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Maria Francisco has over three decades of professional experience focusing on global health issues and health care delivery systems in low- and middle-income countries. She has held positions in the public and non-profit sectors, serving in senior advisory, management, and leadership roles for a wide range of initiatives to advance universal health coverage goals and ensure equitable access and financial protection. She brings leadership in the areas of public health program and policy development, having worked extensively in maternal and child health, infectious diseases, and health systems strengthening programs throughout Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. She has led large multi-country flagship programs for USAID as a senior advisor for child health and immunization. She served on strategic multilateral fora for the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, GAVI Health System Strengthening, and Community Integrated Management of Childhood Illness. She also served in senior technical roles with USAID in Kenya and Vietnam. As an implementing partner, she provided technical direction in health systems strengthening and equity-centered programming under USAID’s Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator (HSSA), Quality Assurance Project, MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity, Acting to End Neglected Tropical Diseases | East, and the Maternal and Child Survival Program.

For more than 20 years, Jeffrey Conrad Wuorinen has focused on bridging divides and convening partnerships to take on intractable social, economic, governance, and environmental problems. Through his work in 100 countries, he has helped to mobilize more than $8 billion in capital and capacity investment into economic, social, and environmental infrastructure across the global south.  Wuorinen has worked at the grassroots level with some of the world’s most underserved and overburdened communities and he has advised at the highest levels of governments and international organizations.

John Heermans is a climate change expert with 12 years of experience in strengthening and accelerating mitigation and adaptation action to reduce climate impacts. He has worked with national and sub-national governments, bilateral and multilateral development organizations, national and international climate funds, and the private sector to set, implement, and achieve ambitious climate commitments. He has extensive experience with UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Frameworks, including the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) through climate change policy, planning and financing and mainstreaming climate action to national development plans, public budgeting processes and international support programs.

Teresa Mota, BSN, RN is an Associate/Nurse Researcher and a sought-after clinical researcher on federal and state projects emphasizing aging, long-term care, and improving the care experience. Mota has an extensive clinical and health services research background in geriatric nursing, and she specializes in post-acute care, quality improvement (QI) and supporting community-based providers and stakeholders to assist them in the identification of best-practices, develop resources and tools, communications, and implementation of QI initiatives. Mota also participates in data collection, measurement, analysis, and reporting related to these programs.

Nadiia Zaritska is a Ph.D. sociologist with 13 years of extensive experience in programme management, research, monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL), and gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) analysis. With a steadfast commitment to promoting gender equality, social inclusion, and human rights, Zaritska has focused her efforts on driving reforms, democratization, and addressing the social repercussions of conflict and war. Her professional journey has led her to engage closely with national and local governmental bodies in Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova.

Godfrey Sanga is a clean energy engineer with 20 years of experience in projects design and implementation in Africa, focusing on products market development, capacity strengthening, financing, and advocacy. He has a combination of technical, economic, environmental, and social skills and experience in energy access and productive uses for different target markets including households, enterprises, and social institutions. He has led regional organizations, directed, and managed teams and projects, and served as advisor for donor-funded, publicly funded, and privately funded projects. Godfrey has worked with international organizations including USAID and Power Africa, Energy 4 Impact, Mercy Corps, and Development Bank of Southern Africa.

Carolynn Poulsen is the Director of Abt’s Global Health Security Account. She has nearly 20 years of experience overseeing the design and implementation of global health programs focusing on infectious disease and health systems strengthening. Poulsen is fluent in French and Spanish and has supported the delivery of effective global health solutions in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Hanna Kovaleva is a program manager with 15 years of experience managing  humanitarian aid and development programs in Ukraine, with a recent focus on the eastern part of the country ravaged by the war with Russia. She has worked with international organizations, including the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the United Nations, as well as social enterprises. Kovaleva’s work with vulnerable populations has centred around gender equality, non-discrimination, conflict sensitivity, and social inclusion. She has extensive experience with monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning approaches; program management; and communication strategies in public health, mental health, and community stabilisation.

Bolanle Olusola-Faleye has over two decades of experience leading and managing diverse health programs. She specializes in strategic direction, technical leadership, and implementation of interventions to strengthen health systems, particularly in tuberculosis (TB) control and public-private partnerships. Her methodological expertise encompasses rigorous epidemiological and biostatistical approaches, health policy and management strategies, and the application of innovative programmatic and public health methodologies. Her clients have included the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Nigeria, development partners, and other key stakeholders in the field of public health and TB control.