Director, Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact, USAID

Wendy Taylor is focused on identifying market-based solutions to address diseases and conditions of poverty in the developing world. Currently at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), she established and leads a center of excellence to accelerate the development, introduction and scale-up of priority global health interventions. The Center for Accelerating Innovation and Impact promotes and reinforces innovative, business-minded approaches and solutions to accelerate impact against some of the world’s most important health challenges.

Prior to her appointment at USAID, she was the Senior Vice President for Global Advocacy at Malaria No More. In 2004, she founded Bio Ventures for Global Health (BVGH), a non-profit working to engage the biopharmaceutical industry to develop medicines for diseases of the developing world. Previously she served as Director of Regulatory Affairs and Bioethics for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) where she negotiated the third reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) on behalf of the biotech industry and developed the organization’s first global health program.

Wendy has extensive experience in the executive and legislative branches of the US government, including the Office of Management and Budget, where she oversaw FDA regulatory activities, and the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means. Wendy received a Master of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a B.A. from Duke University. She serves on the North American Board of Medicines for Malaria Ventures.