PATH CEO announces senior leadership appointments
PATH is pleased to announce the promotion of two PATH veterans to leadership positions in its global organization. These leaders bring nearly three decades of PATH experience to their new appointments, in addition to expertise within the global health sector and beyond.
The new appointments are as follows:
Chief of External Affairs- Heather Ignatius
To oversee communications and marketing, advocacy and public policy, and philanthropic development for PATH, Heather Ignatius has been promoted to Chief of External Affairs to lead the External Affairs Division.
Heather has been a part of the PATH team for more than 10 years and has been a driving force in our advocacy and policy efforts, leading a global team advancing national and global policy change across a diverse array of public health issues.
Prior to her new role leading the External Affairs division, Heather led PATH’s Advocacy and Public Policy Department and its work to influence global priority setting, enact policies and secure public resource allocation to bring evidence-based innovations and interventions to scale. “Heather brings a wealth of experience, passion, and creativity to this expanded role, and I am excited to work alongside her as we chart the course for the next phase of PATH's growth and impact, said Nikolaj Gilbert, PATH President and CEO. "Heather's extensive background in public policy will be especially critical as we continue to dismantle structural barriers to health equity, particularly in the post-COVID era."
Before joining PATH, Heather served in leadership roles with Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, the United Nations Foundation, the National Endowment of Democracy and the Women’s Research and Education Institute. A Silicon Valley native, she started her career in the tech sector, working for Cisco Systems.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, San Diego, and a master’s degree from the Elliot School of International Affairs at The George Washington University.
Global Head of Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access - Jessica Millman
PATH is pleased to announce that Jessica Millman is our new Global Head of the Center for Vaccine Innovation and Access (CVIA,). In this role, Jessica will lead a global team and a complex portfolio spanning 18 disease areas and several dozen projects. Jessica has been leading CVIA in an interim capacity since October 2022, managing our work to develop and deliver lifesaving vaccines to communities around the world.
Jessica first worked with PATH as a Senior Program Officer for the Malaria Vaccine Initiative from 2000-2005 and has been an integral member of the CVIA leadership team since rejoining PATH in 2014.
“Jessica’s unique ability to think strategically and ensure effective implementation of our strategy makes her the right person to lead CVIA,” said Nikolaj Gilbert, PATH President and CEO. “I am confident that her leadership will be instrumental in addressing the complexities of every stage of the immunization process, from research and development to distribution and administration, ensuring that vaccines are safe, effective, and accessible to all who need them."
Prior to returning to PATH, Jessica was a Senior Program Officer within the Global Health Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She earned her Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and B.A. from Tufts.
In addition to Heather and Jessica’s appointments, PATH is creating an integrated product development team that will encompass CVIA and our work on medical devices and diagnostic under the leadership of a Chief Scientific Officer (CSO, a role for which we are actively recruiting. This new model will allow PATH to better harness our diverse experience and expertise on behalf of our innovation portfolio.