Cleo Stern

Global public health, international development, and program management professional. Experienced working in the fight against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), supporting elimination and control programs across six countries and two projects in West Africa. Earned master's degrees from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the University of Texas School of Public Health. 

8+ years experience in program development, evaluation and management, policy research and analysis, community outreach, partnership building, and communications. I have experience working, studying, and traveling (45 countries and counting) in Latin America, West and East Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

Helen Keller International, New York                      10/2018 – 03/2025 

Program Manager, Integrated Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (03/2023 - 03/2025) 

Led full-cycle program execution in Mali and Sierra Leone, overseeing $1.5–2.5 million annual budgets per country and coordinating with five cross-functional partners to deliver complex health initiatives. 

Secured a $4 million multi-year program renewal in Niger by leading proposal strategy, financial modeling, and performance documentation with the Niger Ministry of Health, the Carter Center, and in collaboration with the International Trachoma Initiative.  

Managed program operations totaling $5 million+ annually, overseeing supply chain logistics, ensuring delivery continuity across nationwide project sites despite political unrest, health crises, and natural disasters. 

Drove annual strategy planning, aligning goals, KPIs, and budgets across three countries and stakeholders to meet critical health targets. 

Built and managed public-private partnerships to support national health achievements, including Mali’s trachoma elimination milestone. Led strategic engagements in Mali and New York ensuring engagement with stakeholders (government, implementing partners, and WHO) and media. 

Program Officer, Integrated Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (03/2020 – 02/2023) 

Served as country program lead for Mali, overseeing program delivery, performance tracking, and financial oversight across initiatives totaling $3-4M, while coordinating operations in collaboration with technical and financial teams and implementing partners, donors, and ministries of health. 

Led successful development of a $5 million, three-year program renewal, aligning strategy, metrics, and outcomes to secure continued investment. 

Supported regional implementation and evaluation of health initiatives in Mali and Niger, contributing to planning, budgeting, and operational coordination with ministries of health, donors, and three implementing partner stakeholders. 

Designed and delivered training tools, onboarding resources, webinars, and internal communications to build team capacity and standardize delivery across programs in eight countries. 

Facilitated thought leadership and knowledge sharing by supporting global conference participation, producing scientific presentations, and managing a biweekly learning community with outreach to 250+ stakeholders. 

Program Associate, Integrated Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (10/2018 – 03/2020) 

Supported execution of multi-country programs funded by major foundations and public-sector partners, coordinating operations across six country teams and HQ staff. 

Contributed to the successful renewal of a $5 million multi-year initiative by supporting proposal development, documentation, and performance reporting. 

Managed key program processes including monthly reporting, procurement tracking, international travel coordination, and event logistics across global teams. 

Collaborated on 10–15 conference submissions annually, co-developing presentations and supporting organizational visibility at high-profile global health forums. 

Managed NTD Community of Practice, disseminating key updates across programs and latest research to 250+ members.  

Meridian Group International Inc., Washington, D.C.        05/2018 – 08/2018 

Intern on RAISE HEALTH/Evidence Project  

Researched and authored a policy brief on employee health and workplace practices, informing corporate strategies to improve access to reproductive and preventive health services. 

Identified and tracked 20 opportunities to strengthen women’s health in the workplace, drafting policy proposals for adoption by standards-setting organizations and industry stakeholders. 

The Office of Texas State Representative Nicole Collier, Austin, TX             01/2017 – 05/2017 

Public Health Intern 

Conducted policy analysis and background research on public health issues, producing briefing materials and executive summaries to support decision-making by the State Representative. 

Managed external communications and stakeholder engagement, fielding inquiries and coordinating outreach to community partners and health organizations. 

Humanitarian OpenStreetMap, Kampala, Uganda Summer 2016  

AidData Summer Fellowship  

Delivered training to 140+ individuals on open-source GIS and data tools, building local capacity for geospatial data collection and application. 

Co-led the design and execution of a 60+ participant hackathon, generating data-driven solutions to address infrastructure and community planning challenges. 

Facilitated cross-sector collaboration between public agencies and academic networks, conducting stakeholder field research to inform the design of a community mapping initiative. 

Represented the organization at a national symposium, cultivating partnerships and promoting the use of open-source technology to support public health and infrastructure goals. 

The University of Texas at Austin - Master of Global Policy Studies / Master of Public Health

State University of New York at New Paltz - Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Minor in Sociology