Teri McClure, JD, a senior executive at United Parcel Service (UPS), has been named chair of The Task Force for Global Health Board of Directors. She succeeds Jane Thorpe, JD, who retired from the board in April after 15 years of service.
McClure takes the helm of The Task Force’s all-volunteer board during a period of exceptional growth for the organization. The Task Force recently purchased a larger building for its headquarters to meet the space needs of its programs. In 2016, The Task Force’s revenue grew to nearly $3.2 billion, due largely to significant increases of in-kind donations of medicines.
Global health has been a long-standing personal interest of McClure. After a family member died of AIDS, she was moved to support efforts to address this health concern in both the United States and in Africa. Over the last several years, she has spent time in several African countries working with organizations working to prevent HIV and address the impact of the disease on vulnerable communities.
In 2013, McClure decided to join The Task Force board out of a belief in the organization’s mission.
“I was compelled to get involved,” she said. “What The Task Force was doing really aligned well with my personal interests and key initiatives of what my company [UPS] was doing.”
Last fall, McClure had the opportunity to see a Task Force-supported program on the ground. She visited Malawi where she learned about the country’s efforts to eliminate trachoma, a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that can causes blindness in later stages.
During her visit, an estimated 500,000 people throughout the country took part in a mass drug administration (MDA) using antibiotic provided by The Task Force’s International Trachoma Initiative.
“It was very impressive to see the collaboration among the different health agencies, government entities, and local and international providers,” she recalled. “They executed a thoughtful, well-organized plan, and used the same process in every community.”
McClure observed MDA in several remote communities in the country’s Chikwawa District. At each site, she recalled how the medicine had been successfully delivered to these communities in time, despite significant logistical challenges.
“The last mile is always the hardest, and the last mile in developing countries can be even more challenging,” she said. “At UPS, we really are looking at the future for what last-mile delivery looks like. In Malawi, I was amazed to see how every site operated consistently through the collaboration of a number of agencies and government entities.”
As board chair, McClure wants to help expand the scope and scale of The Task Force’s portfolio.
“There are so many public health needs, especially in developing countries,” she said. “Our goal will be to bring more people to the table to work on collaborative solutions for these problems.”
McClure serves as chief human resources officer and senior vice president human resources, labor relations, for UPS.
