Our Team at the Foundation The Staff

Our Team at the Foundation
We have an unofficial motto at the Foundation "lean but never mean." Our
organization is governed by a small Board of Directors comprised entirely of
volunteers. We have an even smaller staff, comprised of just four full time
employees and several dedicated volunteers. With this small staff we manage
partner relationships in many countries serving thousands of women.
THE FISTULA FOUNDATION
We keep our staff small deliberately. We are very efficient. We can make
decisions quickly and operate with minimal overhead. We strive to keep our
costs of doing business low. Less money spent on staff means more money goes
to help women waiting for fistula treatment. During the past six consecutive
years, we are proud to have earned four-star ratings from Charity Navigator for
our ability to "consistently execute our mission in a fiscally responsible way,
outperforming most charities in America."
1900 The Alameda, Suite 500
San Jose, California 95126
Tel: 408-249-9596
Toll Free: 866-756-3700
[email protected]
www.fistulafoundation.org
When you call our office during work hours you'll get one of our staff not a
maze of recorded messages. As importantly, we can be responsive to our
partners working under challenging conditions in developing countries,
helping them help otherwise forgotten women get desperately needed care.
This is all made possible because of friends and donors like you.
Contact Information:
The Staff
Kate Grant
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AND,
MEMBER, BOARD OF DIRECTORS
(EX OFFICIO)
Kate Grant joined the Foundation as its first Chief Executive in 2005 and has
led the Board and staff team that have expanded the Foundation from
supporting one institution in one country, Ethiopia, to its current global reach.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Grant was engaged in advocating for a
strong United States role in international cooperation. She served on the House
Foreign Affairs Committee Staff working for Chairman Lee Hamilton, and
during the Clinton Administration as the Special Assistant and Deputy Chief
of Staff at USAID. In addition, she served as a consultant to USAID's Mission
in Tanzania, the Rockefeller Foundation, the International AIDS Vaccine
Initiative, and the Women's Funding Network.
Ms. Grant holds an MPA from Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School, where
she was elected Chair of the School’s Graduate Student Body. Prior to
attending Princeton, she was an Advertising Executive at two large agencies:
Leo Burnett in Chicago, and FCB in San Francisco, managing campaigns for
Fortune 500 companies, such as Levi Strauss, McDonald’s and Clorox. She
graduated with honors from the Haas School of Business at the University of
California-Berkeley, where she was elected to the Order of the Golden Bear.
Ms. Grant has served on several boards, including the Governing Board of
Graduate Alumni of Princeton University.
The Staff (continued)
Anne Ferguson
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Carol Brill
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Jessica Love
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Maryam Zar
DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING
DIRECTOR
Anne Ferguson joined the Foundation in late November 2003 as its first paid
staff member. Since joining the Foundation she’s guided the formulation of
policies and procedures to enable the organization’s growth. She has primary
responsibility for financial systems, grants, HR and database management.
Prior to working with the Fistula Foundation, she worked in the private sector
in the United Kingdom as an HR Manager and at a senior administrative level.
Anne earned an MA in English & Modern History from St. Andrews
University in Scotland, an HR qualification from the Chartered Institute of
Personnel & Development in the UK, and was certified SPHR by the HR
Certification Institute in the USA.
Carol Brill joined the foundation team in March 2011 to assist full-time with
executive and donor support. Her background includes 10 years of experience
designing and producing corporate newsletters, six years as a copy editor and
assistant publications manager, and four years writing news and feature articles
for a local newspaper. In addition, Carol worked as a professional sports
photographer, and has won awards for her photography. She also has 15 years
of administrative experience in the legal and professional fields, and has served
as Business Manager for a community Board of Directors for three years. Carol
holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Santa Clara University.
Jessica Love joined the Foundation in July 2012 as an experienced writer and
communications strategist who has managed media relations, community and
stakeholder outreach for nonprofit, corporate and government organizations.
