1,000 Days Announces Interim Executive Director
Contact: Blythe Thomas, blythe@thousanddays.org
202-969-4125
Lucy Martinez-Sullivan leaves to run Feed the Truth
September 17, 2019 (WASHINGTON DC) – 1,000 Days’ Board of Directors announced today that Executive Director Lucy Martinez Sullivan is stepping down from her position to become the Executive Director at nonprofit Feed the Truth. The Board appointed Kathryn Stephens to serve as Interim Executive Director as it prepares for the search for a permanent replacement for Ms. Sullivan.
“I’m so proud of all that 1,000 Days has accomplished under Lucy’s leadership. She was the driving force behind the creation of 1,000 Days and grew the organization into a leading advocacy voice to ensure mothers and babies in the U.S. and across the globe have the nutrition they need to thrive. Thanks to Lucy and the team that she built, 1,000 Days is poised to deliver even greater impact and I look forward to the next phase in the organization’s growth,” said Board President and Chair Dr. Cindy Huang, who is also the vice president of strategic outreach at Refugees International.
Ms. Sullivan helped found 1,000 Days and was the organization’s first executive director. She also currently serves as the co-chair of the Global Nutrition Report, the world’s foremost publication on the state of nutrition. Prior to starting 1,000 Days, Ms. Sullivan worked in philanthropic consulting for CCS, where she led strategy engagements for clients such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the UN Foundation. She began her career in finance working for Merrill Lynch and later joined L’Oréal as marketing director for some of the company’s best-known global brands.
Ms. Stephens is a seasoned executive and business management professional with more than 20 years of non-profit management experience. In her role as an interim executive, she draws on her expertise in organizational development, business strategy, financial management, executive coaching, capacity building and systems development. In addition, Dr. Nicholas Alipui who serves on 1,000 Days’ Board and has decades of experience working on behalf of the world’s most vulnerable women and children at UNICEF will become even more engaged as an advisor on the organization’s global advocacy work.
“Having served as an Executive Director and in more than a dozen interim executive roles, Kathryn has a proven track record of success in managing leadership transitions for mission-driven organizations. The Board is confident that Kathryn can steward 1,000 Days so that it can continue to advance its ambitious policy and advocacy agenda on behalf of women and children everywhere,” added Dr. Huang.
About 1,000 Days
1,000 Days leads the fight to give mothers and babies in the U.S. and around the world the nutrition they need to thrive. We work with global leaders and grassroots communities of parents to make the 1,000 days between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s 2nd birthday a window of opportunity to build healthier, brighter futures. For more information, please visit www.ThousandDays.org and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.