As the Bay Area Global Health Alliance becomes the Alliance for Innovation in Global Health, Executive Director Sara Anderson reflects on the Alliance’s evolution—and shares news of her own transition at the end of 2026.

Dear Alliance Members and Friends,

I’m excited to share two important transitions that mark a new chapter for the Alliance.

First, we have changed our name. The Bay Area Global Health Alliance has become the Alliance for Innovation in Global Health.

In many ways, the new name catches up with an evolution that began almost from the start. The Alliance launched with 16 founding organizations and a vision for connecting the extraordinary global health community here in the Bay Area. Two months after we formally launched in January 2020, the pandemic changed our course—and our definition of community. Moving online unexpectedly opened our doors much wider. Geography mattered less, our community became more global, and we began to see differently what the Alliance could become. Then the upheaval in global health funding in 2025 reinforced something else: how much organizations need trusted relationships, community, and perspectives beyond their usual circles to navigate change and find new ways forward, especially with fewer resources.

Today, we are a global, cross-sector network of more than 110 organizations, with a distinctive concentration of technology, private sector, and LMIC-based members that enables us to bridge communities that rarely work together. Fewer than 25 percent of our members are now based in the Bay Area—a remarkable evolution from where we began. At a moment of extraordinary change in global health, we believe our role in helping organizations navigate complexity, build relationships across sectors, and accomplish more together is more important than ever.

Our Bay Area roots and ethos remain an important part of who we are, and our headquarters will remain in Silicon Valley. We will also continue to convene our community in person here in the Bay Area and at global conferences, while using virtual connections to bring in members and perspectives from around the world. But Alliance for Innovation in Global Health better reflects the community we have become and the role we hope to play going forward.

Which brings me to the second transition. After nearly seven extraordinary years as the Alliance’s first Executive Director, I will be stepping down at the end of this year. This has been a thoughtful decision and, for me, a very positive one. I am enormously proud of what we have built together, and especially of the community that has grown around the Alliance through some remarkably challenging years for global health. I am deeply grateful to the many people and organizations who have contributed their time, ideas, expertise, and trust along the way.

The organization is strong, its role is clearer than ever, and this feels like the right moment for new leadership to take the Alliance into its next stage of growth and influence. A formal search for the next Executive Director has begun. We are looking for an exceptional leader who can build on this foundation while bringing their own vision and energy to the Alliance’s next chapter. If someone comes to mind who you think would be particularly good for this role, I hope you’ll reach out to EDSearch@aigh.org and the job description is here.

While I will be stepping down as Executive Director, I’m not stepping away from the Alliance. I expect to remain involved in 2027 as an advisor and consultant, supporting the new Executive Director and the Alliance’s next chapter. More on that as our plans take shape.

Looking ahead to this fall, we have a busy calendar of events, and I hope I will see many of you in person or virtually. I have so appreciated your engagement with the Alliance over the years and hope you will be as excited as I am about what comes next.

Warmly,

Sara Anderson
Executive Director
Alliance for Innovation in Global Health