Our Team

Dr. Derek Yach, a global health expert and anti-smoking advocate for more than 30 years, is the president of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World. Throughout his career, he has supported and led smoking cessation research and policy development and has been a strong proponent of harm-reduction policies, calling for a greater emphasis on harm reduction as early as 2005. He is also a passionate advocate of health promotion and disease prevention, and is advancing his career’s work at the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World.

view full bio & more Read Derek's Blogs

As the chief operating officer and chief financial officer, Tom Harding ensures the Foundation’s operations enable it to achieve its mission of reducing death and disease from smoking. Tom oversees all financial and operational functions of the Foundation, including asset management, financial planning and analysis, and accounting.

Tom is a senior financial executive with more than 25 years of experience working for major corporations. His diverse financial experience includes debt and equity capital markets, asset management, financial planning and analysis, financial risk management, and cash management.

Most recently, Tom was the acting treasurer of Time Warner Cable through its merger period with Charter Communications. In this role, he was responsible for the company’s capital structure, direction of debt and equity capital markets activity, interest rate risk management and treasury operations. Previously, he held leadership positions in finance at Time Warner, Inc. and Macmillan, Inc.

Tom is based in Connecticut, United States. He graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in finance.

As the Chief Health, Science and Technology Officer, Dr. Riahi leads the Foundation’s scientific research and innovation effort to accelerate smoking cessation and harm reduction.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Riahi was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he worked with senior healthcare leaders in government; payors and providers; life sciences companies; the World Health Organization (WHO); and other global public health organizations. He has worked in a broad range of health systems, leading strategy, capability building, and advanced analytics efforts to improve population health outcomes. His work particularly focused on:

• Making the best scientific and clinical evidence accessible to inform strategy, policy and resource allocation decisions
• Building effective partnerships across professional boundaries (e.g., clinical and operational leaders; analytics experts and healthcare leaders; public and private sector healthcare leaders).

Previously, Dr. Riahi was the founding Head of Healthcare Systems at Novartis International, where he built the first health systems expert group in the life sciences industry. He and his team designed and supported partnerships with governments to improve population health outcomes; partnered with the Harvard School of Public Health to deliver a health systems leadership development program for Novartis’ senior leaders; and brought a health systems approach to support product and therapeutic area strategy.

Dr. Riahi maintains a part-time clinical practice, working in urgent care and with indigenous populations in northern Canada. He holds a B.S. from the University of Toronto; an M.D.,C.M. from McGill University; and an MBA from the Wharton School.

As program director, Dr. Ehsan Latif is responsible for overseeing the strategy and execution of global initiatives that support smoking cessation and harm reduction.

Dr. Latif has more than 20 years of experience managing the development and implementation of cohesive strategies to achieve public health gains by linking global health priorities to the needs on the ground. Previously, he served as senior adviser for non-communicable diseases and director of tobacco control at the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, managing global teams across India, China, Singapore, Mexico, Bangladesh, Philippines, Vietnam, Pakistan, Brazil and Chad. His work entailed providing leadership for planning, organizing and prioritizing focused interventions for tobacco control to ensure delivery of strategic goals through collaboration.

In his early career, he was responsible for the development of the National Health Policy for Pakistan and served as a main contributor of the non-communicable diseases debate in the early 2000s. His work has since involved capacity building and provision of grants to governments, civil society organizations, universities and researchers. He recently led and managed US$10M program to support policy development for tobacco control in low- and middle-income countries faced with highest burden of disease caused by tobacco use.

Dr. Latif has served on the boards of several public health entities, including The Framework Convention Alliance, the Non-Communicable Disease Alliance, and the Global Smoke Free Partnership. He is also a member of various international groups working on lung health and tobacco control setup under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control secretariat and the World Health Organization.

Dr. Latif is originally from Pakistan and now resides in Scotland. He holds an MD from Punjab Medical College and an MPH from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Read Ehsan's Blogs

In her role as vice president, chief of staff, Heather Majewski oversees the Foundation’s long-term strategy and values to ensure the Foundation remains innovative as it helps smokers who want to quit cigarettes. She has more than 20 years of experience in the health care industry managing and transforming health and wellness organizations.

