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Tag: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

  • Brian King Joins Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

    Brian King Joins Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

    Yesterday (May 1), the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids today named Brian King as Executive Vice President for U.S. Programs to lead the organization’s work at the federal, state and local levels. Last month King was forced out of his role as the director of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP).

    “Brian King is extraordinarily qualified to lead our U.S. programs at this critical time.,” said Yolonda C. Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “Brian has dedicated his career to advancing science-based policies and programs that reduce tobacco use and its devastating consequences. His leadership, passion and breadth of knowledge and experience will guide us in the next phase of our work to protect children and end the death and disease caused by tobacco.”

    Under King’s leadership, the CTP was besieged by criticism from all sides, including politicians, anti-smoking advocates, and tobacco and vaping companies, as the FDA rejected applications for millions of flavored e-cigarettes, citing insufficient data that the products would help adult smokers while not becoming popular with underage kids. Those rejections resulted in multiple lawsuits against the FDA from vape makers.

    Prior to joining FDA, King served as the Deputy Director for Research Translation in CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health and as Executive Editor of CDC’s Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report. He holds a doctorate and M.P.H. in Epidemiology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

  • New Leadership at Tobacco-Free Kids

    New Leadership at Tobacco-Free Kids

    Yolonda C. Richardson | Photo: CTFK

    Matthew L. Myers is stepping down as the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) effective July 1. The board of directors has appointed Yolonda C. Richardson, currently the organization’s executive vice president for global programs, as the new president and CEO.

    “I want to thank Matt for the extraordinary leadership he has provided to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and throughout his long career fighting the tobacco industry,” said Bill Novelli, chair of Tobacco-Free Kids’ board of directors and president of the organization from 1996 to 1999, in a statement. “Matt and his team at Tobacco-Free Kids have contributed enormously to driving down smoking rates to record lows among both youth and adults in the U.S. and to reversing the tide of the global tobacco epidemic.

    “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to serve as president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and I am incredibly proud of what our team and our many partners have accomplished,” said Myers. “Through smart, tenacious advocacy and a commitment to health and social justice, we have helped bring about transformative change in the U.S. and around the world. No one is more qualified than Yolonda Richardson to take this organization to new heights and achieve even greater progress in saving lives not only from tobacco, but also from other critical public health issues.”

    No one is more qualified than Yolonda Richardson to take this organization to new heights and achieve even greater progress in saving lives.”

    Matthew L. Myers, president, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

    “I am deeply honored to be named president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and to continue the work started by Matt Myers and Bill Novelli 27 years ago. There is much to do, but there is also immense opportunity to make large-scale impact,” Richardson said.

    The CTFK was created in 1996 with primary funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Since 2006, it has been a partner in the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use.