Biography
Poul Olson, MS, is director of communications & development at the Atlanta-based Task Force for Global Health. As a member of the senior leadership team, Poul leads institutional communications and fundraising. He also serves as a strategic advisor to the president and chief executive officer and supports the development of new programs.
The Task Force for Global Health addresses large-scale health issues primarily affecting people living in poverty. Its eight programs focus on controlling and eliminating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), increasing access to vaccines, and strengthening health systems. Among other activities, The Task Force manages in-kind donations of medicines worth billions of dollars annually and drives a robust operational research portfolio in NTDs. In 2016, The Task Force received the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize – the world's largest humanitarian award – in recognition of its extraordinary contributions to alleviating human suffering.
Poul has more than 20 years of broad-based communications experience in global health, public health, and higher education. Before joining The Task Force, Poul was a vice president at Ogilvy Public Relations where he provided senior-level policy communications support to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on an initiative to reduce obesity prevalence and tobacco use in the United States.
Poul has held senior-level and manager roles for a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project in Ethiopia to improve maternal and newborn survival, and ICAP Columbia University, the largest implementing partner of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. In the latter role, he managed global communications activities and supported ICAP teams in 10 African countries.
Poul holds a master of science in strategic communications from Columbia University.