New York City – The Kupona Foundation (‘Kupona’) Board of Directors announced today that Abbey Kocan will step down as Executive Director of Kupona after almost seven (7) years of service. She will be succeeded by Susana Oguntoye, who was previously Director of Monitoring, Evaluation & Knowledge Learning at Africare.

Robert Schwed, President of The Board of Directors, said, “On behalf of the entire team at Kupona, I would like to thank Abbey for her dedicated service and leadership. Since 2013, Abbey has built and led a team that mobilized over $7M for Kupona’s sister organization, CCBRT, the largest provider of disability and rehabilitation services in Tanzania and a key partner to the Tanzanian government in the fight to improve maternal and newborn healthcare. Abbey also drove the mobilization of medical and technical advisors to help CCBRT move toward a sustainable operating model. After Abbey informed us of her decision to leave her position, the Board conducted an extensive search to find the right person to lead Kupona and to work closely with the leadership of CCBRT. We are thrilled that we have been able to recruit Susana.”

Susana Oguntoye brings nearly two decades of experience with health research and policy, most recently working on design, monitoring, evaluation and implementation of health services programs, with a particular focus on international development and global health systems. At Africare, Susana built and managed operations for six countries and led monitoring and evaluation in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Raised in Nigeria and Germany, Susana holds a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology & Immunology from King’s College, University of London, and a Master of Public Health degree from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

“I feel exceptionally fortunate to be given this opportunity to become part of the Kupona Foundation and CCBRT family,” said Susana. “It means the world to me to be able to impact so many lives and renews for me the reasons I chose, so long ago now, to work in public health, and on health disparities in particular. I thank Abbey and the Kupona Board of Directors for putting their faith in me and look forward to working together with CCBRT to ensure high quality healthcare reaches those most in need.”

Abbey shared: “It has been an honor to be a part of this community, to work closely with CCBRT’s leadership and colleagues across the organization, and to be able to see the direct impact that our donors and partners have on thousands of children, mothers and adults living with disabilities in Tanzania every year. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many inspiring donors, partners, peers, Board members and advisors. I am incredibly excited that Susana will be taking the helm. Her skills and experience are exactly what is needed at this point in the organization’s life cycle. I see great things ahead for CCBRT and Kupona under Susana’s leadership in the United States.”

Abbey and Susana will work side by side during a period of transition starting in March 2020.

About Kupona Foundation

Kupona means ‘to heal’ in Kiswahili. Kupona Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to delivering high quality healthcare to those who need it most. Kupona focuses on Tanzania, a country rich in potential but severely impacted by extreme poverty, a challenge compounded by one of the highest population growth rates in the world. Kupona’s partner, CCBRT (Comprehensive Community Based Rehabilitation in Tanzania), is a leading healthcare provider specializing in disability, rehabilitation and maternal and newborn healthcare. A key player in the Tanzanian healthcare system, CCBRT has over two and a half decades of service to the Tanzanian community and partnership with the Government of Tanzania.