Cara V. James, PhD, President and CEO, Grantmakers In Health
Spring in DC means the cherry blossom trees, daffodils, tulips, and other flowers are in bloom. For GIH, this spring also means new relationships are blooming. We have welcomed a few new Funding Partners, and it is my pleasure to announce the addition of three new colleagues at Grantmakers In Health.
First, I am excited to share that Jill Shumann is joining GIH next week as our new Vice President for Programming. Jill brings a wealth of experience in domestic and global health issues, and a commitment to advancing health equity. Most recently, she served as the National Director in the Office of Strategy and Impact for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), where she oversaw youth and young adult and cross-cultural outreach and engagement activities. Before joining NAMI, she served as Vice President for Francophone and Lusophone Africa at Population Services International where she was responsible for eight country programs focused on HIV, malaria, reproductive health, and sanitation. Jill also worked domestically in family homelessness and domestic violence, and has been responsible for fundraising, marketing, and volunteer management. She holds master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University in international affairs and international public health and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guinea, West Africa.
I am also pleased to announce that Cecilia Amor Kramer, our new Director of Development, began work at GIH earlier this week. A veteran development professional with over 25 years of experience, Cecilia previously served as the Director of Development and Communications at Samaritan Inns, a Washington, D.C.-based treatment and recovery provider for the homeless. A native of Hawaii, she has also held important development roles at the National Breast Cancer Coalition, the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, and the Georgetown University Medical Center, among other organizations. Cecilia was attracted to GIH because of our mission, and looks forward to working with Funding Partners and others to achieve better health for all. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Chaminade University and her Master of Public Health in Administration from the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.
Finally, I would like to introduce Miranda Wesley, our new Communications Specialist, who joined us a few weeks ago. A recent graduate of Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Science in Global Health, Miranda brings a passion for leveraging digital and traditional communications channels to spotlight GIH and our Funding Partners. Prior to joining GIH, Miranda interned at Vital Strategies where she supported the PR and Digital Departments in the international public health NGO’s Policy Advocacy and Communication Division, and she led communications and advocacy regarding COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and equity for the Catholic Cares Coalition. Since joining GIH, Miranda has greatly expanded our social media coverage of Funding Partner work and is developing a strategy to better leverage photos and video on Instagram.
Please join me in welcoming Jill, Cecilia, and Miranda to Grantmakers In Health! You’ll have the opportunity to meet them at the 2023 Grantmakers In Health Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy this June in Minneapolis, Minnesota.