Skip to content

Home News & Insights

Bobby Jefferson Named Chair of PRB’s Board of Trustees

Veteran technology and global health leader will help guide PRB’s strategy to harness data to improve lives around the world

May 27, 2025—PRB today announced the appointment of Bobby Jefferson as Chair of its Board of Trustees (“the Board”). A global leader at the intersection of data, technology, and development, Jefferson succeeds Jennifer Madans, who has served as Chair since 2022 and will remain on the Board through October.

Jefferson joined PRB’s Board in 2022 and brings more than two decades of experience using technology and innovation to expand equitable access to data and health services. He is President of Data Elevates, a social enterprise that trains people and organizations to use data for impact and provides AI-powered solutions for governments, communities, and development partners worldwide

“Bobby understands the power of data to shape lives, policy, and possibility,” said Jennifer Sciubba, PRB’s President and CEO. “His leadership is exactly what PRB needs as we confront global shifts with courage and clarity. With Bobby as Chair, we will continue to work to ensure that data serves people and drives progress.”

Jefferson’s appointment comes as PRB is building new partnerships, defending access to public data, and informing public policy to improve lives.

Jefferson serves as a board advisor for the American University School of International Service, on the executive committee for the board at the Society for International Development (SID-US) in Washington, D.C., and on the board for ClickMedix. He was previously  Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for the global health division of an international development company and Director of the Center for Development Informatics, where he built a digital health team of 120 people across 10 countries.

“Bobby’s insight into global data systems and innovation will be invaluable,” Madans said. “It has been a privilege to serve as Chair, and I look forward to supporting the Board during this transition and to continuing to support PRB into the future.”

Madans, a demographer and statistician and senior leader in the federal statistical system, joined PRB’s board in 2018 and was appointed Chair in 2022.

“Jennifer Madans has been an extraordinary steward of PRB’s mission,” Sciubba said. “Her leadership helped position PRB as a trusted voice for evidence-based policy. We’re extremely fortunate to have her support in this transition.”

About PRB

PRB is the most trusted source for population data and insights—delivered with clarity, context, and compassion. We believe that data should do more than shape policies; it should change lives for the better. Learn more at prb.org. Follow us @PRBdata.

For more on this topic, consider the following resources:

  1. Rose Maruru, « De l’engagement à la pratique : Comment la localisation se fait-elle localement ? », EPIC-Africa. Also available in English: “From Commitment to Practice: How is Localisation Doing Locally?”, Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation, Aug. 16, 2023. (Rose Maruru is the founder of the Dakar-based EPIC-Africa, which seeks to enhance philanthropic impact by filling critical data and capacity gaps in the philanthropic market infrastructure in Africa.)
  2. Adama Coulibaly, « Décoder les mots-clés du développement : Comprendre la signification de la localisation et de la décolonisation, » EPIC-Africa. Also available in English: “Decoding Development Buzzwords: Understanding the Meaning of Localization and Decolonization.” (Adama Coulibaly is Global Programs Director, Oxfam International.)
  3. Abdoul Karim Saidou, « La participation citoyenne dans les politiques publiques de sécurité en Afrique : analyse comparative des exemples du Burkina Faso et du Niger, » International Development Policy | Revue internationale de politique de développement 11, no. 1 (2019). Also available in English: “Citizen participation in public security policies in Africa: a comparative analysis of the examples of Burkina Faso and Niger.”
  4. World Bank, Engaging Citizens for Better Development Results (Independent Evaluation Group, Washington, DC: World Bank, 2018).
  5. Michel Maietta, “Shifting the Power: A Few Hard Truths on Localisation,” Inter-Agency Research and Analysis Network.
  6. Coopération Canada, Le transfert de pouvoir au sein de la coopération internationale : Etablir des liens (2023). Also available in English: Cooperation Canada Shifting Power in International Cooperation.
  7. Dylan Mathews, “Localization, Decolonizing and #ShiftThePower: Are We Saying the Same Thing?” June 14, 2022.
  8. Localisation and Decolonisation: the difference that makes the difference, Peace Direct (2022).
  9. Beyond the buzzwords: how can we fix localisation to shift power in humanitarian aid? September 3, 2024, Dr Hamid Foroughi, Dr Paul R Kelly
  10. Andrea Cornwall, Karen Brock – Beyond Buzzwords: “Poverty Reduction”, “Participation” and “Empowerment” UNRISD Nov 2005
  11. Localization at USAID: the vision and approach, August 2022.
  12. TIME Initiative: Landscape Analysis (2023).
  13. Dr. Allysha C. Maragh-Bass, Dr. Tamar Chitashvili – Language Matters: Core Concepts in Equity-Based Reform in Global Development.
  14. Moses Isooba, How Use of Language Can Breathe Life into Localization, July 2024. Moses Isooba is head of the Uganda National NGO Forum and a member of Re-Imagining the International NGO (RINGO).

Related Posts

  • News

post

Putting Citizens at the Heart of Localization

By acknowledging the direct link between individuals and public policies, PRB reinforces the relevance of data, showing that every citizen has a stake in decisions grounded in facts.