Chief Development Officer, Carter Center
As Chief Development Officer for Peace, Health, and Education Programs at The Carter Center, Ms. Kruse directs the development activities for the Center’s health, peace, and education programs, which include international efforts to eradicate disease, promote peace and democracy via election observations and access to information, and educate the public and policymakers about important mental health issues. Ms. Kruse works with foundations, corporations, foreign governments, and multilateral institutions that support the Center’s health, peace, and education efforts.
Before joining the Center, Ms. Kruse directed the corporate and foundation relations program at the CDC Foundation, associated with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in Atlanta, Georgia. At the Foundation, Ms. Kruse facilitated public-private partnerships, raised awareness in the private sector of the work of CDC, and secured financial support for public health programs. She also has prior professional experience in higher education and international trade, and managed two national nonprofit organizations based in Washington, D.C.
Ms. Kruse received an M.S. in International Affairs from the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, a Graduate Certificate in International Management from the School of Management at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a B.A. in Economics and French from Hollins College. She has studied in Paris, France, has traveled abroad extensively, and is active in community and professional organizations. Currently, she serves on the International Advisory Board of the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2012, Kruse was awarded the French National Order of Merit with the rank of Knight (Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite) for her impact on the francophone community.