ATLANTA (April 8, 2019) — The global poverty fighting organization CARE announced it has named Tjada D’Oyen McKenna its chief operating officer.
McKenna comes to CARE from another Atlanta-based global nonprofit, Habitat for Humanity International, where for the last three years, she has overseen program execution and service delivery across more than 70 countries to fulfill Habitat’s vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
Prior to Habitat, McKenna spent over a decade working to end world hunger through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. government. She was a key figure in establishing and leading Feed the Future, the U.S.’s global hunger and food security initiative, and 2012’s G8 initiative to unite governments and the private sector to end hunger.
She has also worked in corporate arena, having built a strong skill set in strategy, innovation and management in various roles at McKinsey & Company, American Express and GE.
“We are thrilled to have Tjada join the CARE family,” said Michelle Nunn, CARE’s president and CEO. “It’s clear that she can confidently chart and achieve ambitious goals and transformational change which are critical as CARE strives to accelerate and multiply our impact in the world.”
As COO, McKenna will oversee CARE’s operations in more than 90 countries working hand in hand with Nunn and others to scale CARE’s fight against poverty and social injustice. She will continue to drive CARE’s strategic plan which aims to impact 200 million lives by 2020.
“My work has been grounded in the simple belief that, no matter where someone’s born, no matter where they live, they should have the ability to live a thriving and successful life,” McKenna said. “I’m eager to continue pursuing this mission at CARE, joining the global fight against poverty.”
McKenna replaces Heather Higginbottom, who served as CARE’s COO for the last two years. (Higginbottom will join the JP Morgan Chase corporate responsibility team in May to lead a new global public policy effort.)
McKenna earned a B.A. from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. She and her husband, Joe, have two young sons, and they are happy that they will continue to reside in Atlanta.
McKenna will begin her new role at CARE on May 28.
About CARE: Founded in 1945 with the creation of the CARE Package©, 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 95 countries and reached more than 56 million people around the world. To learn more about CARE visit care.org.
Media Contact: Nicole Harris, nharris@care.org 404-735-0871