Symposium will feature a star-studded lineup of speakers, interactive sessions and will be live-streamed from CARE Action’s Facebook page
WASHINGTON (March 15, 2017) – The global poverty-fighting organization CARE will honor its former president and CEO, Dr. Helene Gayle, tomorrow at the Helene D. Gayle Global Development Symposium in Washington, D.C. This annual event brings together thought leaders in the humanitarian and development communities to discuss the challenges we face globally and the solutions we can achieve together. This year’s symposium, “Moving Beyond the Rhetoric: How the Trump Administration and 115th Congress Can Elevate Women’s and Girl’s Voices,” will include key influencers from the public and private sectors and important voices from the Global South.
In addition to CARE’s president and CEO, Michelle Nunn, speakers include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN), Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), former USAID Administrator and president of the Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Rajiv Shah, and Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women International, among others.
The symposium will feature interactive spark talks, Q&A sessions and fireside chats, where more than 200 participants will gather to learn about topics that impact women and girls around the globe, such as humanitarian crises, gender-based violence and economic empowerment. The event will also be live-streamed on CARE Action’s Facebook page, where advocates and CARE supporters from around the country can tune in from 1 to 5 p.m. to watch this exciting program.
“At CARE, we recognize the challenges that women and girls face all over the world, but we also recognize their potential to bring lasting, effective change to their families and communities,” said Michelle Nunn, CARE’s president and CEO. “As we honor Dr. Gayle’s legacy at CARE, we call on policymakers to support a robust foreign assistance budget that makes this smart investment in women and girls a reality. Now more than ever, we must elevate the voices of women and girls in order to ensure they have the chance to thrive.”
Dr. Gayle led CARE for almost a decade until July 2015. She now serves as the inaugural CEO for the Washington, D.C.-based McKinsey Social Initiative. Dr. Gayle’s career includes leading roles at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with a primary focus on HIV/AIDS. It was under Dr. Gayle’s leadership at CARE that the organization came to understand the importance of empowering women and girls in all of CARE’s work. This focus continues today as the organization recognizes it cannot achieve lasting change without focusing on the barriers that keep women and girls from realizing their full potential.
About CARE:
Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. Last year, CARE worked in 94 countries and reached more than 80 million people around the world. To learn more, please visit www.care.org.
Media Contact:
Nicole Ellis, +1-202-595-2828, nicole.ellis@care.org