Incoming Grounds for Health Executive Director Kyle Engelman (right) with current director Ellen Starr, pictured at the nonprofit’s 25th anniversary celebration in May 2022.
The nonprofit Grounds for Health (GFH), which works to prevent cervical cancer in coffee-growing communities, has named Kyle Engelman as executive director, effective Dec. 1.
Engelman will replace outgoing executive director Ellen Starr, who is retiring after 13 years with the organization, including the past five in the top executive spot.
“I speak for the entire board of directors when I say how thrilled we are that Kyle has accepted the position of executive director,” GFH Board Chair Linda Smithers said in an announcement from the Vermont-based organization this week.“Ellen has done an amazing job establishing Grounds for Health as a leader in delivering high-quality care to women living in coffee growing regions, and because Ellen and Kyle have worked closely together for years, we know the transition will be seamless.”
Engelman, who currently serves as GFH’s director of philanthropy, first joined the organization in 2013 as program manager, leading country teams in Peru, Nicaragua and Ethiopia, and launching a program in Kenya. After a time leading programs on behalf of the Ariande Labs health systems innovation center, Engelman rejoined Grounds For Health in 2020.
According to GFH’s announcement today, under Starr’s watch over the past five years, the organization has helped screen more than 115,000 women for cervical cancer prevention. Last year, Starr led the organization in introducing HPV self-sampling for cervical cancer screening, allowing more women from remote settings to receive healthcare without a clinic visit.
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