[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”About Hero Section” module_class=”hero ctr” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/aafa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/AAFA-Website_Secondary_About.jpg” background_position=”center_right” custom_padding=”2%||2%||true|false” global_module=”1511″ saved_tabs=”all” collapsed=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/aafa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/Secondary_pagetitle_BG.png” background_size=”initial” background_position=”bottom_left” background_horizontal_offset=”0%” background_vertical_offset=”-5%” custom_margin=”|||0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” collapsed=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”|||5%|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_post_title meta=”off” featured_image=”off” admin_label=”Page Title” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”|600|||||||” title_text_color=”#FFFFFF” title_font_size=”62px” background_enable_image=”off” background_size=”contain” background_position=”center_left” module_alignment=”left” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”8%||0px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_code admin_label=”Breadcrumbs” module_class=”bcrumb” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_orientation=”left” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” custom_css_main_element=”font-size:16px;||color: #fff;” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_code][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Main Content” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_image=”off” background_size=”initial” background_position=”bottom_right” custom_padding=”2%||2%||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”H2 + Intro Content” module_class=”secondary-intro” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#505050″ text_font_size=”28px” text_line_height=”1.5em” header_2_font=”|600|||||||” header_2_text_color=”#008c99″ header_2_font_size=”39px” custom_margin=”||3%||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_accordion open_toggle_text_color=”#FFFFFF” open_toggle_background_color=”#f0f0f0″ closed_toggle_text_color=”#FFFFFF” closed_toggle_background_color=”#f0f0f0″ toggle_icon=”L||divi||400″ icon_color=”#FFFFFF” use_icon_font_size=”on” icon_font_size=”20px” admin_label=”Accordions” module_class=”accord” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” toggle_text_color=”#FFFFFF” toggle_font=”|600|||||||” toggle_font_size=”22px” closed_toggle_font=”|600|||||||” closed_toggle_font_size=”22px” body_text_color=”#505050″ body_font_size=”16px” body_line_height=”1.4em” body_link_font=”||||on|||#008C99|” text_orientation=”left” custom_margin=”||2%||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ border_width_all=”0px” saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Closed Accordion” open=”on” _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Kenneth Mendez, Chief Executive Officer and President” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
![\"kenny](\"https:\/\/aafa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/kenny_mendez_low_res-crop.jpg\")
Kenneth Mendez became CEO and President of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) in early 2018. He came to AAFA from AdvaMed, the world\u2019s largest medical technology association, where he served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for 12 years.<\/p>\n
Mendez\u2019s career has bridged the corporate and non-profit sectors. Early in his career, he worked on Wall Street in investment banking and then in business development at The Walt Disney Company. His career focus evolved to the non-profit sector based on a connection to causes about which he is passionate. Mendez, an avid fly fisherman, left Walt Disney to become the Chief Operating Officer of the nonprofit, Trout Unlimited, America\u2019s largest cold-water fisheries conservation organization. Based on his success at Trout Unlimited, he was recruited by AdvaMed to develop and launch new business initiatives, manage business operations and lead strategic planning. He has built his career in the senior leadership of nonprofits by growing the reach of these organizations, a track record he brings to AAFA.<\/p>\n
Since joining AAFA, he has led the organization in establishing a new multi-year strategic plan that emphasizes dramatically reducing the impact of asthma and allergies on the underserved and tripling the size of AAFA\u2019s online asthma community. The new strategic plan\u2019s vision is for AAFA to be recognized as the most trusted ally serving the asthma and allergy community.<\/p>\n
Mendez has quickly become a thought leader in the asthma and allergy community. He served as an External Reviewer for the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review\u2019s (ICER) asthma assessment. In that role, he informed ICER on how to better represent the patient voice. In 2019, Mendez served as a patient advocacy expert for ICER\u2019s review on emerging peanut allergy therapies<\/a>.<\/p>\n Under Mendez\u2019 guidance, several patient advocacy organizations have joined together to advocate on issues important to people with food allergies \u2013 including sesame allergy<\/a>. He also leads communications with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on ongoing access barriers to epinephrine auto-injectors<\/a>.<\/p>\n He is quoted in outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post and NBC Nightly News, among others. Mendez has an MBA in marketing from Columbia Business School and a B.A. in American History and American Art from Harvard College. Mendez also has a personal stake in AAFA\u2019s mission as he and two of his children manage asthma and allergies.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Melanie Carver, Chief Mission Officer” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Melanie Carver is a nationally recognized leader in patient advocacy, health equity, and community-centered health. As Chief Mission Officer of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), she oversees the organization’s mission strategy, community services, marketing and communications, digital strategy, and education programs \u2014 driving measurable impact for the\u00a0over 106\u00a0million\u00a0people in the United States\u00a0living with asthma and allergic disease.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Carver’s journey with AAFA began in 2005 as a community volunteer, a foundation that continues to shape her deeply patient-centered approach. Since stepping into executive leadership, she has quadrupled AAFA’s online and media reach, grown the organization’s social media presence to more than 350,000 followers, and expanded its\u00a0online support\u00a0community to over 60,000 members.