Before joining the Foundation, Heather was assistant vice president and head of wellness innovation for John Hancock Insurance, where she was instrumental in the development and launch of the John Hancock Vitality insurance solution that rewards people for making healthy choices, such as quitting smoking. She was responsible for identifying growth opportunities for John Hancock through collaboration with academia and corporate partners.

Prior to her wellness innovation role, Heather held numerous strategic actuarial positions at John Hancock where she created and managed wellness solutions designed to improve public health. She also held various leadership and actuarial roles at Swiss Re North America and The Hartford, two global insurance companies.

Heather is from Boston and has a bachelor’s of actuarial science and a master’s of mathematics from the University of Connecticut.

Jim Lutzweiler, a public policy and market development expert, is the vice president of agriculture and livelihoods. He has more than 20 years of experience developing public-private partnerships to reduce food insecurity globally, and spent a decade working and living in West and Central Africa while focused on agriculture program design and implementation, market development and policy formulation.

Before joining the Foundation, Jim was senior director of global public policy at PepsiCo where he developed strategies to encourage consumer uptake of healthier food and beverage alternatives. As part of this work, he implemented a shared value partnership business model to promote sales of healthy products by driving positive consumer choice.

Prior to his position at PepsiCo, Jim served as vice president of AARP Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit that provides people age 50 and over with programs and services related to housing, hunger, income and isolation. In this role, he focused on addressing the systemic causes of elderly hunger, devising public-private partnerships with the healthcare and retail grocery sectors designed to increase nutrition and reduce food insecurity among older adults. He was also a founding member of the Root Cause Coalition, a diverse group of hospital systems, nonprofits, and corporate partners dedicated to making hunger a health issue embedded within the social determinants of health.

Jim has also served in leadership roles with Joint Aid Management, World Vision and Catholic Relief Services. At Joint Aid Management, he was responsible for oversight of U.S. government grants, corporate and foundation grants, and philanthropic funding, as well as expanding school feeding programs in Ghana and Nigeria. During his time at World Vision, he led the efforts for a unified food advocacy strategy focusing on issues of foreign aid, trade and food aid policy, with an emphasis on policy reform in recipient countries. Jim lived in West and Central Africa while at Catholic Relief Services developing and implementing emergency response food distribution programs, supplemental feeding for vulnerable groups and agricultural recovery.

Jim is originally from New Jersey, United States, and has an MA from Duquesne University in policy analysis, as well as a BA in political science and philosophy from Hope College.

Read Jim's Blogs

As Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Mica Wilson is responsible for developing and implementing the Foundation’s integrated marketing strategies across all forms of influence. She oversees all communication platforms, including traditional, social and digital media. Additionally, she provides executive-level vision and strategy for the Foundation’s brand marketing and communications, creating and promoting the core narrative through external communications.

Mica has vast experience leading global health and wellness initiatives, and brokering strong strategic partnerships for non-profits to elevate their awareness and impact. Prior to joining the Foundation, Mica was the Chief of Strategic Partnerships at Girls Scouts of USA, where she identified, secured, and managed national and global partnerships that supported the organization’s strategic plan and revenue goals. She also served as the Vice President of Strategic Marketing Partnerships at The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), leading the organization’s engagement with promotional corporate partners through cause-marketing programs and sponsorships.

Earlier in her career, Mica held a number of senior positions during her nine years at PepsiCo, including serving as Director of Public Health. In that role, she was responsible for developing and launching a global health and wellness strategic plan. Mica conducted qualitative and quantitative research to better understand consumer nutrition needs, providing key insights for affordable malnutrition solutions in Africa, India and Southeast Asia. She also partnered with Save the Children, the Gates Foundation, and the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote breastfeeding in Southeast Asia.

