Accordia Spotlight

Combining Personal Passion with Business Expertise

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“Joining Accordia was a way for me to align my business experience in providing public health solutions and services to the developing world with my personal passion for enhancing human health.”

Donald A. Holzworth is enhancing human health around the world every day. He has spent his over 30 year career designing public health programs in developing countries. He is the former Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Constella Group, a leading global provider of health consulting services. Today, Don is the Chairman of Futures Group International and a leading member of the Accordia Board of Directors, where he is furthering his commitment to fighting infectious diseases in Africa.

Recently, Mr. Holzworth was appointed to President Obama’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). He has been assigned to the International Subcommittee, whose activities influence international HIV/AIDS policy as conducted by the United States Government. PACHA will have a major influence in 2009 as the Obama administration considers how the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and other governmental resources can best be used to combat HIV/AIDS around the world.

Don recently reflected on his growing role with Accordia.

I joined the Accordia Board in 2007 because Accordia’s founder was a good friend who I greatly admired for his commitment to reducing the burden of infectious disease in Africa. In my role as Chairman of Futures Group International, I have traveled to many developing countries and have seen the impact that poverty, disease, lack of clean water, and environmental degradation have on people, institutions and governments. Joining Accordia was a way for me to align my business experience in providing public health solutions and services to the developing world with my personal passion for enhancing human health. Working on Accordia’s Board exposes me to some of the leading infectious disease experts from around the world and gives me the opportunity to learn from them while at the same time formulating new ideas for real world management approaches and solutions to solve immediate problems and build strategies for sustainability.

The world is so interconnected, yet few American’s understand what is happening in Africa and the threat is poses to the developing world and ultimately the standard of healthy living we enjoy in the US. I like to get people thinking past the moral imperative of saving lives (thought that alone should call upon us to act), and focus on the importance of Accordia’s work to a healthy world and our own national security. We all are invested in fighting infectious diseases in Africa.

I support Accordia not only as a member of the Board of Directors, but also through my family’s annual philanthropic support. As a member of the President’s Circle of Accordia’s Leadership Fund, I know that my annual financial contribution to Accordia is being used efficiently and effectively to provide a “return on the investment” for all our donors and partners. This “return” takes the form of saving lives while finding innovative ways to help Africans be better prepared to provide treatment, care, and research for the benefit of their own people.

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