1. Debra J. Millar
debramillar@rocketmail.com
+1-925-667-7595
http://www.linkedin.com/in/debrajmillar
Professional Summary
Public Health and Development Professional; unique background combining 22+ years of international
public health and business, organizational and leadership development experience. Known for developing
capacity of teams, programs, organizations and governments; driven by a desire to see people achieve full
potential. Excellent leadership, strategic planning, and relationship building skills. Passionate about
communicating cross-culturally, translating research into practice and achieving sustainable results. Expertise:
 Business Development  Strategic Planning & Program Development
 Public Health Leadership Development  Knowledge Management
 Program Start-Up  Facilitation & Communications
 Multi-Country Experience  Appreciative Inquiry
Professional Experience
Consultant – Public Health & Leadership Development Specialist 2011-Present
Provides technical expertise, training, and facilitation services to non-profit and other institutions in the areas of
public health, organizational development, leadership development, strategic planning, business development,
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program evaluation, team building and staff development. Eight consultancies in the 1 six months:
 Contributed to business development efforts resulting in two pending multi-million $ awards;
 Facilitated two 3-day strategic planning retreats and four 1-day strategic planning workshops;
 Developed 4 case studies documenting successes of change projects from the California/Hawaii Public
Health Leadership Institute program;
 Facilitated 2 senior management retreats, including leadership development components;
 Developed operational guidelines and a start-up manual to inform effective start up of new programs.
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CHF International, Silver Spring, MD Senior Advisor for Global Health 2007 – 2011
Provided technical expertise, training and mentoring for international public health programs funded by USAID,
CDC, PEPFAR and the Global Fund in Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Liberia, Georgia, Honduras and Haiti;
Assessed, analyzed and evaluated quality of programming against goals; Led proposal development efforts;
Utilized strong organizational, planning and communication skills toward improving operational efficiency.
 Won new business awards totaling >$65M by conducting assessments, designing programs and writing
proposals and concept papers;
 Improved quality of programming by designing and implementing strategies and tools to incorporate
emerging evidence-based practices in public health and multi-sector programs;
 Revised and expanded standards and tools for operational management, capturing best practices and
lessons learned across programs that improves knowledge management and replication of best practices;
 Led the start-up of new blood safety and social services programs in Kenya and Rwanda using Causal
Pathway methodology; Ensured that inputs, activities and outputs lead to the desired impact;
 Initiated training in team building, leadership development and staff professional development for >250
staff in 4 countries that improved program performance, realigned activities to achieve deliverables and
improved integration of projects/programs;
 Collaborated with Country Directors to stimulate positive change and create new approaches/solutions to
long-standing problems in a methodical and mutually respectful manner;
 Trained field and HQ staff, ranging from “Mom & Pop” CBOs to high-profile $65M programs, utilizing
participatory approaches and the Adult Learning Model to advance capacity development;
 Advanced the use of mHealth technology to capture public health data at point of use to improve
program monitoring and tracking through participation in NetHope’s Health Care Working Group;
 Developed communications products to capture and brand programs, publicizing and promoting visibility;
 Facilitated the Ministry of Health in Kenya in high-level strategic planning, design and proposal
development for subsequently funded programs to expand public health services nation-wide;
 Formulated a cholera response program in Haiti that reached >45,000 individuals.

2. CHF International, Nairobi, Kenya Country Director 2004-2007
Led the start-up of CHF’s first CDC-funded health program in Kenya, achieving targets within the first 3 months
and ultimately reaching over >1M Kenyans with HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment services.
 Led and supervised the start-up of the program, growing funding from $1.3M to >$10M annually based on
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quality deliverables achieved in the 1 year;
 Managed program funds, including the administration of grants and contracts to local partners in
compliance with USG rules/regulations, achieving program deliverables on-time and within budget;
 Guided the Kenya Country Team in developing organizational assessments, analysis of gaps, and the
development and implementation of capacity development strategies for local partner organizations;
 Recruited, hired, and trained a staff of >40 who ultimately owned and managed the program, including
leadership development and staff mentoring;
 Improved quality and standardization of activities through development of capacity building strategies,
methodologies and technical standards, and related tools, training materials guidelines, and manuals;
 Oversaw the expansion of programs in Kenya and in other health programming world-wide, including
writing a proposal for successfully funded $35M program in Rwanda;
 Provided technical assistance that led to the successful start-up of CHF’s first health program in Rwanda.
Consultant – Public Health Specialist (part-time) 2002-2004
 Served as lead technical writer on a proposal that won multi-million $ funding for a Kenya program;
 Conducted detailed and comprehensive assessments of HIV/AIDS related activities in Ethiopia, Kenya and
Sudan, resulting in program designs aimed at addressing gaps in public health services;
 Planned and conducted an assessment of families living in a Nairobi slum and are impacted by HIV/AIDS;
 Provided an in-depth assessment of the nursing component of malaria research projects in Kenya.
 Participated in a 5-member assessment team charged with establishing an assistance program in Eritrea.
United States Peace Corps - Medical Officer & Health Programming Consultant 1994-2004
 Developed methodology, conducted assessments, and compiled in-depth reports with re-entry strategies for
consideration by Peace Corps/Washington;
 Implemented the start-up of Peace Corps programs in Eritrea and Mozambique;
 Delivered preventive & primary care to Peace Corps Volunteers in Eritrea, Kenya, Mozambique, & Uganda.
Education
Masters of Science in Nursing (Public Health Emphasis) - University of Phoenix
Bachelor of Science in Nursing - San Jose State University
Affiliations and Associations
 Certified Public Health Nurse, California
 Member of Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing
 Member of the International AIDS Society
Professional Development
 National Public Health Leadership Development Network 2011 Annual Conference
 Appreciative Inquiry Facilitator Training
 Leadership Development Program
 USAID Rules & Regulations Training
 Scenario Building in HIV, London School of Economics
 Evidence-Based Programming on HIV/AIDS in Resources Limited Settings, University of Toronto
Papers and Presentations
 Presenter at Unite for Sight International Health Conference, Stanford University School of Medicine, 2007.
 Presenter at the Global Health Conference, Washington DC, 2007

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Co-Author, Community Health Nursing: Promoting and Protecting the Public’s Health, 7 Edition, Chapter
11; Wolters Kluwer Health / Lippincott Williams & Wilkinson, 2009
 Co-Author, Rapid implementation of an integrated large-scale HIV counseling and testing, malaria, and
diarrhea prevention campaign in rural Kenya; PLoS ONE, 2010
Debra J. Millar; debramillar@rocketmail.com; 925-667-7595 Page 2 of 2