Helene D. Gayle
Helene D. Gayle
Helene D. Gayle, M.D., M.P.H., is CEO of McKinsey Social Initiative, a nonprofit organization that implements programs that bring together varied stakeholders to address complex global and social challenges. McKinsey Social Initiative's first program, Generation, addresses the problem of youth unemployment, with programs in five countries--India, Kenya, Mexico, Spain, and the United States--and a goal of connecting one million young people with skills and jobs in five years. Previously, Dr. Gayle was president and CEO of CARE USA, a member...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionActivist
CountryUnited States of America
With political will and strategic initiatives, we can prevent more and more of our global neighbors from falling into the abyss of poverty and instead give future generations the opportunities they need to rise to their fullest potential.
A big part of leadership is just being comfortable with the fact that some decisions really are only yours.
At the Centers for Disease Control, I rose up fairly quickly into management positions. The first team I led there included many people who had been my supervisors in previous roles or were more senior than I was. So it was kind of a daunting challenge.
I was the middle of five children, and we were five very opinionated siblings. That probably pushed me to learn to speak up for myself.
When I want to explain why empowering girls and women is critical to fighting poverty, I often tell a person's story. It's easier to relate to a personal story than to global data telling us that the majority of the billion people who live on less than $2 per day are women and girls. We are often told to never treat a person like a statistic.
Any discussion of investment or putting monetary value on the environment must start with the populations who rely on those resources.