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.
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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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