Americares Announces New Emergency Programs Directors

Stamford, Conn. – Aug. 18, 2022 – Americares, the health-focused relief and development organization, today announced two new additions to its Emergency Programs team to support its disaster response and recovery work. Cora Nally has joined Americares as director of international emergency response and Mariel Fonteyn has been promoted to director of U.S. emergency response.

“Cora and Mariel have been on the frontlines of dozens of emergencies both here in the U.S., and around the world, and the breadth of experience they bring will be instrumental in advancing and strengthening Americares comprehensive emergency programs portfolio,” said Americares President and CEO Christine Squires. “We are thrilled to have these two industry experts leading the team.”

As director of international emergency response, Cora Nally leads responses to earthquakes, floods, cyclones and other sudden-onset international crises. She is responsible for coordinating large-scale international deliveries of medicines and relief supplies, deploying and managing emergency response field teams and restoring health services for disaster-affected communities.

An international public health expert, Nally brings to Americares more than 15 years of experience in global health. She first joined Americares in 2019 as the organization’s Hurricane Dorian emergency response team leader, where she oversaw Americares relief efforts in the Bahamas. In this role, she was responsible for managing Americares emergency response experts as well as a medical team providing primary care and mental health and psychosocial support services to Hurricane Dorian survivors. At the same time, Nally coordinated relief shipments and worked to restore access to care for survivors in the hardest-hit communities, including Abaco and Grand Bahama islands. Prior to re-joining Americares, Nally served as country director for Project HOPE’s Hurricane Dorian response in the Bahamas, where she led all aspects of the organization’s relief and recovery efforts.

Nally’s global health work has also taken her to Russia, where she provided health education to immigrant communities, Malawi, where she created a health and child development curriculum training and assessment for 125 orphanage care givers, and Sierra Leone, where she trained and equipped a community-based workforce during the height of the Ebola crisis while working with Partners in Health. She earned a master’s degree in public health from AT Still University, a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Washington State University and is a current PhD candidate at Ghent University in Belgium, studying public health and health systems. Nally has lived and worked in eight countries on four continents, including seven years in Sub-Saharan Africa and four years in Eastern Europe. She currently resides in Washington, D.C.

“When families have been struck by a sudden disaster, their entire world shatters and must be rebuilt again. I am proud to be part of an organization that provides life saving care and improves the lives of disaster survivors so they can reach their full potential and rebuild their lives again,” said Nally.

As Americares director of U.S. emergency response, Mariel Fonteyn, leads responses to hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other sudden-onset disasters in the United States. In her new role, Fonteyn is responsible for coordinating large-scale deliveries of medicines and supplies to Americares partners across the country, deploying and managing emergency response field teams and restoring health services for disaster-affected communities. She currently resides in northern California.

Fonteyn began her work with Americares in 2018, when she joined as an emergency preparedness specialist. In this role, she was responsible for developing and implementing disaster preparedness programs that provided health centers around the world with the tools to better prepare for future emergencies and continue to operate despite power outages, facility damages and other post-disaster obstacles. She was then promoted to associate director of emergency preparedness, where she worked on the launch of the Climate Resilience for Frontline Clinics project—a groundbreaking, multi-year effort to help community health centers and free clinics protect low-income and uninsured patients from the health threats posed by heatwaves, wildfires and hurricanes. During her tenure with Americares, she has also been on the frontlines of dozens of emergencies including Hurricanes Florence and Michael in 2018 and Hurricane Laura in 2020. Fonteyn has also supported Americares global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to joining Americares, Fonteyn served as a project coordinator for the nonprofit organization All Hands and Hearts in Texas, where she provided technical assistance on Hurricane Harvey cleanup sites. She also served as a team leader for All Hands and Hearts’ response to the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal, where she supervised relief teams tasked with rebuilding two schools destroyed in the disaster. Prior to that, Fonteyn worked as an emergency planner for the State of Alaska’s Department of Health and Social Services, where she was responsible for developing emergency response plans and preparedness trainings for community leadership as well as establishing and maintaining partnerships with other local, state and federal response agencies. Fonteyn also served as an emergency management specialist for the State of Alaska’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, where she worked as a program manager for Alaska’s Intrastate Mutual Aid System. She earned a master’s degree in international development from the Brussels School of International Studies and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

“I am thrilled to be leading Americares emergency response work in the United States and look forward to helping families get back on their feet after experiencing some of the worst days of their lives,” said Fonteyn.

Americares has professional relief workers ready to respond to disasters at a moment’s notice and stocks emergency medicine and supplies in its warehouses in the U.S., Europe and India that can be delivered quickly in times of crisis. The organization responds to more than 30 natural disasters and humanitarian crises worldwide each year, establishes long-term recovery projects and brings preparedness programs to communities vulnerable to disasters. Since its founding more than 40 years ago, Americares has provided more than $20 billion in aid to 164 countries, including the United States.