Robert M. Franklin, Jr., James T. and Berta R. Laney Professor in Moral Leadership, has been elected to a five-year term on the board of directors of the CDC Foundation. The board provides guidance and oversight to the foundation, the independent nonprofit created by Congress to mobilize philanthropic and private-sector resources to support the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since 1995, the CDC Foundation has raised over $1.2 billion and launched more than 1,200 programs impacting a variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and Ebola. In 2020, the foundation managed hundreds of CDC-led programs in the United States and in more than 140 countries.
“Robert is an impassioned educator, theologian and leader,” says CDC Foundation President and CEO Judy Monroe. “I welcome his experience and value the insights and perspectives he will bring to our board, including his guidance on the path toward health equity for people in the United States and across the globe.”