Left to Right: Dan Conley, Board Chairman and Acting Executive Director - Fortify; H.E. Toyin Ojora Saraki, Founder & President-Wellbeing Foundation Africa; Nancy K. Martin, Founder and Past CEO– Fortify, Bryan Pearson, African Liaison Officer and Board Member – Fortify
OUR STORY
Founded in 2012, Fortify incorporated after incubation in the prestigious Social New Venture Competition at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
The impetus for starting Fortify came after the organization’s founder and Past CEO, Nancy K. Martin, conducted research as a graduate student at the University of Chicago’s Harris school of Public Policy. She analyzed data on the variables affecting maternal health in developing regions of the world and the existing interventions. The research revealed four important facts: 1) Iron deficiency anemia is the largest public health disorder in the world 2) More women die from causes related to iron deficiency anemia during childbirth than any other cause 3) Existing fortified foods, primarily flours and cooking oil, rarely reached the most malnourished living in rural areas, and 4) Humanitarian nutritional interventions were targeted at children, not women.
In January 2012, Ms. Martin assembled a team of business and policy graduate students to work with her and to compete in Chicago Booth’s Social New Venture Challenge. The FeMME team won seed funding and an invitation to participate in the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurships Accelerator Program. Later that year FeMME became Fortify, a 501(c)(3). In 2014, Fortify was selected as a semifinalist in the Ashoka Changemakers Nutrients for All Competition. In 2016, Ms. Martin was selected to participate in the 7th Annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) hosted by President Obama. In 2019, Ms. Martin was invited to participate in a high-level meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, to define joint actions between government and business to transform the landscape for food and nutrition in advance of the 2020 Global Nutrition Summit in Japan.
Board ofDirectors
Chairman of the Board & acting executive director
Dan Conley
Dan Conley is the founder and president of Beacon Communications, a globally recognized business-to-business public relations and marketing firm that has helped clients secure measurable influence within their industries by positioning them as thought and method leaders. Over the course of his career, he has directed the development and placement of more than 5,000 executive bylined articles and other thought leadership content across leading trade, professional, business, association, and government publications—resulting in sustained visibility for clients in high-impact industry forums and decision-maker channels. His work has enabled organizations to consistently reach senior executives, policymakers, and association leaders through targeted editorial platforms and speaking opportunities.
In addition to leading large-scale thought leadership campaigns, Dan has built and facilitated high-value and durable strategic partnerships that have produced tangible cross-sector outcomes. He has brought together corporations, government agencies, NGOs, trade associations, nonprofits, professional societies, and academic institutions to co-develop initiatives that advance shared policy, industry, and market objectives.
Dan has also held leadership roles in civic and nonprofit organizations, including service on the National Governing Board of Common Cause and as Board Chair of Common Cause Illinois, where he has helped guide governance and organizational strategy. Other board service includes Goodwill Industries, The Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy, Omnia Institute, and ParentTeach Institute. He has lead major industry initiatives with organizations such as The American Hospital Association, American Health Information Management Association, and the American Council on Germany. Dan also mentors students at the University of Michigan, Vanderbilt University, and Harvard University, helping connect these emerging leaders with internships, fellowships, and professional networks that lead to career opportunities.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan.
Treasurer
Michael Walsh
Michael is the Founder & Managing Partner of Kilkenny Capital Management, L.L.C. (KCM), a firm that invests in publicly traded biomedical technology companies. Prior to founding Kilkenny, he was a Vice President and Senior Biotechnology Research Analyst with Robertson Stephens & Company, where he was instrumental in raising capital for emerging biotechnology companies. Additional experience includes Director of Corporate Development at Dionex Corporation and Financial Analyst in the Corporate Finance Department at Drexel Burnham Lambert. Michael has a long history of with not-for-profit endeavors including serving as a previous chair of the Grants Committee for Friend of Prentice Hospital in Chicago. Michael earned an A.B., cum laude, in Chemistry from Harvard College and an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School.
Board Secretary
Madhu Karamsetty
Madhu’s expertise includes healthcare consulting, business operations management and Madhu’s expertise includes both healthcare consulting and commercial business strategy and operations management. Currently she is the Senior Business Operations and Strategy Manager at Carrum Health, an innovative value-based healthcare company. Previous roles include Senior Associate, Kaufman Hall & Associates, LLC a leading healthcare advisory firm and Chief of Staff to the CFO of Bon Secours Health Systems. She has also held research roles at the University of Maryland Medical Center and UT Southwestern Medical School. Madhu earned a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Neuroscience and Management of Aging Services and a Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
African Liaison Officer
Bryan Pearson
Raised in Nigeria and educated in the U.K, Bryan has spent his life working around the African continent. Bryan’s career includes having been the publisher of Africa Health journal for more than 40 years before transitioning it to a Ugandan NGO in 2018. Currently, Bryan holds numerous business and philanthropic positions; he is the Managing Director of Africa Confidential, a leading political and economic analysis subscription-based newsletter and is the Managing Director at FSG Africa Ltd consulting company. In addition to being on the Fortify Board he serves on the board of Penplusbytes, a Ghana based GNO specializing in governance initiatives and training of journalists across the African continent. He serves as the Board Chairman of Dream Big Ghana Foundation which provides EcoSan compost toilets, training in renewable energy opportunities and conservation activities. Bryan is a trustee of the Blood Care Foundation, a rapid delivery service of screened blood and is a member of the Steering Group of the Health Workers for All Coalition (HW4AC). Additionally, Bryan farms mango, pineapple, and coconut in Ghana’s Volta Region and is developing a standalone (hybrid solar/biomass) fruit dryer that will enable small farmers to participate directly in the fruit value chain. Bryan attended Birmingham City University and earned a degree in Communication Studies.
Board Member
James W. Blake
James (Jim) is a nationally recognized leader with a demonstrated history of working in the healthcare industry as a trusted advisor to many of the largest most sophisticated health companies. He has extensive experience in consulting, mergers & acquisitions, data science, and investment banking. Jim is the Managing Director at Kaufman Hall & Associates, LLC a US-based leading healthcare advisory firm. Jim is also a frequent speaker and author in the healthcare industry. Jim earned his A.B. from Harvard University in Mathematics.