Welcoming a New Board Chair and a New Board Member

I am delighted to share with you some exciting news about the CDC Foundation’s board of directors. Doug Nelson, who has been on our board since 2008, has been appointed as the new chair of the CDC Foundation board, and former Turner Broadcasting Systems Chairman and CEO Phil Kent has been named to our board.

Doug’s dedication and passion for public health will enable us to continue to advance CDC’s life-saving work through effective public-private partnerships. Doug was most recently the president and CEO of The Annie E. Casey Foundation, which is one of the most respected philanthropic foundations. He is one of the nation’s leading advocates for children and one of the country’s foremost experts on policies and community-based responses to improve the lives of at-risk children and their families.

Doug succeeds Gary Cohen, executive vice president of BD and acting CEO of GBC Health, who will remain on our board. I want to offer my thanks to Gary for his dedication to saving and improving lives in this country and around the world through both his corporate responsibilities and many volunteer roles, including serving as CDC Foundation board chair for four years. Gary feels passionately about the importance of improving health for everyone, and we at the CDC Foundation are very appreciative of the time and devotion that he has given to our organization and to CDC.

Phil brings a wealth of experience and insights gained from his leadership at Turner. He will strengthen our board’s breadth of talent and experience. As chairman and CEO of TBS, Phil was responsible for a portfolio of networks and businesses.

In explaining why he decided to join our board, Phil replies, “Global health is one of the most important issues today. If we are not healthy, not much else matters. I think CDC is an organization of quiet heroes, and the first line of defense against microscopic killers. I was honored to be asked.”

We are excited about this news, and I thank our board for their dedication to improving the public's health by helping the CDC Foundation extend CDC’s life-saving work.