Our Team Meet
Board of Directors
Benson Chirwa
Board Chairperson, HAC Uganda
Dr Benson Chirwa has been working in global health and HIV/AIDS for over 20 years. He is currently Deputy Chief of Party/DSD at Equip Zambia. Formerly he was Country Director of KethImpilo‘s USAID-funded External Quality Improvement Programme (EQUIP) in Zimbabwe. Previously he has served as the Director General of the National AIDS Council of Zambia and as the Technical Adviser for John Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health SSDI Programme in Malawi. He has undertaken consultancies with UNAIDS and UKAID and has served on the Board of ViiV Healthcare’s Positive Action Challenges Fund from 2012-2016. Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.Ch.B.) from the University of Zambia and an MPH from the University of Ibadan. On the Board, Ben focuses on fundraising, grant writing, communication, and public relations for Health Access Connect.
Ronald Tibiita
Board Member, HAC Uganda
Ronald Tibiita has been a implementer and researcher of multiple global health programs. He is currently the Senior Programs Manager at Global Health Uganda and formerly served as Technical and Quality Improvement Officer of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health & HIV Interventions at the USAID Applying Science to Strengthen and Improve Systems (ASSIST) Project in Northern Uganda. He has served as a member of Health Information for All 2030, as a Global Health Corps (GHC) Fellow, as a mentor with the GHC Alumni Association, and as a member of the Norwegian International Health Policy Scholars. He has a Bachelors of Social Work and Social Administration from Makerere University, an MPH from the James P Grant School of Public Health of BRAC University, and a Masters in International Health Policy and Social Welfare from Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences. On the Board, Ronald focuses on monitoring & evaluation and programmatic and implementation techniques for Health Access Connect.
Nazeem Mohamed
Board Member, HAC Uganda
Nazeem Mohamed serves as Chairman of the Aga Khan Foundation East Africa Regional Committee and advises different organisations as an International Pharmaceutical Consultant. Previously he served as the Head of the Pharmaceutical Sector for Industrial Promotion Services (IPS), the for-profit part of the Aga Khan Development Network, and was the CEO at Kampala Pharmaceutical Industries (KPI), a regional generic manufacturer of medicines located in Uganda. Nazeem is former Vice President of Strategic Product Development at Novo Nordisk, based originally in Denmark and then in Belgium. He also worked for several leading multinational companies such as Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline before his appointment. He worked mostly in international marketing management and strategic product development with these multinational companies, living and working in the UK, Belgium, Denmark and the USA. Born and raised in Uganda, he completed secondary and university education in the UK, after being forced to leave during the expulsion of Asians from Uganda in the early 70’s. He has been happy to contribute to the global health, pharmaceutical, and development sectors to give back to his beloved Uganda since he moved back there in 2003. Among his various appointments, Nazeem is the past Chairman of the Federation of East African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (FEAPM) and the current Vice Chair of the Federation of African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (FAPMA).
Rebecca Kinney
Board Member, HAC Uganda and HAC USA
Rebecca comes to Health Access Connect with a background as a primary care physician serving marginalized rural and urban populations in the United States and abroad. Committed to ensuring universal access to health care and social justice, her current work is focused on improving integrity of essential products and services through supply chain optimization, and she currently serves as the Director of Global Health Partnerships at Denver-based technology company, Parsyl. Rebecca holds an AB in History and Literature from Harvard University, an MD from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and an MSc in Global Health Policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. On the Board, Rebecca focuses on fundraising, grant writing, and program development for Health Access Connect.
Betty Mirembe
Board Member, HAC Uganda
Experienced Public Health Specialist, with a demonstrated history of working in Health programmes across a range of fields especially HIV/AIDS and RMNCH Programs. Skilled in Research, Policy Analysis, Capacity Building, Data Analysis, and Strategic Planning. Strong healthcare services professional graduated from Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
Dr. Stephen Assimwe
Board Member, HAC Uganda
Dr Stephen Asiimwe (MBChB, MS, DrPH) is a physician scientist and senior medical epidemiologist. Dr Asiimwe studied Medicine & Surgery from Makerere University Kampala Uganda (MUK), and at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio USA. He completed his second doctorate from the University of Georgia (UGA), USA, College of Public Health. He has 20 years’ experience in developing health systems, conducting medical research and public health application, accrued from serving in Uganda’s local health systems, and various positions held in the Uganda ministry of health, local government, civil society and university respectively, some at executive level. He is currently the Director of the Global Health Collaborative (GHC), a large global-health partnership between the Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital and Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Uganda; with Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, USA. He is also co-founder, Principal Investigator and Principal Research Scientist for the Kabwohe Clinical Research Center (KCRC), in Sheema Uganda. Dr. Stephen is also an Honorary Lecturer and External Examiner of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the MUST Department of Community Health. Stephen is also a renown nature enthusiast, traveler, biker and family man. On the board, Stephen will assist advise the learning and knowledge generation from HAC initiatives, as well as with grant writing (fundraising).
