Kathy Spahn

Kathy Spahn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Helen Keller International, is responsible for all operations, programs, finances, communications and public policy initiatives of HKI. Ms. Spahn works closely with the Board of Trustees, global leaders in public health, staff members throughout the agency, partner organizations, and HKI supporters in carrying out her responsibilities. Prior to joining HKI, Ms. Spahn was President and Executive Director of ORBIS, a global non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of blindness in the developing world. As President and Executive Director, she provided overall direction and management for this $30 million organization with four affiliates and five country programs, and a medical volunteer corps of 370. Prior to her work with ORBIS, she was Executive Director of God’s Love We Deliver, a New York-based AIDS service organization dedicated to combating malnutrition and hunger among people living with HIV/AIDS.

Ms. Spahn serves as Chair of the board of directors of InterAction. She is also a member of the boards of directors of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and The Bernadotte Foundation for Children’s Eyecare. She is a Founding Board member of both the North America chapter of IAPB and the Association of Nutrition Services Agencies (ANSA), and a founding partner of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Disease Control. She also serves on the Partnership Council of GAIN and on the 2020 and Strategic Advisory Council of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). She joined HKI in March 2005 and is located at headquarters in New York City.