November 6, 2011

VSI welcomes Pamela M. Norick as new President and CEO

(ANAHEIM, CA) - The board of directors of Venture Strategies Innovations (VSI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Pamela M. Norick as President and CEO, effective November 1, 2011. Pam brings to VSI a dedication to improving the economic, social and health status of women and their families throughout the world and over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and government sectors.

For the past six years, Pam served as Executive Vice President, External Relations at the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), a nonprofit organization focused on accelerating the development of HIV prevention options for women worldwide. In this capacity, Pam led key strategic initiatives, including management of IPM’s board of directors and scientific advisory board. She was responsible for resource development, donor engagement and execution of the organization’s global external relations. Pam also oversaw multimillion-dollar annual budgets and managed staff across the U.S., Europe and Africa.  

Pam’s previous work includes managing a consultant group working on behalf of nongovernmental organizations focused on global health and development, and service as a legislative advisor for nearly ten years in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. While in Congress specializing in national security, foreign aid and foreign policy, and throughout her career, Pam has routinely managed negotiations with government leaders and representatives, UN agencies and donor organizations. She has worked and traveled extensively in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and Asia.

A former Peace Corps volunteer in central Africa, Pam holds a master of arts in international relations and communications from American University’s School of International Service and a bachelor of arts in literature from the University of Washington.

“We are thrilled that Pam Norick has decided to join our VSI team. She shares our vision and has a longstanding commitment to improving the health of women around the world,” said VSI Board Chairman Dr. Nap Hosang. “I fully expect that our partners and members of the VSI family will enjoy getting to know Pam as much as we have during the search. With our new leadership in place, VSI is ready to get on with the serious business of bringing life-saving solutions to hundreds of thousands of women who live in the faraway places where the need is greatest.”

VSI’s outgoing President and CEO, Melodie Holden, announced her resignation in April 2011. Under Melodie’s leadership, VSI brought life-saving health programs to women, health care providers and communities in 15 countries in Africa and Asia. The board of directors and staff of VSI are grateful to Melodie for her leadership and extensive contributions to the organization’s development and the field of maternal mortality mitigation during her tenure.

READ Pam's full bio.