Founding CEO of the END Fund Announces Plan to Step Down in 2024; Leadership Transition Plan Underway
Date: March 1, 2024
Media contact: Victoria Miguda | [email protected]
New York, NY, February 13, 2024 – The END Fund announced today that founding Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ellen Agler, plans to step down in June 2024, having led the organization for 12 years. Chief Operating Officer, Diana Benton Schechter, who joined the END Fund in 2017, will subsequently step into the role of Interim CEO until the completion of a global search, which is currently being conducted under the leadership of the Board of Directors.
Since its founding in 2012, the END Fund has become the leading vehicle for private philanthropy to scale and accelerate the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) – a group of treatable, preventable parasitic and bacterial infectious diseases that needlessly hold back the lives and livelihoods of more than 1.6 billion people, including nearly 1 billion children.
“On behalf of the entire Board, I’m grateful for Ellen’s passionate service to the global movement to end neglected tropical diseases,” said Tsitsi Masiyiwa, Chair of the END Fund Board of Directors. “As the first employee of the END Fund, Ellen set the organization’s course to the strong position we are in today as the leading platform for private philanthropic investments in the NTD sector. We’re thrilled she has agreed to stay involved as an advisor as we embark on this new chapter for the organization. I can truly say we are all here in part due to Ellen’s leadership and infectious optimism that we can indeed end NTDs in our lifetimes.”
Under Mrs. Agler’s leadership, the organization has become a leading model of collaborative philanthropy and has raised almost $500 million dollars, helped provide over 1.7 billion NTD treatments and 126,000 life-changing surgeries, trained over 6 million health workers, and played a crucial role in ensuring that millions of people globally – and generations who will follow them – will no longer require treatment for NTDs.
“It has truly been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to serve the movement to end neglected diseases and to help build the END Fund into the robust and high-impact organization it has become,” said Mrs. Agler. “The END Fund has had many exciting chapters of growth since we were founded, and they have only been possible because of the strength of our relationships and the unwavering commitment across our community to human dignity, and to the communities most affected by NTDs. I am full of gratitude and admiration for all our partners over the years, and I can only hope the momentum we have co-created together will continue to grow. There is no one person or organization that can end NTDs alone and I am excited to see what is achieved in this critical next phase of partnership in the sector.”
Through its trusted relationships with governments, communities, investors, and global NTD stakeholders, the END Fund plays a unique role in advancing the elimination of NTDs in almost 30 countries. By stewarding the philanthropic visions of political and business leaders, major foundations and companies, and individuals, the organization has created investment funds that fast-track NTD elimination and attract new investors. To date, more than 7,200 individuals from 68 countries have invested in the NTD sector through the END Fund’s model of collaborative philanthropy. With over 1.6 billion people still affected by NTDs, the END Fund’s ambitions will continue to grow to end these diseases once and for all.
“It’s been my pleasure and privilege to work alongside and learn from Ellen’s visionary leadership,” added incoming Interim CEO, Diana Benton Schechter. “I’m excited to carry forward the mission and culture she cultivated at the END Fund. With the steadfast support of our community of investors and program partners, we have never been more excited about the future. Our global team’s passion, diversity, and expertise give me great confidence that we can support a growing number of countries to reach NTD elimination milestones by the 2030 target set by the World Health Organization.”
About the END Fund
The END Fund is a leading collaborative philanthropic fund dedicated to ending neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that limit the lives and livelihoods of over 1.6 billion people globally. Through our partners, we support country-led programs that control and eliminate intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, lymphatic filariasis, river blindness, trachoma, and visceral leishmaniasis.
About Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are caused by parasites (helminths, protozoa, ectoparasites), bacteria, viruses, fungi, and toxins. These diseases and conditions can cause effects such as deformed legs and blindness and can contribute to childhood malnourishment, cognitive impairment, stunted growth, and the inability to attend school. Social isolation and physical ailments make it difficult for people with NTDs to work, creating a cycle of poverty. Over 40 percent of the world’s NTD burden is concentrated in Africa, where the END Fund focuses the majority of its work.
See Ellen Agler’s open letter here.