The National Hemophilia Foundation News

The National Hemophilia Foundation Appoints Advocacy Leader as New CEO

NEW YORK, July 21 PRNewswire — The National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) announced the appointment of Val D. Bias as its Chief Executive Officer.

As CEO, Mr. Bias will direct NHF's ongoing efforts to reorganize and unify the national chapter structure of 48 chapters and lead a community of individuals and their families, who are living with bleeding and clotting disorders. In the last decade, by serving in roles in Advocacy and Blood Safety and as a special government employee on the Food and Drug Administration's Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee (TSEAC), Bias has established a solid reputation as a true consensus builder, collaborator, and nationally trusted leader.

"Val Bias has a history of significant achievement with the National Hemophilia Foundation — from his service as NHF's Chairman of the Board in 1992, to his tenure as a consultant and advocate, with the culmination of the passage of the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998," said Ray Stanhope, current Chair of the Board of Directors for the NHF. The Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act was signed into law and resulted in compassionate payment of $750 million to persons with bleeding disorders and family members who were infected with HIV through the contaminated blood supply during the 1980's. "The Board believes that in addition to his professional accomplishments, Val's dedication and commitment to The National Hemophilia Foundation and the bleeding disorders community provides him with the tools to effectively lead this organization which is truly the guardian of our nation's blood supply," Stanhope continued.

Bringing a track record of achievement with broad and complex issues, Bias has ongoing relationships with key decision-makers in Executive and Legislative branches of federal government, and has long-standing working relationships with federal agencies such as The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and The Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"I am deeply honored not only to be the first African-American to hold this position, but the first individual affected by a bleeding disorder to have been appointed to lead this organization," said Bias. "I am focused on ensuring the effectiveness of this organization in this critical time for the United States bleeding disorders community. I sincerely hope to bring about greater awareness and encourage greater collaboration between the NHF and the World Federation of Hemophilia, and all they serve worldwide, and very much look forward to working with the incoming White House Administration to ensure the continued safety of our nation's blood supply, access to medical care and access to all available products for those living with bleeding disorders."

Formerly Bias was Executive Director, Hemophilia Council of California; CEO/Co-Founder, Compass Non-Profit Consulting Services; Consultant, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and Associate Executive Director, Berkley/Albany YMCA.

About the National Hemophilia Foundation

The National Hemophilia Foundation is dedicated to finding better treatments and cures for bleeding and clotting disorders and to preventing the complications of these disorders through education, advocacy and research.

SOURCE The National Hemophilia Foundation

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