Kathy Spahn

Kathy Spahn

President and CEO, Helen Keller International

Kathy Spahn is President and CEO of Helen Keller Intl, a global health organization that partners with communities to overcome long-standing cycles of poverty. By delivering the essential building blocks of good health, sound nutrition, and clear vision, Helen Keller helps millions of people in more than 20 countries create lasting change in their own lives and reach their true potential.

Prior to joining Helen Keller in 2005, Ms. Spahn was President and Executive Director of Orbis, an international non-profit dedicated to the prevention and treatment of blindness; and Executive Director of God’s Love We Deliver, dedicated to combating malnutrition and hunger among people living with HIV/AIDS.

Ms. Spahn serves on the Board for International Food and Agricultural Development (an advisory committee to USAID) and is a board member of the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI). She previously served on the boards of InterAction, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and the Bernadotte Foundation for Children’s Eyecare.

She also serves on the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI) Leadership Council Compact of 2025 and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She was a founding board member of the Association of Nutrition Services Agencies (ANSA), and a founding partner of the former Global Network for Neglected Tropical Disease Control.

View More Speakers

Mariam Akiror

Imelda Awino

Shawn K. Baker

Dr. Heber M. Brown, III

Sean Callahan

Sarah Charles

Mwandwe Chileshe

Rev. Eugene Cho

Isobel Coleman

Oscar Cordon

Cathryn L. Dhanatya

Bill Drayton

Juan Echanove

Jan Sebastian Friedrich-Rust

Jerry Greenfield

Amy Guterman

Lawrence Haddad

Jessica Hood

Ashwini Kakkar

Joe Kawly

Raj Kumar

Asma Lateef

Daniel Maxwell

Sara Menker

Nicolas Metro

Kate Musimwa

Nhlanhla Ndlovu

Yusuf Omar

Charles Owubah

Greg Perlstein

Suzanne Rexing

Terri Sarch

Meera Shekar

Kathy Spahn

Gloria D. Steele

Roy Steiner

Marshall Stowell

Gokul Sundar

Marielle Amani Thete

Blythe Thomas

Noam Unger

Kate Warren

Teresa Welsh

Gobezayehu Getachew Yilma

Stephanie Zeitz

Take The Next Step

Watch the Sessions

Watch the compelling speeches and panel discussions of our 2-day summit.

Sign Up for Updates

Stay connected with us as we advance the movement against hunger and plan future events.

Covid Protocol

Action Against Hunger understands the power of bringing people together in person and the importance of doing so safely. We encourage you to stay home if you are not feeling well or have symptoms of any kind so we can keep everyone healthy as we convene. While masking is optional at the REACH, we will have a limited supply of K95 masks and COVID tests available onsite.

On each day of the event, we request at check-in:

Proof of a day-of negative Covid self-test (via photo)

Note: Please self-test prior to your arrival at The REACH at the Kennedy Center, not onsite.

Our team is closely monitoring the evolving global health recommendations and will update attendees with the most up-to-date protocols as we near the event. For additional information, The REACH at the Kennedy Center's health and safety protocols can be found here.