TogetHER’s Advisors
TogetHER calls on expert advocates, policymakers, and philanthropists to guide our activities and ensure we are best serving women and girls at risk of HPV and cervical cancer around the world.
Chioma May Odiakosa
Cervical Health Ambassador
Chioma May Odiakosa is the President and Founder of Star Beer USA, the popular lager beer brewed in Nigeria and sold in over 25 other countries, and one of a few black woman-owned international beer importers in the United States.
Following her education as a lawyer in Nigeria, May immigrated to the United States in 1988. After almost three decades working in the legal profession in the Los Angeles area as a paralegal/trial specalist, May took on the ambitious task of expanding the market presence of Star Lager Beer – one of Africa’s most popular brands. Since then, the brand has continued to grow and expand into various U.S. markets.
May’s passion for cervical health is inspired by her sister Ngozi Okaka, who lost her life to cervical cancer in 2019 following a courageous 2-year battle. Her sister’s experience underscored the tragic stigma faced by women diagnosed with the disease, a roadblock that prevents many from seeking lifesaving prevention and treatment, and sparked a commitment in May to utilize her platform as President of Star Beer USA to champion improved healthcare for women everywhere.
Celina Schocken
Senior Advisor
Celina Schocken co-founded TogetHER in 2017 and served as its Executive Director until June of 2020, leading strategic direction and day to day operations for the partnership. Most recently, Ms. Schocken was the CEO of Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon, a public private partnership focused on cervical and breast cancer. She has also consulted with Global Good, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Jhpiego and others on scaling up new technologies for health. Previously, Ms. Schocken was Director of Policy and Advocacy at Merck for Mothers and directed PSI’s work with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. She served as Chief Advisor to the Rwandan Minister of State for HIV/AIDS and Other Epidemics. In 2005, she was a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Linda Lane
Women to Watch Foundation
Linda Lane is currently President of Harbor Health Systems, a leading provider of network effectiveness tools that identifies and selects the highest quality providers to expedite treatment, recovery and return to work for injured employees. Harbor Health is part of One Call Care Management, the nation’s leading provider of specialized cost management services to the Workers’ Compensation industry, an organization she has been a part of since 1996. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, and throughout her career, Ms. Lane has played an active role in identifying and executing strategic changes necessary to shape the future vision and direction of the organization and sustain OCCM’s growth.
A graduate of Radford University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Management, Ms. Lane’s industry and management expertise have been honed over her 20-year career in the workers compensation arena working as EVP Business Development, SVP Product Strategy, and VP of Marketing. These achievements have provided her with a deep understanding of the issues facing the workers compensations industry and the professional service solutions required to bridge regulatory requirements, manage cost drivers, and drive administrative efficiencies through technology. Her domain expertise has proven valuable internally and externally as clients, investors and strategic partners look to develop forward-thinking claims and medical management solutions. In 2015, Ms. Lane was named one of Business Insurance “Women to Watch” , which celebrates leading women from every facet of the commercial insurance industry including risk management, underwriting, claims, legal and related disciplines. Ms. Lane currently sits on the advisory board for Women to Watch as well as the advisory board for Thimble Bioelectronics. In 2016, Linda co-founded the newly formed Women To Watch Foundation and serves as its inaugural President.
A graduate of Radford University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Management, Ms. Lane’s industry and management expertise have been honed over her 20-year career in the workers compensation arena working as EVP Business Development, SVP Product Strategy, and VP of Marketing. These achievements have provided her with a deep understanding of the issues facing the workers compensations industry and the professional service solutions required to bridge regulatory requirements, manage cost drivers, and drive administrative efficiencies through technology. Her domain expertise has proven valuable internally and externally as clients, investors and strategic partners look to develop forward-thinking claims and medical management solutions. In 2015, Ms. Lane was named one of Business Insurance “Women to Watch” , which celebrates leading women from every facet of the commercial insurance industry including risk management, underwriting, claims, legal and related disciplines. Ms. Lane currently sits on the advisory board for Women to Watch as well as the advisory board for Thimble Bioelectronics. In 2016, Linda co-founded the newly formed Women To Watch Foundation and serves as its inaugural President.
Gabrielle Fitzgerald
Founder and CEO, Panorama
Gabrielle Fitzgerald is the founder and CEO of Panorama, an action tank dedicated to achieving ambitious goals and solving the world’s toughest problems. A global leader who believes innovative approaches and catalytic coalitions can solve the most challenging issues, Gabrielle leads diverse and dynamic teams and collaborates with partners to spark global change.
Prior to founding Panorama, she directed the $100 million Ebola Program at the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, investing in creative approaches to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Gabrielle previously served as the director of Global Program Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, leading the team that advanced policy and advocacy agendas for the organization’s global issues. In 2014, she won the Gold Medallion award from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs for her leadership on malaria.
Her focus has always been on designing and driving strategies that measurably impact people, organizations, and countries. Earlier in her career, Gabrielle led the public affairs strategy for HIV/AIDS at the United States Agency for International Development and served as the communications director for the U.S. Committee for Refugees. She also served as a speechwriter for President Clinton at The White House.
Gabrielle is the president of the board of United for Global Mental Health and serves on numerous advisory committees and panels. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts from American University in Washington, DC.
Prior to founding Panorama, she directed the $100 million Ebola Program at the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, investing in creative approaches to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Gabrielle previously served as the director of Global Program Advocacy at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, leading the team that advanced policy and advocacy agendas for the organization’s global issues. In 2014, she won the Gold Medallion award from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs for her leadership on malaria.
Her focus has always been on designing and driving strategies that measurably impact people, organizations, and countries. Earlier in her career, Gabrielle led the public affairs strategy for HIV/AIDS at the United States Agency for International Development and served as the communications director for the U.S. Committee for Refugees. She also served as a speechwriter for President Clinton at The White House.
Gabrielle is the president of the board of United for Global Mental Health and serves on numerous advisory committees and panels. She holds a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts from American University in Washington, DC.