Denis Kibira
Board Member, HAC Uganda
Has experience in Program management, coordination of multi-stakeholder groups on access to medicines, innovative research, health policy analysis, intellectual property and advocacy in Uganda and the East African region. Extensive experience in the Uganda health system, regional and global health and trade environment; knowledge of public health systems, health and pharmaceutical policy and management.
Nick Bennett
Board Member, HAC Uganda
Has experience in global & planetary health, immunology, vaccines, international development, tech4dev, pre-hospital medicines & mountains.
Bruce Willis
Board Chairperson, HAC USA
Bruce Willis practices law at Musgrove Law Firm P.C. in Dallas, Texas. He serves as legal counsel to small-to-middle market companies and entrepreneurs and has a passion for helping to propel organizations to achieve their goals. Previously he partnered his own law firm and served as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of an aviation company. He has a BS in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Tulane University and a JD from the University of Tulsa College of Law. On the Board, Bruce focuses on finance, budgeting, and legal processes for Health Access Connect.
Marjorie Norman
Board Member, HAC USA
Marjorie Norman comes to HAC with over 30 years of experience in business and competitive intelligence, strategic development, competitive benchmarking and market research in corporate, consulting, entrepreneurial and Non-Governmental Organization environments. Her focus has been in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Ms. Norman retired from Pfizer, Inc as Director, Worldwide Competitive Intelligence where she led the corporation’s global primary intelligence program. Prior to joining Pfizer, she was Director – Pharmaceutical Practice at Fuld + Company, a competitive intelligence consulting firm and a Senior Market Research Analyst at Johnson & Johnson Professional. Ms. Norman currently serves as Strategic Advisor to Cambridge Healthcare Research, an Executive Mentor for The Global Good Fund and an active member of Massachusetts Medical Reserve Corps in response to the COVID crisis. She was previously awarded a Pfizer Global Health Fellowship, partnering with Population Services International on the ACTwatch Project based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Ms. Norman holds an MBA from the Graduate School of Management at Simmons College and a BA in German and art history from Franklin & Marshall College.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marjoriegnorman/
Amelia Nicholson
Board Member, HAC USA
Amelia Nicholson trained and worked at St Thomas’ Hospital in the UK as a staff nurse, graduating as a Nightingale nurse. A mother of three children, she has been involved in volunteer positions at her children’s schools and church, is in the choir, ran the local swim team for 3 years, and volunteered for Meals on Wheels for 10 years. During on various trips to Uganda, she realized the need for help and supported Child’s i Foundation in the promotion of foster care, and strongly believes in the need for safe medical care access for all people in Uganda which led to the interest in Health Access Connect. In her contributions on the Board, Amelia helps with fundraising and communications strategy and public health programs. Amelia and her family have lived in Washington, DC, having moved to USA from UK in 1986.
Ben Miller
Board Member, HAC USA
Ben Miller is a sales and marketing specialist who has worked in the technology space for over a decade. He has spent most of his career helping startups create go-to-market strategies for acquiring large enterprise customers. He is currently working at Amazon where he was an early member of creating the Just Walk Out technology business. He has a BA degree in History from Princeton University and lives in Austin, TX. On the Board, Ben focuses on the fundraising and marketing strategies for Health Access Connect.
Pete Sullivan
Board Member, HAC USA
Financial Advisor, Managing Director with The Hatton Sullivan Group, A private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Pete has 26 years experience working as a senior vice president financial advisor at Morgan Stanley. He is a graduate from University of Florida.
Staff
Kevin Gibbons
Executive Director & Co-Founder
Kevin Gibbons serves people by combining his experience in community organizing, project development, digital media, social research, and organizational leadership. He co-founded HAC after spending many months researching livelihoods and food security in Lake Victoria fishing communities. He previously worked as a Digital Media Consultant at University of Wisconsin-Madison and as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines. He has a BS in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Tulane University and an MS in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from University of Wisconsin-Madison. As Executive Director, Kevin is in charge of program development, administration, monitoring & evaluation, fundraising, and communications.