Most recently, she served on the training and capacity building team at Spitfire
Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based communications firm that works
exclusively for nonprofit and foundation clients. She has also held roles at
Widmeyer Communications and Venture Communications, focusing primarily
on PreK-12 education and on veterans’ issues. Jessica worked on a national
presidential election campaign as field organizer and scheduler, and began her
career as a communications professional at the national agricultural land conservation nonprofit American Farmland Trust. She holds a bachelors degree in
Communication from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Maryam Zar is a former foreign correspondent, newspaper editor, writer,
entrepreneur and successful business person. She is most recently the Founder of
Womenfound, an organization dedicated to raising awareness and money for
women in need around the world, and the Director of Marketing for UN
Women's LA Chapter. She has a By Line at the Huffington Post and often
writes on issues of impact for women and girls, as well as politics and global
policy. She has a B.S. in Mass Communications and Journalism from Boston
University and a J.D. from Pepperdine Law School. She is an immigrant, a
mother, a wife and a human with a conscience.
The Board of Directors
Kassahun Kebede
Kassahun Kebede is founder and managing partner of New York-based hedge
fund, PANTON Capital Group. Prior to founding PANTON, Mr. Kebede
served in senior positions at Deutsche Bank, including head of European Fixed
Income Derivatives as well as head of Global Equity Derivatives. His Wall
Street experience also includes Credit Derivatives and Structured Products
responsibilities at Merrill Lynch and Bankers Trust respectively. Mr. Kebede has
a BSEE from Marquette University and holds an MBA from the Wharton
School of the University of Pennsylvania.
CHAIR
PANTON Capital Group
New York, New York
France Anne Donnay,
MD, FACOG
CHAIR
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Seattle, Washington
Suzy Elneil, MD
DIRECTOR
Consultant
University College Hospital
London, England
France Donnay currently is the Team Leader for Maternal, Newborn and
Child Health and the Senior Program Officer, Maternal Health at The Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation’s Family Health and Global Health Program. She
manages a portfolio of grants, represents the Foundation at technical meetings
and global conferences, and coordinates the execution of the MNCH strategy.
France Donnay practiced obstetrics and gynecology in public and private
hospitals as well as family planning clinics in Brussels from 1979-1994. She
holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Nancy, France.
Because of her interest in maternal health in developing countries, she also
worked as a consultant to the World Health Organization, the World Bank,
and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). As MCH Specialist with
Doctors without Borders, she practiced in places such as Chad and Cambodia.
She was Visiting Professor at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp,
Belgium, and she now is Adjunct Professor at the School of Public Health,
Tulane University, New Orleans. In 1994, France joined UNICEF to work on
safe motherhood policies and programs. She transferred to UNFPA (the United
Nations Population Fund) in 1999, where she was in charge of reproductive
health technical support at Headquarters from 1999 to 2005, before leading
the UNFPA office in Pakistan from 2005 to 2008. Between short visits and
longer tenures, she has worked in many countries in all regions of the world
Dr. Suzy Elneil is trained in Uro-Gynecology surgery and practices in London
as a consultant at University College Hospital. She is a member of the FIGO
Committee on Fistula, and the lead author and editor of FIGO's Global
Competency-Based Fistula Surgery Training Manual to develop standardized
training programs and improve outcomes for women with fistula. She is also a
member of the UNFPA Fistula Working Group. Dr. Elneil is Sudanese, was
raised in Zimbabwe and Tanzania, and attended school at the University of
Cambridge. She treats women with devastating pelvic floor, bladder and bowel
injuries, as a consequence of childbirth, trauma, aging or neurological disease.
The Board of Directors (continued)
Sarah Omega Kidangasi
Sarah Omega Kidangasi is a fistula survivor and maternal health advocate.
Sarah became an advocate for the Campaign to End Fistula, served as a senior
spokesperson with UNFPA, and is now Outreach Manager in Western Kenya
for One By One’s Let’s End Fistula initiative. Sarah is an eloquent and powerful
spokesperson for fistula patients. Her own labor was obstructed and doctors
lacked supplies to treat the obstruction; as a result, her baby died and she
developed a fistula. In May 2007, she had successful surgery after suffering
from fistula for 12 years.
