Leadership
Executive Management Team
Kathy Spahn
President and Chief Executive Officer
Kathy Spahn works closely with the Board of Trustees, global leaders in public health, staff members throughout Helen Keller Intl,…
Shawn K. Baker, MPH
Chief Program Officer
Shawn Baker leads Helen Keller’s efforts to support our world’s most vulnerable communities through strengthening food and health systems using…
Jim Cox
Chief Operating Officer
Jim Cox has 25 years of senior management experience in the field and in the US offices of international development…
Maura Fitzgerald
Chief People and Culture Officer
Maura Fitzgerald leads Helen Keller Intl’s People and Culture team, overseeing organizational design; learning and development; people operations; and talent…
Susan Kotcher
Chief External Relations Officer
Susan Kotcher is a seasoned senior leader, creative fundraising strategist, and external relations expert who has built, restructured, and led…
Patricia Manyari
Chief Financial Officer
Patricia Manyari oversees all fiscal and fiduciary responsibilities of the organization. In her role, she ensures that Helen Keller Intl…
Senior Management
Volkan Cakir
Regional Director, Eastern, Southern and Central Africa
Volkan Cakir serves as Regional Director of Eastern, Southern, and Central Africa, providing management and program oversight to Helen Keller’s…
John Uniack Davis
Regional Director, West Africa
John Uniack Davis has been Helen Keller’s Regional Director for West Africa, based in Dakar, Senegal, since 2016. He supervises…
Rolf Klemm
Vice President, Nutrition
Rolf Klemm has more than 25 years of professional experience in international public health nutrition with expertise that spans nutrition…
Nicholas Kourgialis
Vice President, Eye Health
Nicholas Kourgialis oversees Helen Keller Intl’s eye health work worldwide, including Asia, Africa, and the United States. Helen Keller seeks…
Alix de Nicolay
Managing Director, Helen Keller Europe
Alix de Nicolay opened the independent, affiliated Helen Keller Europe Paris office in 1998 with the two-fold mission of raising…
Satish Raj Pandey
Regional Director, Asia
Satish Raj Pandey joined Helen Keller Intl in 2022 as Regional Director of Asia, supporting work in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar,…
Ric Plaisance
Vice President, Information and Operations Systems
Ric Plaisance has worked with Helen Keller Intl since 2004. He is responsible for the development and management of systems…
Sobana Prasad, CPA
Vice President, Finance and Accounting
Sobana Prasad manages Helen Keller Int’s day-to-day finance and accounting operations for all locations in the United States, Africa, and…
Dr. Angela Weaver
Vice President, Neglected Tropical Diseases
Dr. Angela Weaver is a public health professional with over 20 years of experience supporting, developing, and leading domestic and…
Country Leadership
Hasina Akhter
Country Director, Bangladesh
Sarmento Júlio Armando
Country Director, Mozambique
Alex K. Brown
Country Director, Mali
Deogratias Damas
Country Director, Tanzania
Georges Dimithe
Country Director, Burkina Faso
Sugandh Juneja
Country Director, Sierra Leone
Aimerance Kabena
Program Director, Democratic Republic of Congo
Hou Krouen
Country Director, Cambodia
Anil Neupane
Country Director, Nepal
Solomon O. Omariba
Country Director, Kenya
Philomena O. Orji
Country Director, Nigeria
Maria Fatima Dolly R. Reario
Country Representative, Philippines
Moussa Sarr
Country Director, Senegal
Mohamed Lamine Yattara
Country Director, Niger
Dr Hubert Zirimwabagabo
Country Director, Côte d’Ivoire
Christophe Zoungrana
Country Director, Guinea
