager Assistant

  • Person dressed as a stereotypical chef with a white chef uniform, hat, and fake mustache, crossing arms and looking serious.

    Charla Driver

    Data Manager

  • A woman with dark wavy hair wearing a black sweatshirt with white print, standing against a colorful background decorated with yellow bananas and a yellow feathered decoration.

    Liz Freudenrich

    Case Manager

  • A woman with dark hair smiling as she hands a brown paper bag to someone. She is wearing a gray T-shirt with white graphics and a black smartwatch on her left wrist.

    Maribel Jimenez

    Eligibility Specialist

  • A woman with curly brown hair wearing glasses and a black shirt, smiling at the camera, in front of a beige wall.

    Emily Peters

    Case Manager

  • A man with short dark hair and a beard making a face, sticking out his tongue and squinting, while pointing with his finger to his large gold lightning bolt earring. He is wearing a zip-up jacket with color blocking, including gray, red, and cream. The background is blurry with some indistinct figures and objects.

    August Ramos

    HOPWA Case Manager

  • A close-up of a tabby cat wearing a rainbow-colored bandana, lying on a gray surface.

    PASO Kitty, aka PK

    Officer of Catnip/Resident Bird Watcher

Who we are

Our History

The Panhandle AIDS Support Organization, Inc. (PASO) is a not-for-profit support agency.

PASO opened its doors in August of 1987 offering education to the general public and emotional support to those persons living with HIV in the 26 counties of the Texas Panhandle.

Today PASO is a full service community based organization with a case management system which provides referrals to doctors, dentists and optometrists, therapeutic counseling, transportation, housing assistance, and support groups.

PASO became a Local Performance Site of the South Central AIDS Education Training Center in 2008. Our agency is committed to improving the quality of life of patients living with HIV/AIDS through the provision of high quality professional education and training.

Opportunities include in-house HIV education programs, and a larger Annual HIV /AIDS Symposium through collaboration with the Amarillo College Center for Continuing Healthcare Education.

PASO also offers educational programs tailored to the needs of civic groups, churches, hospitals, businesses and the general public.

Funding for PASO comes from state and federal grant funds, private foundations and local contributions.

Officers:
Carl Arthur, President
Dr. Melissa Smalley, PharmD, Vice President
Dr. Nichol Dolby, PhD, Secretary
Blake Goldston, Treasurer

Board Directors:
Alex Guerrero
Ruth Ellen Lynch
Mario Mireles
Konni Murphy
Jonas Rios
Jason Schneider

Co-Medical Directors:
Susan-Cooper Bailey, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
George Peterson, DNP, FNP-C, AAHIVS

2025 Stats

How We Assist

787

Hours of face-to-face case management.  

509

Months of health insurance premiums paid.

249

Food assistance cards given.

197

HIV medication refills. 

248

Months of housing assistance.