Meet Teresa Hillis - Director, 30/30 Project

A note from Kelsey Birnbaum, Executive Director, Construction for Change:

Last year, we were overwhelmed by the support shown for the 30/30 Project.  It was clear to us that Julie’s story had created a movement, bringing renewed levels of awareness and commitment to the idea that healthcare is a human right.  In fact, support was so strong, that earlier this year we decided to add a Director of the 30/30 Project to our leadership team, ensuring the highest possible levels of impact for the 30/30 Project for years to come.  Enter, Teresa…

Teresa Hillis joined CfC as the summer wound down, after nearly ten years of professional non-profit experience.  Most recently, she was working with the senior leadership and project management teams at Swedish Health Services.  Prior to that, Teresa was part of the government relations and advocacy team at International Justice Mission, after which she worked in Pretoria, South Africa as a project manager for the Tshwane Leadership Foundation. Teresa has long been an advocate for providing healthcare to under-resourced communities around the world and believes that sustainable infrastructure can impact the health of a community for years to come.

We believe that her passion for human rights, healthcare equality, and poverty alleviation, all have led to her this point, to joining the CfC team.  But don’t take it from me…

As a long time supporter of CfC it is such a privilege to be officially onboard and working with our incredible team. As some of you may know, the 30/30 Project was started by my mom, Julie Lewis, and our family as a means of giving back in celebration of the 30 years that she has been living HIV+. Our goal is to build 30 medical facilities in communities that don’t currently have access to healthcare, particularly communities that are heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS. 

I have been involved and supportive of 30/30 from the beginning but it is a dream come true for me to be spending my working hours on this project that is so dear to me personally and an incredible opportunity professionally. Through my studies and professional experience I have seen first hand the difference that infrastructure can make in the lives of people who don’t have access to healthcare or education. It is an honor to join CfC as the new Director for the 30/30 Project and be able to participate in this important work every day. Our hope is that my efforts will be able to free up my mom, our founder, to spend more time telling her story at speaking engagements, engaging with our supporters, and participating in the global health conversation.

Please join us in welcoming Teresa to the team!