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
access disease drinking due focus health issues lack linked particular realize safe underlying water
The more you look into health and health inequalities, you realize that a lot of it is not due to a particular disease - it's really linked to underlying societal issues such as poverty, inequity, lack of access to safe drinking water and housing. And these are all the things we focus on at CARE.
abyss falling fullest future global instead neighbors prevent rise strategic
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.
leadership
A big part of leadership is just being comfortable with the fact that some decisions really are only yours.
centers daunting disease fairly included led people previous quickly roles senior
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.
built clean committee directly guidance local members organized provides resources system technical
In Nueva Esperanza, Honduras, community members pooled their resources and organized a local water committee that with CARE's technical guidance built a gravity-fed water system that now provides clean water directly to people's homes.
continue everywhere experience gotten outside room sitting worked
When I walk into a room that is all white and all male, I'm sitting on the outside of that club. That's sometimes an intimidating experience. But I think that everywhere that I've gotten is because I've worked hard. I have the experience, I have the credentials - I continue not to take any of that for granted.
five middle pushed
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.
earn educate family fewer income likely married saying
We know that if you educate a girl, as the saying goes, you educate a nation. That girl will get married later, she will have fewer children, she's more likely to earn an income, and that income is more likely to be plowed back into the family so that the family benefits.
billion critical data easier empowering explain fighting girls global less majority people personal relate telling treat women
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.
business main
My father had the main barber- and beauty-supply business in the African-American community in Buffalo.
child closely donors educate government job marriage parents support
Ethiopia's government is doing a commendable job of working closely with donors and humanitarian organizations to educate parents about child marriage, and to support organizations like the Hamlin Fistula Hospital.
meaningful feminist half
You can't marginalize more than half of the globe's population and expect to see any meaningful solutions to the problems that ail the world.
forgiveness moving forgiving
Learn to forgive yourself and move on.
opportunity issues community
The environmental community has an opportunity to create and leverage partnerships with the development community on social issues, rather than trying to develop new expertise of its own.