Helene D.

Gayle

CEO of McKinsey Social Initiative

Helene D. Gayle is the inaugural CEO of McKinsey Social Initiative, an independent non-profit organization founded by McKinsey & Company which brings together expert problem solvers to develop innovative approaches to complex social challenges. Prior to taking this position in 2015, Dr. Gayle served as President and CEO of CARE USA, a leading international humanitarian organization for ten years. Under her leadership, CARE strengthened its focus on long term impact, increased policy and advocacy efforts and deepened connections between poverty and the environment. An expert on health, global development and humanitarian issues, she spent 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control, working primarily on HIV/AIDS. Dr. Gayle then worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, directing programs on HIV/AIDS and other global health issues. Dr. Gayle serves on several boards, including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Rockefeller Foundation, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative, and ONE. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Public Health Association, the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Gayle currently serves on the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships and the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. Named one of Forbes’ “100 Most Powerful Women,” Foreign Policy magazine’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers,” and Newsweek’s top 10 “Women in Leadership,” Dr. Gayle has been featured by national and international media outlets. She has also published numerous scientific articles. Dr. Gayle was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. She earned a B.A. in psychology at Barnard College, an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University.