By Daily Press staff
The board of directors of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation voted unanimously to appoint Pamela Barnes as president and chief executive officer. Barnes has been chief operating officer of the foundation since November 2004 and has been interim CEO since November 2005. The appointment of Barnes, who has guided the foundation through a period of rapid growth and change, puts the organization in a strong position to capitalize on its recent momentum and advance its mission to eradicate pediatric AIDS and provide care for children and families around the world living with HIV/AIDS. Barnes also will serve on the foundation’s board of directors.
As COO of the foundation, Barnes was an important influence during a tremendous period of growth. She will now focus her energy on strengthening the foundation’s unique combination of research, implementation and advocacy on behalf of children in the United States and around the world.
Since 2000, the foundation has reached 1.7 million women with services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and in the past two years has served 40,000 children and adults with life-saving care and antiretrovi-ral treatment. Barnes also will help drive the foundation’s ongoing advocacy efforts to improve children’s health.
“I am honored and most appreciative of the opportunity to lead a Foundation that gives a much-needed voice to children and families affected by HIV/AIDS,” Barnes said. “We are pointed in the right direction thanks to our committed staff, and now it’s time to work even harder — from the research lab to the most remote village of Africa — so that every child has the chance to grow up healthy.”
In addition to her work with the foundation, Barnes has more than 12 years of non-profit management experience, including a senior management position at the International Trachoma Initiative, an organization dedicated to eliminating the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world. Her experience in global health was bolstered by a mid-career stint as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay where she and her husband Tim worked to secure funding for a library and a high school, and helped set up the first public water system, in Rojas Silva, Paraguay. Ms. Barnes was also a senior executive at Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic in New York. Prior to her non-profit work, Ms. Barnes worked for more than 20 years in investments and corporate finance at GTE and RCA in New York. Ms. Barnes is a graduate of Marymount College and earned an MBA in finance from Fordham University.
Founded in Santa Monica, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is the worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS and other serious and life-threatening diseases affecting children. Our innovative research programs, collaborative training initiatives, advocacy efforts, and rapidly expanding international programs are bringing dramatic changes to the lives of children worldwide.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 20, 2006. Read the original PDF.