New Staff Bring Valuable Experience to the Fight Against Pediatric AIDS
Posted by
Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
September 8, 2010
The Foundation welcomes four new additions to our senior leadership team which will bolster our efforts to eliminate HIV/AIDS in children around the world.
Philip O’Brien joins us to direct the Foundation’s external affairs as the Executive Vice President of Communications, Advocacy, and Development. O’Brien, a native of Ireland, has been working on behalf of children, women, and families in the developing world for more than 35 years, both at UNICEF and Concern Worldwide. He will be based in Geneva, Switzerland, with frequent visits to the Foundation’s offices in the U.S. and sites throughout Africa.
Anja Giphart, MD, MPH, is the Foundation’s new Vice President of Program Implementation. Dr. Giphart will oversee the technical aspects of implementing our programs, including supporting country staff, maintaining our program quality, and monitoring and evaluating our results. She brings with her valuable experience from the field, most recently as our
Country Director in Tanzania.
RJ Simonds, MD, is the Foundation’s Vice President of Program Innovation and Policy, and is responsible for optimizing our programs and documenting best practices. Dr. Simonds has worked on HIV/AIDS for the past 20 years at the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including during the period when prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV was first implemented in the U.S. He has worked at the
CDC’s Global AIDS Program since 2001, and has been a Deputy Principal for the
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) since the beginning of the program.
Colleen Zakrewsky is the Foundation’s Vice President of Development and Marketing, and will head efforts to increase much needed private funding for our programs, research, and advocacy efforts. Zakrewsky has more than two decades of non-profit and fundraising experience, coming to us from the national headquarters of the American Red Cross.
These new staff members will contribute greatly to the Foundation’s global fight against pediatric AIDS.
Robert Yule is the Foundation’s Media Manager in Washington, D.C.