Helene D. Gayle is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Chicago Community Trust, a community foundation dedicated to improving the Chicago region through strategic grant-making, civic engagement and inspiring philanthropy.
Gayle has extensive experience leading complex, domestic and international organizations as well as risk oversight and governance expertise, having served as a director of private and public companies. She previously served as the CEO of the McKinsey Social Initiative and was president and CEO of CARE, a leading international humanitarian organization.
Gayle spent 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control, working primarily on HIV/AIDS. She worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, directing programs on HIV/AIDS and other global health issues.
Gayle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Barnard College, an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and an MPH from Johns Hopkins University.