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Dereje Dengela is an epidemiologist and entomologist with more than 25 years of experience in planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of malaria control programs. He has extensive managerial experience, having supervised as many as 94 professionals. He has held senior positions with the government of Ethiopia, worked on projects for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and worked for the World Health Organization (WHO) as national malaria program officer in Ethiopia. While at the WHO, he supported the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia in mobilization of financial resources from donors, particularly the Global Fund. Dengela has authored or co-authored more than 30 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Bolanle Olusola-Faleye has over two decades of experience leading and managing diverse health programs. She specializes in strategic direction, technical leadership, and implementation of interventions to strengthen health systems, particularly in tuberculosis (TB) control and public-private partnerships. Her methodological expertise encompasses rigorous epidemiological and biostatistical approaches, health policy and management strategies, and the application of innovative programmatic and public health methodologies. Her clients have included the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of Nigeria, development partners, and other key stakeholders in the field of public health and TB control.

Hadiza Soumaila is a medical entomologist, biologist, and scientist with more than 15 years of global experience in the field entomological surveillance for diseases such as malaria, Rift Valley fever, and yellow fever. She has substantial experience in vector-borne diseases and served as head of the Vector Control Unit of Niger’s National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) for more than 13 years. She has taught biological sciences, hematology, parasitology, and entomology at the Niger National School of Public Health for more than 20 years.

Dr. Lawrence Kahindi has 20 years of HIV clinical and program management experience in the public and private sectors. Over the past decade, he has worked at various levels in Namibia’s health system scaling-up quality HIV prevention services. His provider, programmatic, and mentorship experience have resulted in significant improvements in access to and quality of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) services in Namibia.

Jules Nahimana is a health program manager with almost two decades of experience working in the public health sector. He has worked extensively on malaria vector control programs, especially those implementing indoor residual spraying (IRS), in countries including Burkina Faso, Malawi, Mozambique, and Rwanda. In these roles, he has worked with many high-level organizations including the Ministries of Health (MOH) and the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).

Dr. Diarra Houleymata is a public health technical expert with more than 25 years of experience in program development and management. Dr. Houleymata has designed and implemented technical assistance across all levels of governments and health systems, including for more than 10 USAID-funded programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea, Nigeria, Mali, and other countries. Her expertise spans integrated health; maternal, newborn, and child health; reproductive health/family planning; nutrition; and other sectors. As Chief of Party (COP) leading several country-level projects and a member of national task forces, she has delivered innovative technical assistance to Ministries of Health (MOH) to develop, validate, and operationalize health policies and strategies, generating significant changes to national health systems.

Maureen Ogada-Ndekana has more than 14 years of experience bolstering health systems in the east African region. She has expertise in public-private engagement, health markets development, social enterprise marketing, health project management, and policy advocacy for health. She has played leading roles in several U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) projects, including Local Health Systems Sustainability (LHSS) and the global flagship private sector initiative, Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus, in Tanzania. She helped accelerate progress toward Tanzania’s health goals by unlocking the potential of the private sector markets for sexual and reproductive health and HIV commodities.

Mbogo Bunyi is a development professional with more than 20 years of experience working in global health and private sector engagement in East Africa. As a technical advisor, he has worked closely with national and sub-national governments, corporations, and development partners to improve health outcomes. He has facilitated key public-private partnerships to overcome obstacles to private-sector participation, building stronger health markets for family planning and HIV in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Bunyi has supported innovative solutions in health financing, private investment for social enterprises, and health care policy.

Dr. Josephat Shililu is a senior project manager and entomologist with over 20 years’ experience managing malaria control programs and conducting malaria vectors’ research. He has extensive expertise in project planning and implementation and has contributed to successful and timely implementation of IRS projects in Uganda, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Kenya. He has also contributed to Ministries of Health (MOH’s) capacity strengthening efforts in malaria research, environmental compliance procedures, logistics systems, and mobilization campaigns. Dr. Shililu has ensured sound financial management and timely completion of quality project technical and financial deliverables.

Laurent Nkera Iyikirenga is a biologist, medical entomologist, teacher, and public health professional with 24 years of experience working in vector control. He has contributed to large-scale projects that include increasing national capacities to collect, analyze, and use entomological data to inform malaria prevention and control programs. He has worked with malaria-control authorities in Rwanda, Burundi, Benin, and Sierra Leone.