Deborah Arrindell is vice president of health policy and head of the Washington, DC office for the American Social Health Association (ASHA). During her tenure at ASHA she has been instrumental in organizing advocacy efforts on a number of STD-related policy issues. Currently, she also serves on the boards of Advocates for Youth, the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, the Global Campaign for Microbicides and the Partnership to End Cervical Cancer. Prior to joining ASHA, Ms. Arrindell held numerous positions in health and social policy, including serving as executive director of the Home Care Aide Association of America, associate director of Governmental Affairs for the American Nurses Association, assistant director of Social Policy for the League of Women Voters and public policy director for Wider Opportunities for Women. Ms. Arrindell has more than 30 years experience in social policy and Health Policy, including work for women's economic justice, reproductive and sexual health and employment and training.

Manju Chatani coordinates the African Microbicides Advocacy Group (AMAG). She has been active in international microbicides advocacy for the last seven years. Her early projects included: mainstreaming microbicides into the larger HIV/AIDS discussion; mapping microbicides-related research & advocacy in Africa and Asia; training journalists and advocates to report on and critique microbicides-related trends; and leading e-advocacy initiatives. Prior to AMAG, she worked with Health & Development Networks (HDN, Pretoria & Chiang Mai) as a Programme manager and before that she worked with Fondation du Present in Geneva, moderating forums and leading HIV conference reporting teams; in Ghana as a community mobilizer, and as a case-manager in an AIDS Service Organization, the Life Foundation in Hawaii. Manju has a Master's degree in Public Health.

Dr. Kim Eva Dickson is a Medical Officer in the HIV Department of the World Health Organisation, Geneva. She is the focal person for emerging prevention technologies in the Prevention in the Health Sector (PHS) Unit of the HIV Department. Dr. Dickson has been involved in microbicides work since 1997. She has worked as a research physician and co investigator on microbicide trials in South Africa. She is also a keen advocate for microbicides and is on the Global Campaign for Microbicides Steering Committee and the African Microbicides Advocacy Group Steering Committee. Dr Dickson was a Conference Co Chair for the 2006 Microbicides conference held in South Africa. Dr Dickson also has a background in reproductive health technologies introduction at the national level; she took a lead in programme development and implementation for the female condom and MVA introduction in South Africa.

As the vice president of the External Relations team at PATH, Scott Jackson is responsible for maximizing the visibility of PATH’s work. In his current role, he focuses on developing and strengthening relationships with global health partners and donors. Mr. Jackson’s extensive background and knowledge come from more than 20 years of experience working internationally to develop and carry out a number of successful global health and development public-private initiatives. Prior to joining PATH, Mr. Jackson served as senior vice president for World Vision US. He serves on several national boards, including Global Impact, and was a founding member of the management committee for ONE, the campaign to make poverty history. He received his MBA from the University of Edinburgh School of International Business, which he attended as a Rotary International Ambassador Scholar.

Mayowa Joel, Communication for Development Centre, Nigeria

Dr. Sheena McCormack is a clinical epidemiologist who has been coordinating HIV prevention trials since 1994 when she joined what has subsequently become the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit. From the outset she has worked on HIV vaccine trials, all Phase I and in European centres. She has been involved in microbicide trials since 1998 and is currently co-pincipal investigator of the Microbicides Development Programme, which is a multi-disciplinary public-private partnership which works on reserach and development of micobicides ranging from basic science through to large Phase III clinical trials.

Caroline Sande is a leading campaigner on HIV/AIDS in Africa with expertise on the links between HIV/AIDS, public health, food security and gender inequality. She has had extensive experience in managing country and regional development and emergency programmes internationally. Her experience in managing and implementing a wide range of programs in complex political environments such as Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Israel / Palestine, Rwanda and Angola has served her well and sharpened her management, representational, networking and change management skills. She is a public policy specialist and has forged partnerships with a wide range of agencies and intergovernmental organizations including UNAIDS, World Food Program, SADC and the SADC Parliamentary Forum and COMESA amongst others. She is a board member of several organisations including the Global Campaign for Microbicides, and the Centre for AIDS Research and Development.

Shira Saperstein is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and the Deputy Director and Program Director for Women's Rights and Reproductive Health at the Moriah Fund, a private foundation based in Washington, D.C. and operating in the United States and internationally. Moriah gives away $8 million annually in grants to organisations working on women's rights and health, poverty and economic justice in the United States, international trade and development, human rights and social justice in Guatemala, and pluralism and equal rights in Israel. Before joining Moriah in 1989, Shira worked as a researcher at several policy and advocacy organisations and as part of a consulting team at the Management Assistance Group, which provided organisational development assistance to a wide range of advocacy and service nonprofits. Shira was the founding Co-Chair of the Funders' Network for Population, Reproductive Rights and Health (1997-99) and currently serves on the board of the Summit Foundation and on the Steering Committee of the Global Campaign for Microbicides.

Dr. Janneke van der Wijgert is Director of Prevention Research at the IATEC Foundation in the Netherlands. She began her career as an epidemiologist in Zimbabwe and has been active in microbicide development since 1997, implementing over six clinical trials to date. Prior to her appointment at IATEC she was Program Associate at the Population Council. Her other research interests are in reproductive tract infections, reproductive health and poverty-related infectious diseases.