Mica lives in New Rochelle, New York. She holds a B.S. from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, as well as an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

Dianna Bartone is the Senior Research Analyst for Agriculture and Livelihoods. In this role, she conducts data analysis and quantitative research that informs the Foundation’s global strategy to help tobacco farmers transition to alternative livelihoods and crops.

Dianna is a skilled quantitative researcher with several years of experience in international nutrition, food security, and agricultural research. She has worked on projects led by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University School of Medicine, World Vision International, and the USDA Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.

In 2017, Dianna received the Tufts Public Health and Professional Degree Programs Delta Omega Award for demonstration of academic achievement and leadership in public health. She is also a 2015 World Vision International Global Health Fellow, and an Aid for Africa Scholar.

Dianna is based in New York. She holds an MS in Food Policy and Applied Economics from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, as well as an MPH in Epidemiology/Biostatistics, and in Global Health from the Tufts University School of Medicine. Dianna also holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Notre Dame.

As the Director, Global Scientific Communications, Dr. Benmaamar reviews, analyzes, and disseminates key scientific data that are critical to the success of the Foundation’s research and innovation programs, which are aimed at accelerating smoking cessation and harm reduction. She develops scientific communication strategies and ensures accurate scientific messaging.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Benmaamar was Manager of Global Publications and Scientific Communications, Oncology Business Group, at Eisai Pharmaceuticals. She managed the global communication of the results of clinical trials, and the review process of scientific and medical documents prior to their publication in peer-review journals and their presentation at scientific meetings.

Before working at Eisai, Dr. Benmaamar was Senior Researcher at New York University, Langone Medical Center, Radiation Oncology. She managed pancreatic cancer research. She helped design innovative research projects to better understand the various molecular, immunological, and metabolic aspects of pancreatic cancer. In earlier years, Dr. Benmaamar was Associate Director of Medical Communications at medical communication agencies, partnering with pharmaceuticals to develop scientific content for presentations at conferences and advisory boards, and for patient and healthcare provider websites.

In addition to her scientific experience, Dr. Benmaamar worked at the United Nations as a Conference Manager. She facilitated and coordinated a wide range of conferences such as those of the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Human Rights Committee, General Assembly, Indigenous Peoples’ Forum, and Conference of the Parties (COP 20) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. She speaks four of the six United Nations official languages (English, French, Arabic, and Spanish), as well as Italian.

Dr. Benmaamar is a seasoned freelance writer for The Lancet Oncology, mainly communicating groundbreaking results of clinical trials on several types of cancer. She holds a PhD in Pharmacology from Univerisité Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France.

Nicole Bradley is the Senior Manager of Communications, responsible for helping to shape and manage the Foundation’s media relations strategy development and execution. In this role, she develops communications materials, manages media interactions, and oversees PR agency partners.

A skilled communications professional with more than 15 years of experience in corporate, consumer products, sports marketing and entertainment, Nicole has developed and managed PR campaigns for high-profile brands while also acting as a national communications advisor and spokesperson on behalf of corporations.

Nicole’s communications background includes positions at Pepsi, Nickelodeon, VH1 and Edelman, where she was responsible for developing and executing strategic plans that supported business goals and drove positive corporate reputation. During her six years at Pepsi, she created and implemented media relations strategies for Pepsi-Cola North America’s marketing campaigns and brands, and managed the public relations for Pepsi’s partnerships with the NFL, MLB and MLS.

Nicole is based in New York and holds a BA in Communications from Penn State University.

As a Research Manager for Agriculture and Livelihoods, Romita conducts research and analysis that informs the Foundation’s strategy to help smallholder tobacco farmers transition to alternative livelihoods in tobacco-dependent economies, with an initial emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa.

Romita’s experience in global risk analysis and policy development includes roles at public and private organizations in Singapore, India, and New York. Prior to joining the Foundation, she served as a Senior Analyst at Control Risks where she developed customized in-region advisory services and mitigation strategies for global corporations, international institutions, and government agencies, with a focus on emerging markets in South and Southeast Asia.

