Gary is a social entrepreneur and intrapreneur who founded and led global impact initiatives and enterprises in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. As a result of his leadership influence and collaborative engagement, global immunization programs are safer for children, health workers are better protected from life-threatening occupational injuries, health systems capacity is stronger in low-resource countries, national governments are working to stop sexual violence against children, diverse stakeholders are mobilizing to combat antimicrobial resistance, and innovation is advancing to reduce the burden of maternal and newborn mortality.
Gary presently serves as CEO and cofounder of Maternal Newborn Health Innovations (MNHI), a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) focused on innovating to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes worldwide. MNHI is presently developing the OdonAssist™ inflatable device for assisted vaginal birth, designed to safely assist the delivery of newborns during circumstances of prolonged, difficult second-stage labor in childbirth. Approximately 2.4 million newborns and 287,000 mothers died from childbirth-related causes in 2020, an additional ten million women and girls experience serious pregnancy-related complications annually, and there are 2 million stillbirths. Approximately 25% of newborn mortality and 45% of stillbirths occur during the process of childbirth.
Gary also serves as chair of the Corporate/CDC Roundtable on Global Health Threats, board chair and founder of Together for Girls https://www.togetherforgirls.org/, board co-chair of GBCHealth, and adviser to UNICEF USA. He is also the founder of the Rutgers Institute for Corporate Social Innovation https://ricsi.business.rutgers.edu/ and the Antimicrobial Resistance Fighter Coalition https://antimicrobialresistancefighters.org/.
Gary previously served as Executive Vice President, Global Health and President of the BD Foundation at BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), and prior to this served as EVP of International Operations and EVP and President of the Medical Device Segment of BD, where he had responsibility for approximately half of the company’s global operations. He also previously served as a UN Commissioner on Life Saving Commodities for Women and Children, as board chair and director of the CDC Foundation, as board director of UNICEF USA, as a member of the UN Secretary General’s Network of Engaged Men Leaders, as board director of the Accordia Global Health Foundation, and on the Scientific Advisory Board of Grand Challenges Canada.
Gary is a recognized expert in applying business sector skills in collaboration with the public and nonprofit sectors to advance progress on challenging global health and social problems. He has served as an expert speaker and advocate in venues including the United Nations, Vatican, World Bank, World Health Assembly, U.S. Department of State and World Economic Forum-Davos. He holds B.A. and an M.B.A. degrees from Rutgers University and previously served on the University’s board of trustees. In 2016, he was named a Rutgers 250 Fellow in association with the university’s 250th anniversary. Gary and the organizations he founded have received awards and honors from numerous organizations.