Carolyne Ariokot
Program Director & Co-Founder
Carolyne Ariokot is passionate about using her background in project management and organizational development to serve people living in remote areas. When she co-founded HAC, she had over 10 years of experience in the banking sector in project management, systems administration, risk mitigation, and financial oversight. She has previously worked as a Project Manager at KCB Bank and a Section Head at Stanbic Bank Uganda. She has a BS in Social Sciences & Sociology and an MBA in Project Management from Makerere University. At HAC she supervises support staff, oversees budgets and financial transfers, hones risk management strategies, and interfaces with government officials.
Abdullahi Ali Muhammad
Partnerships & Grants Manager
Abdullahi Ali Muhammad brings a wealth of experience in sales, business development, and fundraising to his role as Business Development Manager at Health Access Connect (HAC). A graduate of CUNY Queens College in New York City, Abdullahi embarked on a successful career in the dynamic world of SaaS companies, working with prominent players in the field of data research and education. In 2016, driven by a passion for making a positive impact in Africa, Abdullahi returned to the continent to pursue a career in fundraising. His most recent position as Regional Funding Manager for Africa at Amnesty International further honed his expertise in navigating the intricacies of securing funding for impactful causes. At HAC, Abdullahi’s proven track record of achieving ambitious sales and fundraising goals, coupled with his deep understanding of the African landscape, will play a pivotal role in driving the organization’s growth and expanding its reach to underserved communities across the continent.
Costaritah Nalukwago
Program Manager
Costaritah Nalukwago is Public Health practitioner who currently works as the Program Manager for Health Access Connect (HAC). Her core roles are to support the expansion of HAC activities to new areas that qualify for the organization’s interventions, closely work with the community structures to support the implementation of HAC models and approaches, oversee the program activities of the organization, and also coordinate the work of the Field Coordinator and Field Officers who are spread out in all HAC districts of operation.
Costaritah’s background in Clinical work, Social Work and Administration and her current Post graduate training in Public Health has given her a unique dimension of approaching public health issues with empathy and accommodativeness that is backed by researched academic knowledge.
She brings to HAC over 10 years’ experience in Clinical and Public Health work. Ritah has previously worked with the Rakai Health Sciences Program (RHSP) as Clinician directly supporting the HIV Care and Treatment Program at RHSP and building the capacity for the Government Health Care structures to take over the HIV Prevention and Care Programs. Ms. Nalukwago has also worked for the Local Government Health structure in the capacity of a Public health nurse. She also has locum experience with Baylor Uganda to support the scaling up of Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (EMTCT) through government health center systems in Soroti region.
Costaritah has both passion and special abilities in strategic planning of public health programs and as well as working with both the government structures and private sector to promote healthcare initiatives.
Denis Onyango
Research, Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator
Denish has experience of the Donors Reporting requirements such MCF, USAID, CDC, DFID and Trust Fund for Victims. He has the knowledge and skills of designing M&E System, PMP indicator table, Indicator Performance Tracking Table (IPTT), Indicator Performance Reference Sheet (IPRS), M&E Reporting System as well as M&E task schedules. Good understanding and requirement of the Logical Framework, Result Framework of any community project. Sound knowledge in using Web based data collection tool such as Kobotool box, Mwater, Ona, Survey CTO Monkey, google sheet, google form CommCare, ODK and well verse with statistical packages such as SPSS, Excel and Epidata.
Bridget Nanyonjo
Field Coordinator and Monitoring & Evaluation Officer
Bridget Nanyonjo has expertise in a variety of roles in monitoring and evaluation, including data collection, reporting, and analysis. Previously she worked in doing research and data collection in various sectors. Since 2012 she has been working in the community as a project focal person responsible for data collection and analysis and reporting majorly through tracking forms. She also have extensive knowledge in community research, community organizing, and program evaluation. Ms Nanyonjo holds a bachelor’s degree in Community-Based Rehabilitation from Kyambogo University. With HAC she helps to ensure that outreach clinic data are collected. She also conducts regular quantitative and qualitative studies to help our programs respond to the needs of community members and health workers.
Ivan Walukhu
Monitoring and Evaluation Family Planning
Ivan Walukhu has a BS in nursing. He brings a wealth of experience in health promotion and capacity building of community health workers
Ivan is passionate about health promotion and brings experience in capacity building of community health workers. He holds a bachelor of science in Nursing and comes to HAC having worked as a health trainer with BRAC.
As Field Coordinator, Ivan will lead the training of at least 50 community health workers, which are called village health team members (VHTs) in Uganda. The training will focus on delivering health promotion messaging about family planning, HIV and other STI prevention to at least 10,000 beneficiaries in Masaka and Kalangala districts. The goal is to increase demand for services and ensure everyone has access to preventive healthcare.
Ivan has been promoted to the position of M & E Family Planning Project