While serving as a contributor to The Economist Intelligence Unit, Romita assisted with the delivery of in-depth research reports and country risk analyses for the company’s consulting clients and subscribers. Earlier in her career, Romita worked for the Singapore government, the United Nations Association of Singapore, and General Electric.

Romita is based in New York. She obtained her Master of Science in South Asian Studies from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with Honors from the National University of Singapore. Romita is fluent in several South Asian languages, including Hindi and Bengali.

As Director of Regulatory Science, Dr. Brian E. Erkkila spearheads the Foundation’s efforts to support actionable research about tobacco, nicotine, cessation, and harm reduction. This involves an assessment of the absolute and relative risks of conventional and emerging nicotine products, as well as determining the most effective methods to communicate reduced-risk options to smokers.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Erkkila served for seven years at the FDA Center for Tobacco Products (CTP), where he was instrumental in the development of the tobacco product review process and CTP research priorities, with a particular focus on developing a tobacco product quantitative risk assessment program. As an expert in evaluating scientific data concerning tobacco products and their impact on individuals and populations, Dr. Erkkila was responsible for providing the scientific basis for the development of tobacco policy, guidance, and regulation.

A neurobiologist by training, Dr. Erkkila did his post-doc examining hippocampal function and development at the National Institute of Child and Human Development’s (NICHD) Laboratory of Cellular and Synaptic Neurophysiology under the mentorship of Dr. Chris McBain.

Dr. Erkkila is based in Washington, DC. He holds a PhD in Neurobiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a BA in Neuroscience from Johns Hopkins University.

As Director of Health Science and Technology, Dr. Charles A. Gardner manages the Foundation’s investments in innovation to catalyze and accelerate the development of higher-efficacy smoking cessation products and services, and to ensure that options to quit and reduce harm are accessible in low- and middle-income countries.

Dr. Gardner has over two decades of experience creating and managing international health R&D programs and partnerships in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. He has served as the Program Officer for Africa and the Middle East at the US National Institutes of Health; Science Attaché at the US Embassy in India; Associate Director for Health Equity in the Rockefeller Foundation; Senior Advisor on Research Strategy to the WHO; and Director of Child Health in the UBS Optimus Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland.

A seasoned leader in global health innovation, Dr. Gardner has served on the boards of the University of Michigan’s Center for Global Health, the Rockefeller Foundation’s pioneering impact investment fund (ProVenEx), and international non-profits. He currently serves on the board of a non-profit that promotes an innovative approach to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) training in low-income countries.

After completing his PhD, Dr. Gardner was awarded a Congressional Science Fellowship to advise the US Congress on health and science policy issues. He has also taught healthcare ethics as an Associate Professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and has over 90 publications.

Dr. Gardner is based in New York City. He holds a PhD in Developmental Neurobiology from the University of Michigan Medical School.

Chris Gray is a Senior Research Analyst for Agriculture and Livelihoods. In this role, he is responsible for quantitative and qualitative research that informs the Foundation’s global strategy to transform agricultural value chains in developing countries.

Chris is a public policy researcher specializing in the microeconomic impacts of poverty programs in developing countries. As a Research Analyst at the International Food Policy Research Institute, he collaborated with government and private donors to design and evaluate agricultural production programs in East Africa and Southeast Asia. Chris’s research experience has spanned various industries, including agriculture, education, tax policy, financial inclusion, and nutrition.

Chris has served as an independent consultant on projects with the World Bank, Mercy Corps, Innovations for Poverty Action, as well as several local food security nonprofits.

Chris is based in Washington, D.C. He holds a Master of International Development Policy from the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, and a BS in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As the Director of Agriculture and Economic Diversification Programs, Rob Henning spearheads the Foundation’s work to help prepare smallholder tobacco farmers for a smoke-free future by designing, funding, and managing programs that will drive diversified and inclusive economic growth in tobacco-dependent economies.