DIRECTOR
Advocate for Campaign to End Fistula
Eldoret, Kenya
C. Stephen Saunders, Esq.
DIRECTOR
Steve Saunders is a trusts and estates lawyer who specializes in charitable
planning. He lives in Austin, Texas where he has been active in civic and
charitable matters. Steve has served on the Boards of the Austin Community
Foundation (and was President in 2006), his parents' family foundation, and
several other organizations based in Austin. He is a graduate of the University
of Texas at Austin (B.A. History, '75, J.D. '80) and serves on the University's
Development Board and the Gift Planning Advisory Council. He is a frequent
speaker at State Bar of Texas seminars and has done public interest work in the
Texas Legislature.
Saunders, Norval, Pargaman & Atkins, LLP
Austin, Texas
Robert Tessler is a partner in the Manhattan law firm Toberoff, Tessler &
Schochet. He has served as Chairman of the Essex County chapter of the
ACLU, Chairman of the Board of the National Music Theater Network, and
County Committeeman of the New Jersey Democratic Party.
Robert Tessler, Esq.
DIRECTOR
Toberoff, Tessler & Schochet LLP
New York, New York
Linda Tripp
DIRECTOR
Vice President (Retired)
World Vision Canada
Mississauga, Ontario
Linda Tripp was the first woman Vice President in the World Vision global
partnership. In this capacity she represented World Vision Canada's Relief and
Development work to the government, other aid organizations, and served on
several coalitions and boards. She chaired the Women's Commission that
developed the first Gender Policy for the World Vision Partnership and
continues to champion the cause of women and the Girl Child. Linda started
World Vision Canada's International Refugee Program and established a Refugee
Centre in Toronto. She began the Development Education program, and the
Advocacy and Justice Department to increase donor and public awareness and
understanding of refugee, poverty and women's issues. During her 31 years with
World Vision Canada she served as Vice President of International Programs and
Government Relations, Advocacy and Policy, and Public Affairs. Linda retired in
2008 and now serves on the Board of Tyndale University College and Seminary
in Toronto and is active in her local Anglican church.
The Board of Directors (continued)
Teri Whitcraft, Senior Producer for ABC News’ Special Units, develops and
produces original content and special projects for ABC News’ top-rated
broadcasts. She has produced primetime hours for Diane Sawyer, Charles
Gibson, Barbara Walters, Bob Woodruff and Connie Chung, and her work has
been recognized with multiple Emmy, Cine Golden Eagle, Amnesty
International and NAACP awards.
Teri Whitcraft
DIRECTOR
Senior Producer
ABC News, Special Units
New York, New York
Larry William, MD
DIRECTOR
In 2011, Teri was the coordinating producer for ABC News’ year-long, division
wide global health series "Be the Change: Save a Life,” sponsored in part by the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This groundbreaking series produced more
than 60 stories from 20 countries on four continents, and was the catalyst for the
Million Moms Challenge, a global online community featuring nearly two dozen
nonprofit organizations, including The Fistula Foundation, which raised nearly
$1.5 million for organizations working on maternal/newborn health.
Dr. Larry William received a BA degree from Columbia College and an MD
from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is boardcertified in both internal medicine and medical oncology, and has practiced
privately for 20 years. He was formerly Medical Director for Pacific Partners
Management Services, which manages the care of about 200,000 people in
different HMOs and medical groups. Prior to joining PPMSI, Dr. William
served as Medical Director for Foundation Health Preferred Administrators,
where he developed innovative managed care systems and directed utilization
review activities for the company's 200,000 members.
Medical Director (Retired)
Pacific Partners Management Services, Inc.
Foster City, California
Susan N. Wilson
Susan N. Wilson, MS.Ed., is a state and national leader in the fight for
effective sexuality education and the prevention of adolescent pregnancy. She
served as executive coordinator of the Network for Family Life Education at
Rutgers University for more than 20 years, since renamed Answer. Now senior
advisor to Answer, she writes a regular New Jersey Newsroom column “Sex
Matters” and blogs on “Sex Ed, Honestly.” Susie has received local, state and
national awards for her work, authored many articles on sexuality education
and appeared on numerous radio and television shows.
DIRECTOR
Advisor and Columnist
Princeton, New Jersey
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