Pauly Rodney to Chair Global Health Corps' Board of Directors
The Senior Vice President and Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Raines International will step up as GHC Co-founder Barbara Bush transitions from Chair to Board Member.
Barbara Bush
Co-Founder & Board Member, Global Health Corps
It’s bittersweet to let you know that I’ll be transitioning out of my role as GHC’s Board Chair. My reasons for doing so, however, are entirely sweet: my husband and I just welcomed a daughter and I’m carving out time to bond with her. At the same time, I look forward to continuing to serve GHC as a Board Member, because GHC’s work matters now more than ever.
That’s precisely why I couldn’t be more excited that my transition will allow Pauly Rodney, Senior Vice President and Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Raines International, to step into the role of Board Chair. Pauly brings deep expertise in leadership development, nonprofit scaling, and fundraising to this role. His contributions to GHC’s Board for the past two years have been invaluable and I know he will faithfully chair the Board and the GHC movement to even higher heights in the years to come.
The need for a powerful network of leaders collectively advancing health equity is critical as the world recovers and rebuilds from COVID-19. GHC is ready and willing to meet that need with Pauly as the new chair, Heather Anderson continuing to lead GHC with the heart and diligence she has brought to the team since 2012, and a dedicated board and staff working in unity.
Pauly Rodney
Senior Vice President & Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Raines International
I was born in Jamaica, West Indies and fortunate that my mother’s job as a nurse at Kingston Public Hospital afforded our immediate family access to healthcare. Many of our neighbors and extended family members without access to the same care died preventable deaths. I never reconciled my sense of justice with that reality.
Fast forward to October 1996, when I listened as Professor Toni Morrison addressed the freshmen class at Princeton University, my alma mater. She challenged us to not remain in awe of the Place of the Idea, but to contribute our own ideas to the rich history of that place. That day, the University’s motto expanded from “In the Nation’s Service” to “In the Service of All Nations.” Twenty-five years later, I still embrace that charge.
As a GHC Board member over the past two years, I’ve seen the impact this organization has made in developing equity-minded leaders working in the service of many nations. It is the honor of my life to become GHC’s new Board Chair and help steward this incredible movement towards an even brighter future. That means more lives saved and improved in Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, and beyond through access to the kind of quality, dignified healthcare that everyone deserves.
I am also sincerely grateful for the vision and service of Barbara as GHC’s co-founder, first CEO, and outgoing Board Chair. And as a father of two daughters, I’m thrilled to see her living out the GHC value of sustainable resilience by prioritizing time with her daughter in this fleeting period. As the incoming Board Chair, I’m also thrilled that she’s remaining on the board and we’ll be able to collaborate to advance GHC’s mission in exciting new ways. I look forward to collaborating with the GHC team, Board, and many of you as we strengthen and expand GHC’s diverse network of health equity leaders. Lives are depending on it.
Heather Anderson CEO, Global Health Corps
I joined GHC in 2012 because I was drawn to Barbara’s vision for solving complex health challenges by investing in a generation of emerging leaders. Her style of leadership has always been steady, self aware, and intentional. Her decision to transition out of her role as Board Chair, and create space for new chapters for herself and for GHC, was made in that same spirit. I deeply appreciate her service and the opportunity to continue collaborating with her as a Board Member.
Over the last couple years, our team has prioritized strengthening GHC’s Board. We have been able to recruit and onboard seven new members who bring a wealth of knowledge, relationships, and perspectives to our work. Not least of these is Pauly. He is passionate about advancing health equity and diversifying global health leadership. Pauly’s energy, expertise and insights have been invaluable over the past two years; they will be even more so in the coming year as we expand our reach and launch a new strategic plan to advance our mission.
The challenges our world faces in the wake of COVID-19 are immense. Authentic, collective leadership is a powerful lever for advancing equity. Together with Pauly as Board Chair, Barbara and the rest of our Board, our committed team, and each of you, we can develop the leaders we need to transform health systems for all. Let’s keep going.
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