Americares Names New Board Chair

Stamford, Conn. – July 12, 2022 – Americares, the health-focused relief and development organization, is pleased to announce that Mastercard Executive Vice President Susan Grossman has been elected chair of its Board of Directors. She succeeds Jerry Leamon, who has served as chairman of the Americares board since 2015. Her three-year term began July 1.

“Susan has been an active Americares supporter for many years and a board member for the past three, working tirelessly to raise awareness around our health programs and traveling with us to see that work firsthand,” said Americares President and CEO Christine Squires. “We are thrilled to have her take on this leadership role as we continue to build on the tremendous work Jerry led over the past seven years to save lives and improve health for people affected by poverty and disaster.”

The Americares Board of Directors oversees all aspects of the organization’s life-changing health programs, including its disaster response work and support for 4,000 under-resourced hospitals and health clinics worldwide.

“It has been an honor to serve as the organization’s board chair and a great privilege to get to know and work with such a dedicated and talented group of individuals improving health in communities around the world,” Leamon said. “I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together and look forward to seeing Americares reach even greater levels of success under Susan’s direction.”

Grossman, a Ridgewood, N.J., resident, has served on the Americares board since 2019. She brings wide-ranging leadership experience in the retail and technology sectors, having held several senior management roles in data analytics, marketing and business strategy. In her current role as executive vice president of marketing services at Mastercard, Grossman is responsible for developing innovative solutions that address customer needs and drive engagement. Previously, she served as executive vice president of retail and commerce for Mastercard Advisors, where she was responsible for helping retail, travel and other customers improve ROI by enabling greater insight into audiences, engagement and sales performance. Prior to joining Mastercard in 2011, Grossman worked as senior vice president of analytics solutions for Symphony IRI Group, where she was responsible for the design, development, sales and implementation of software-based analytics solutions.

“I am delighted and honored to serve as the next board chair of this world-class organization,” Grossman said. “I’ve had the opportunity to travel with Americares to see their life-changing health programs for people affected by poverty or disaster firsthand and have seen the importance their work makes in people’s lives every day. I look forward to helping the organization continue to grow to ensure even more families have access to quality health care.” 

A leader in the humanitarian sector, Americares is one of Forbes Top 100 Charities and has earned six-consecutive 4-star ratings—the highest possible—from Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator, for its strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency.

Americares helps communities prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters; increase access, availability, affordability and acceptability of medicine and medical supplies; improve and expand clinical services; and prevent disease and promote good health. Since its founding more than 40 years ago, Americares has provided more than $20 billion in aid to 164 countries, including the United States.  

Grossman holds a Master of Business Administration in marketing from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in communications from Boston College.