CARE President Dr. Helene Gayle to be Honored for International Excellence

© 2006 David Rochkind/CARE

ATLANTA (July 10, 2009) - What does a champion for poor women and girls look like? At times, she's a woman in a pashmina scarf, walking among school girls in Afghanistan. At other times, she glitters in an evening gown telling the world why she cares – and why they, too, should care. Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of Atlanta-based CARE USA, traverses opposite worlds with equal verve. On July 23 at the Atlanta History Center, Dr. Gayle joins eleven other high-caliber women from the Atlanta business community to be honored by Business to Business Magazine for raising the bar on excellence.

According to Drew Ermenc, executive editor of Business to Business, "It's important to honor women like Dr. Gayle perhaps, most importantly, because of the impact they have on future generations."

Growing up during the era of the civil rights movement and women's liberation struggles, working for social justice and equity became the centerpiece to her life. Dr. Gayle has successfully merged compassion and humanitarian work with her medical education and professional experience. As the head of one of the world's leading humanitarian organizations, she knows firsthand the impact of disease and deprivation. She is envoy for the global poor in the halls of the powerful, keeping the vital work of CARE and the issues faced by women and girls alive.

An internationally recognized expert on global health, development and humanitarian issues, Helene Gayle took the helm at CARE in April 2006 after spending 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control, and then directing the HIV, TB and Reproductive Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In the words of one former U.S. surgeon general, she is "the most trusted public health leader in the world."

At CARE, Dr. Gayle leads programs that fight poverty and empower women and girls in nearly 70 countries. CARE's global headquarters has been based in Atlanta since 1993, after relocating from New York City. "I'm thrilled to be in Atlanta working to build relationships to make our city a more productive part of the world," says Dr. Gayle. "There is so much more that we all have in common than differences that keep us apart." 

Registration for the 2009 Women of Excellence begins at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 23 at the Atlanta History Center. For ticket information, visit btobmagazine.com/events or email Publisher Stephen Reynolds at sreynolds@billian.com.

Read Business to Business magazine's profile on Dr. Gayle by clicking here.