Fowler Alums Volunteer Work at AIDS Information Line Leads to A Lifetime Of Community Service

By Suzanne Finch

According to San Diego Pride, the city’s LGBTQ+ Pride event is one of the largest in the United States, bringing over 300,000 people together for a single weekend. This year, the San Diego Pride Parade and celebration will be held during the weekend of July 16.  

San Diego Pride was co-founded by decorated Navy veteran and San Diego State University student, the late Jess Jessop, in 1970, when he and others in the gay community staged the city’s first Gay-In in 1970 in Balboa Park. Thirteen years later, another Navy veteran and SDSU student, Alberto Cortes (’00, Executive MBA) began volunteering with the San Diego AIDS Information Line. “This was one of the first efforts to respond to the pending AIDS epidemic,” said Cortes. “At the time, there were only 22 reported cases of AIDS in San Diego.” 

It was the first time Cortes was involved in community service to support people living with AIDS, but it would not be the last. In fact, he ended up making this his life’s work.

Alberto Cortes earned his Executive MBA degree from SDSU’s Fowler College of Business in 2000

Mama’s Kitchen
Cortes is now the CEO of Mama’s Kitchen, a San Diego not-for-profit organization that was established in 1990 to deliver meals to individuals suffering from AIDS. Since then, Mama’s Kitchen has expanded its reach to deliver meals to other chronically ill individuals, including those with cancer, diabetes, congestive heart failure and COVID-19. In March 2021, the organization celebrated the delivery of its 10 millionth meal. 

A native of New York City, Cortes moved with his family to Puerto Rico when he was 15. When he was a 20-year-old college student, he “came out” for the first time. Shortly, thereafter, he left college and joined the Navy, which, ironically, did not permit LGBTQ+ service members at the time. However, Cortes successfully served in the Navy aboard a nuclear-powered submarine and moved to San Diego in May 1983 immediately after the completion of his military service.

Volunteer Work Leads to a Passion for Service
That same year, Cortes began volunteering for the San Diego AIDS Information Line and he’s been involved with HIV and AIDS-related health support services ever since. In 1998, while he was working as the Clinic Director/Director of HIV Services at the Family Health Centers of San Diego, he chose to return to college to get his MBA. “I was compelled to pursue a master’s degree in business because I thought I would be able to use those skills effectively in the nonprofit community,” said Cortes. “The Executive MBA program at SDSU was perfect because I could both work full-time and go to school full-time.”

In 2000 — the same year he earned his Executive MBA from SDSU’s Fowler College of Business — Cortes was asked to join the board of directors at Mama’s Kitchen. In 2002, he was named the executive director of the organization.

Scene from San Diego’s first Gay-In at Balboa Park in 1970 (Photo Credit: Lambda Archives of San Diego)

Applying The Lessons Learned at SDSU
Twenty years later, Cortes says he still uses the lessons he learned from his SDSU executive MBA program. “I’ve applied many of the lessons learned in graduate school to my work, including the importance of collaboration and a set of invaluable communications skills that range from memo writing to staging a formal presentation,” he said.  “The business management and accounting courses provided key, fundamental knowledge that I always fall back on to help me lead a nonprofit organization.”

His SDSU experience affected him on a personal level as well. “To this day, there are a number of classmates from days at SDSU that I’ve stayed in contact with,” said Cortes. “Some of them are long-time supporters of Mama’s Kitchen.”

Celebrating Pride
As Mama’s Kitchen reaches its 32nd year of serving meals to people living with AIDS and others in need, they will also be preparing for the San Diego’s Pride Celebration, as they have done for many years. “Mama’s Kitchen is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. We look forward to the opportunity to affirm our affiliation with the community and to express our gratitude to those who have provided us with decades of support,” said Cortes. 

 For current MBA students who are considering following Cortes’ example by pursuing a career in a community service organization, he offers these words from his experience: “The rewards are many, as are the challenges. And in the process of service to our communities, this field has provided the opportunity to work with some really amazing people. I am a better person from this experience.”