Kathy Spahn

Kathy Spahn is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Helen Keller Intl, works closely with the Board of Trustees, global leaders in public health, staff members throughout Helen Keller Intl, partner organizations, and Helen Keller supporters in carrying out her responsibilities.

Prior to joining Helen Keller, Ms. Spahn was President and Executive Director of Orbis, an international non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness. At the time, the organization had four affiliate offices, five country programs, and a medical volunteer corps of 370. Prior to her work with Orbis, she was Executive Director of God’s Love We Deliver, a New York-based AIDS service organization dedicated to combating malnutrition and hunger among people living with HIV/AIDS.

Ms. Spahn serves on the Board of Directors of the International Food and Agricultural Development (BIFAD), the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI), and previously served on the boards of InterAction, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, and the Bernadotte Foundation for Children’s Eyecare. She also serves on the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) Leadership Council Compact of 2025 and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She was a founding board member of the Association of Nutrition Services Agencies (ANSA), and a founding partner of the former Global Network for Neglected Tropical Disease Control. Ms. Spahn joined Helen Keller International in March 2005 and is located at headquarters in New York City.