Jude Nwokike, Vice President, USP, Director of the PQM+ Program
Jude Nwokike, PhD, MSc, MPH is Vice President at USP and Director of the PQM+ Program with over 20 years of experience in strengthening medical products regulation and quality assurance systems. Prior to his current role, he served as director of the predecessor Promoting the Quality of Medicines program. Before joining USP, Dr. Nwokike was the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) liaison working with the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research on the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) antiretroviral drugs program. Prior to the FDA, he worked with USAID-funded programs at Management Sciences for Health (MSH). Earlier in his career, he worked with Pfizer for nearly 10 years and served as principal pharmacist for the Government of Botswana.
Dr. Nwokike has doctoral and postgraduate degrees in pharmaceutical sciences and public health and a pharmacist. He has served on international expert advisory and review committees, professional scientific associations, and international technical working groups. Dr. Nwokike chairs the World Health Organization’s Global Steering Group for the Coalition of Interested Parties (CIP) Network for regulatory systems strengthening and is the recipient of the 2020 IPS Medal Award which is awarded by the Industrial Pharmacy Section of the International Pharmaceutical Federation, FIP.
Beth Yeager Deputy Director, PQM+ program
Ms. Yeager has more than 25 years of experience in the design, implementation, and monitoring of public health programs, as well as in qualitative and quantitative methodologies for public health research, including for maternal and child health, reproductive health, infectious diseases, behavior change interventions to improve medicine use, and nutrition. Prior to joining USP, she worked with USAID-funded programs at Chemonics International and MSH. Ms. Yeager has served on technical resource teams created under the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children and is the former chair of the Maternal Health Supplies Caucus, Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition. Ms. Yeager holds a master’s degree in international health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Souly Phanouvong, Technical Director
Dr. Phanouvong has over 35 years of experience in medicines policies and regulations, quality assurance and quality control, product registration, regulatory inspections, licensing, market surveillance and control, and regulatory information management. Prior to joining USP, he worked in various capacities for different organizations, including the WHO, and in different countries, including Hungary, Laos, Australia, and Singapore. His expertise includes substandard and falsified medical products, supply chain security, regional harmonization, and risk-based regulatory practices. He holds a doctor of pharmacy and two PhD degrees from Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, and Latrobe University in Melbourne, Australia.
Leslie Rider-Araki, Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)
Ms. Rider-Araki has more than 25 years of experience planning and implementing MEL plans, studies, surveys, and development projects in health systems and service delivery, food security, and nutrition for USAID-funded and other programs, including the Global Health Supply Chain-Procurement and Supply Management contract and the Feed the Future FEEDBACK project. Ms. Rider-Araki is currently with the Panagora Group, a PQM+ core partner. Previously, at Westat, she helped diversify the company’s international health research and survey portfolio and, at Chemonics, helped build their international health practice. Ms. Rider-Araki holds a master’s degree in international development from Columbia University.
Sameh Saleeb, Director of Technical Operations and Continuous Improvement
Mr. Saleeb is a physician with more than 25 years of experience supporting USAID-funded programs, including those for maternal and child health, reproductive health, infectious disease, hospital reforms, and pharmaceutical systems strengthening. Prior to joining USP, he held senior positions with Management Sciences for Health and Chemonics International. Mr. Saleeb also supported Egypt's Ministry of Health in pioneering a hospital reform initiative and establishing quality operating systems. He obtained his medical degree from the University of Alexandria, Egypt, and his master’s degree in public health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In addition to English, Mr. Saleeb is fluent in Arabic, French, and English.
Michael Hammes, Director of Finance and Operations
Mr. Hammes has more than 25 years of experience in financial and operational management with USAID and other donor-funded global programs. His expertise includes strategic resource management and operational and financial oversight of large, complex global health programs as well as ensuring compliance with financial, accounting, and contractual donor requirements. Prior to joining PQM+, Mr. Hammes worked at John Snow Inc. and MSH on several USAID-funded global programs, including AIDSFree, AIDSTAR-One, and AIDSTAR-Two. Mr. Hammes holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.
Zlatka Kostova Lenard, Director of Vaccines
Dr. Kostova Lenard has more than 25 years of experience in scientific research, analytical development, and quality testing of vaccines and monoclonal antibody products. Prior to joining USP, she held senior positions at General Dynamics Information Technology’s DynPort Vaccine Company and BioFactura. She also served at the U.S. Embassy in India and as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Stuttgart and National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Kostova Lenard holds a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology and genetics from Bogazici University, Istanbul, a master’s degree in genetic counseling from the University of Maryland, and a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Archil Salakaia, Director of Technical Core Programs
Mr. Salakaia has more than 20 years of experience in public health, including programmatic and pharmaceutical management of tuberculosis, pharmaceutical systems strengthening, and public health program management. Prior to joining USP, he worked at Management Sciences for Health (MSH) for USAID-funded programs in various technical and management positions and as Director of the National Center for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Tiblisi, Georgia. He obtained his medical degree from the Tbilisi State Medical University, and his master’s degree in public health from the Netherlands School of Public Health and Care Research.
