Virginia Ladd is a Founding Board Member and the President of the Global Orphan Assistance Foundation - someone who has spent a lifetime believing that when you educate a poor child, you educate generations to come

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Professionally, Virginia is the Founder, Past President Emeritus, and Advisor to the President of the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, which she established to advance research, education, awareness, and advocacy for autoimmune diseases. A lifelong patient advocate and educator, she brings more than 40 years of nonprofit leadership, coalition-building, and advocacy experience to the GOAF board.

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Virginia's dedication to improving lives through service continues to guide her work in both humanitarian and health-related causes

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Janet McUlsky serves as Chairman of the Board of the Global Orphan Assistance Foundation. Throughout her career, she has built bridges between organizations and communities - and GOAF is where she puts that passion to work for children who need it most.

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Professionally, Janet is a recognized leader in stakeholder alliance development and strategic communications. During her nearly 20-year career at Pfizer, she built partnerships with nonprofit patient advocacy organizations and led initiatives that strengthened collaboration across the healthcare community.

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Janet brings expertise in relationship-building, nonprofit leadership, strategic partnerships, and advocacy to the GOAF board. She also serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations and is a dedicated champion of GOAF's mission.

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Regina Kamoga is a community leader in Uganda and GOAF's partner on the ground from the earliest days, helping transform a vision into a program that has changed the lives of hundreds of children.

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Professionally, Regina is a Global Patient Safety Advocate and health and community management consultant with over 20 years of experience designing and managing health programs focused on improving the lives of patients, families, and communities in emerging economies. She brings deep expertise in civil society organizations, health literacy, and community engagement to the GOAF team.

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Regina is among the eight women named as AMR Trailblazers in 2025, selected under the inaugural Female Trailblazers in AMR program - a global initiative by the Fleming Initiative and CSIRO recognizing women leaders driving transformative action against antimicrobial resistance.

Nona Bear serves as a Board Member of the Global Orphan Assistance Foundation. She has spent more than 30 years giving voice to communities that are too often overlooked - and brings that same fierce advocacy to every child GOAF serves.

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With more than 30 years of experience in advocacy, communications, and alliance development, Nona has worked to advance the interests of patient communities, older adults, veterans, and other underserved populations.

 

Nona brings expertise in coalition-building, community engagement, and strategic communications to the GOAF board.​​​

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Lena Zakharenko serves as a Board Member at the Global Orphan Assistance Foundation, supporting its operations and internal workings. Having lived and worked across different countries, she understands how much opportunity can vary depending on where a child is born - and believes no child's future should be determined by circumstance.

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Professionally, Lena brings over 15 years of experience in operations and mid-level management, having built her career across Russia and the United States - a path that gave her a naturally global outlook.

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Lena contributes expertise in operational efficiency and project management to the GOAF board, keeping the behind-the-scenes work running without a hitch.​​​​

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