Rob has 20 years of experience at all levels of emerging economies with expertise in promoting investment and economic growth in developing countries. He has worked at all levels of frontier markets from the grassroots to the boardroom to help create prosperity with a focus on entrepreneurship, value chain strategy development, frontier market investing and market research. Prior to joining the Foundation, Rob was a Director at Chemonics International where he developed and set the strategy for new business efforts in the agricultural sector for a range of clients including USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and corporate clients.

Earlier in his career, Rob co-founded and led ESPartners, an advisory and investment firm focused on entrepreneurship, private sector development, and SME investment in developing countries. Rob also worked at OTF Group, where he led long-term competitiveness initiatives in multiple fragile economies such as Rwanda, Afghanistan, and Haiti. His first foray into international development was as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin and Guinea-Conakry, West Africa where he was small enterprise development advisor.

Rob is based in Washington, DC. He has an MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and a BA from the University of Vermont. Rob speaks fluent French.

As the Director of Meetings and Global Operations, Claire Hohlt oversees the planning and execution of the Foundation’s special events and meetings worldwide. Her responsibilities include managing budgets, negotiating vendor contracts, as well as securing and cultivating relationships with the Foundation’s key partners.

An experienced event producer, Claire launched her own company, Evoke Mgmt, in 2017. She has created and supervised a wide range of corporate programs, seminars, product launches and festivals. Previously, Claire was Senior Manager of Events and Client Relations at Time Out North America, where she managed special projects and national events, while overseeing a $2 million budget. Claire also collaborated with editorial and creative on design for the website and various communications materials.

Earlier in her career, Claire held a communications position at Skanska USA Inc., and worked in luxury menswear for Ermenegildo Zegna and Brioni.

Claire is based in New York and holds a BS from Purdue University.

As Manager of the grant database, Kim Hook is responsible for developing and maintaining the Foundation’s grant records and reports. In this role, Kim engages with stakeholders to maintain an active community, creates database solutions, and oversees the communications with grantees.

Kim has extensive experience designing tailored software for non-profit organizations, creating streamlined platforms for seamless work processes and grant making activities. Her expertise includes rolling out new modules and system set-up reviews, designing application forms, developing complex templates, producing customized reports, and providing tailored training.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Kim worked with a number of global clients, including Barclays Bank, BBC Children in Need, The Arts Council of Wales, London Councils, The Cripplegate Foundation, and other organizations based in Brussels, Amsterdam, Ireland and Switzerland. Earlier in her career, Kim spent several years as a Client Relations Manager and Computer Consultant at Buzzacott, an accounting firm in the U.K.

Kim is based in London.

David Janazzo, an expert across multiple financial disciplines, is Director of Finance. In this role, David conducts data analysis associated with the relevant industry issues and financial analysis of the related companies in support of the Foundation’s objectives toward the advancement of smoking cessation and harm reduction.

David’s extensive work experience includes positions at Fortune 100 companies, where he managed the following disciplines: Financial Planning and Analysis; Treasury; Pension and Investments; and Investor Relations. As Senior Director, Treasury at Time Warner Cable, David directed the pension and investments oversight process and capital structure decision-making. Prior to his role at Time Warner Cable, David was Director of Investor Relations at Verizon.

At Merrill Lynch, David was a fundamental stock analyst covering U.S. Telecom Services. He generated stock recommendations, produced financial models, and published industry and company research. David was recognized as a knowledgeable industry resource and sound financial analyst by internal and external polls. Earlier in his career, David held technical and management positions at AT&T.

David resides in New Jersey and holds a MBA in Finance from The Wharton School of Business, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Connecticut. He is active in his local community through charitable organizations.

As Director of Social and Digital Media, Lourdes Liz creates and implements the Foundation’s integrated marketing strategies on digital and social media platforms.

Lourdes is a seasoned marketing executive with expertise in brand marketing, mission communications, donor development and content creation. She has been a member of senior management, has led and managed teams, strategic partnerships as well as operating budgets.

