Following significant growth at the Institute, Guttmacher is thrilled to announce changes to the senior research management team. Susheela Singh, who joined the Institute in 1985 and has led the division as Vice President for Research since 2004, has now been joined in leading the Research division by Lawrence B. Finer, who has been named Vice President for Domestic Research, effective August 1, 2016. Dr. Singh’s new title will be Vice President for International Research. Dr. Finer joined the Institute in 1998 and has served as Director of Domestic Research since 2006. Drs. Singh and Finer will maintain oversight of their respective geographical domains and will share responsibility for top-level oversight of research, strategic planning and project development within the division.
"I am thrilled to share the news of these changes to our senior research management team and to recognize the commitment, expertise, skills and insight of these wonderful colleagues," says Ann Starrs, President and CEO. "As the Institute expands both in scope and in size, these staffing changes will ensure that Guttmacher’s contributions to high-quality, policy-relevant research will only continue to grow."
On the international side, we are pleased to announce that Ann E. Biddlecom will be rejoining the Institute on August 15 to serve alongside Dr. Akinrinola Bankole as Director of International Research. Dr. Biddlecom served as a Senior Research Associate with the Institute from 2002 to 2009, and has since been Chief of the Fertility and Family Planning Section at the United Nations Population Division. We are pleased to have her and Dr. Bankole jointly oversee our expanding international research portfolio.
Finally, Kathryn Kost has been promoted from Principal Research Scientist to Director of Domestic Research, filling the role vacated by Dr. Finer’s promotion. Dr. Kost has worked for the Institute in a full-time or consulting capacity since 1989. In addition to her central role in the Institute’s domestic surveillance work on teen and unintended pregnancy, she has helped shape Guttmacher’s strategic planning process and contributed to strengthening the Research division’s management and supervisory capacity.
We are confident that these leadership additions will further strengthen an already stellar team. To learn more about our Research division’s leadership, please visit our staff page.