Throughout her career she has been a member of the following global retail, and entertainment companies: Macy’s, Style Network, HBO, Warner Bros Animation, MTV Networks, as well as small startups (e.g. Fútbol Mundial and nonprofit organizations) the United Nations and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Lourdes resides in New York City and holds a B.A. in International Relations and Spanish Literature from Colgate University, and an MBA from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University.

Karen Newman is the Senior Executive Assistant to the VP of Agriculture and Livelihoods. In this role, she provides administrative support to the Agriculture team by managing financial activities, international travel, schedules and facility operations at the Foundation’s Washington, D.C. office.

Karen’s extensive non-profit work experience includes supporting C-level executives, spearheading business process analysis, and providing software application support. Prior to joining the Foundation, Karen served for 15 years at The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF), most recently as Executive Assistant to the CEO, a retired two-star army general. She was the CEO’s primary point of contact for internal and external constituencies, ensuring all engagements met mutual goals.

Earlier in her career at HJF, Karen coordinated the first phase of a company-wide records and information management initiative, increased efficiencies in workflows, developed training guides, ensured best practices were followed and generated support for new procedures.

Karen is based in Washington, D.C. She studied Cell, Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Maryland at College Park.

As Financial Assistant and Office Manager, Linda Ruff supports the Foundation’s CFO, managing accounts payable, expenses and international travel for the staff. She also oversees facility operations, including IT and vendor partnerships.

Linda is an IT and facility management professional with expertise in accounting, developing operational procedures, as well as various computer platforms. Prior to joining the Foundation, she held operational management positions at Precision IT Group and Trident Global, respectively. In both roles, she was responsible for vendor relations, accounts payable and overseeing all facility functions.

Earlier in her career, Linda spent several years at Ramp Up Technology, holding a number of positions. While in her final role as the company’s Manager of Operations, she revamped the client ticketing database, created effective accounting procedures, and managed client office expansions.

Linda is based in New York and is fluent in Swedish. She holds a BBA in International Business from Berkeley College, White Plains, N.Y.

As Senior Strategic Research Analyst, Madeleine Smith is responsible for developing and coordinating strategic alignment across the Foundation’s functions. In this role, she provides research, report and data analysis; manages the evolving processes related to the Foundation’s work; and cultivates the grant portfolio and programs.

Madeleine is experienced in designing, leading and implementing diverse business strategies, and realignment initiatives that deliver economic, social, and environmental benefits. Previously, she worked for VF Corporation’s Sustainability Operations Group in Thailand, where she identified opportunities to improve their Sustainable Living Environments project and conducted research. Her findings were used to create a governance framework and partnership structure.

Madeleine’s experience also includes volunteer work with the Support for International Change organization, teaching HIV/AIDS education in Swahili, and offering HIV/AIDS testing.

Madeleine is based in New York. She holds a Master’s of Health Science in Environmental Health and Engineering from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a Bachelor’s of Public Health with a concentration in Engineering for Sustainable Development from Johns Hopkins University.

As the Senior Research Analyst for Ethics and Human Rights, Alexandra (Allie) Solomon is responsible for shaping and managing the Foundation’s research on the ethical and human rights challenges in global tobacco control practices, policies, and scientific research. She is primarily focused on analyzing tobacco production and use, smoking cessation, and harm reduction from a gender perspective.

Allie is an experienced researcher, specializing in advocacy at the intersection of human rights, gender, and media. Prior to joining the Foundation, she successfully implemented international projects for a number of organizations, including the U.S. Peace Corps in Azerbaijan, Beilink Business Consultancy in Israel, Transparency International in Ghana and Zimbabwe, and the Natural Resource Governance Institute in New York.

Earlier in her career, Allie held international media reporting, insights, and marketing roles. She worked as a human rights reporter in Berlin, a consultant in Data and Audience Insights at The New York Times, and a content strategist for a New York-based digital media marketing agency.

Allie is based in New York. She earned her Master of International Affairs degree at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, concentrating in human rights and specializing in gender and public policy. She also holds a B.S. in Psychology from Louisiana State University.