\u00a0She has been featured in national outlets including the\u00a0<\/span>Washington Post<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>Newsweek<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>USA Today<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>Consumer Reports<\/span><\/i>, and\u00a0<\/span>Parade<\/span><\/i>, among others.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A published researcher and author, Carver has contributed to the body of knowledge on asthma, allergic rhinitis, food allergy, COVID-19, and environmental and climate health. She is co-author of AAFA’s landmark\u00a0<\/span>Asthma Disparities in America<\/span><\/i>\u00a0report and provided strategic leadership for the organization’s Health Equity Advancement and Leadership (HEAL) program \u2014 reflecting her deep commitment to health literacy and\u00a0equitable\u00a0access to care.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Carver serves as Principal Investigator for two five-year cooperative agreements with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The first produced\u00a0<\/span>ASTHMA Care for Adults<\/span><\/i>, a free digital intervention for medically underserved populations available at aafa.org\/asthmacare. The second,\u00a0<\/span>Community Health Interventions to Advance Self-Management of Asthma (CHI-ASMA)<\/span><\/i>, continues to advance community-based approaches to asthma management.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Her\u00a0expertise\u00a0spans patient-centered communications, data strategy, digital content marketing, social media, and coalition building. Under her leadership, AAFA has expanded its work in indoor and outdoor environmental health, climate resilience, and the asthma & allergy friendly\u00ae Certification Program. She has also grown AAFA’s disaster response capabilities and co-founded the\u00a0<\/span>Breathe\u00a04 Baby<\/span><\/i>\u00a0program in partnership with the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Carver’s collaborative leadership is reflected in her broad professional affiliations\u00a0over her career, including\u00a0serving as a member or advisor\u00a0the National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition, the Climate & Respiratory Health Workgroup for the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, the National Health Council’s AI Workgroup, and multiple task forces addressing anaphylaxis and food allergy \u2014 including the GA2LEN network and the AAAAI\/ACAAI Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters for Food Allergy.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A staunch advocate for the communities she serves, Carver lives near Seattle, Washington, with her family \u2014 who share firsthand experience managing asthma, eczema, seasonal allergies, eosinophilic esophagitis, and multiple food allergies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Sanaz Eftekhari, Chief of Business Development and VP of Research” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off”]<\/p>\n During her tenure at AAFA, Sanaz has served in several roles in business development and has gained experience in patient-centered research, patient advocacy, marketing, communications and business development.<\/p>\n She works closely with project teams \u2013 both within AAFA and with other organizations \u2013 to collect patient insights, develop programs and increase awareness of asthma and atopic diseases through a variety of social and communications channels.<\/p>\n Working with AAFA\u2019s community outreach staff, she is overseeing the BASIC program, which matches researchers with patient advisors to encourage successful patient-centered research. She also oversees AAFA\u2019s partnership with the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) on studies that help patients make informed health care decisions, such as the\u00a0AFFORD Study<\/a>.<\/p>\n AAFA has partnered with other organizations to present patient perspectives on the needs for atopic dermatitis treatments to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Eftekhari has been instrumental in this effort. The \u201cMore Than Skin Deep<\/a>\u201d patient-focused drug development (PFDD) initiative is the first of its kind for atopic dermatitis.<\/p>\n Eftekhari has also co-authored several of AAFA\u2019s key research reports, such as\u00a0My Life With Food Allergy<\/a>,\u00a0My Life With Asthma<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Atopic Dermatitis in America Summary Report<\/a>. Research from these reports is shared with researchers, medical experts and policy makers to emphasize patient needs for treatment options, advocacy and support.<\/p>\n In a greater effort to connect patients with vital clinical trials, she has been a key player in the development of AAFA\u2019s upcoming clinical trial database. The database will help people with asthma and allergies easily find clinical trials best suited for them.<\/p>\n She currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform (GAAPP) \u2013 a global organization serving patient groups for asthma, allergy, atopic dermatitis and related conditions. She also served as Secretary on the Board of Directors for Neighbor to Nation from 2017-2018. Eftekhari earned her B.A. in Political Science and Government from the George Washington University. She loves to travel and has visited more than 57 countries.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Matthew Greenhawt, MD, MBA, MSc, Chief Medical Officer ” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” dvmd_hsp_mode=”hide” dvmd_hsp_preset=”#12″ global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off”]<\/p>\n Prior to joining AAFA, he served as a professor of pediatrics at Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he had served as director of the Food Challenge and Research Unit. He previously co-founded and co-directed the Pediatric Combined Eosinophilic Esophagitis Clinic and served as Research Director of the University of Michigan Food Allergy Center.<\/p>\n Dr. Greenhawt is a member of multiple committees within the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) and European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI). He is a past chair of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) Food Allergy Committee and is finishing a 10-year term on the AAAAI\/ACAAI Joint Taskforce on Allergy Practice Parameters.\u00a0He has over 350 peer-reviewed publications that help elevate the standard of care in allergy\/immunology.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Jenna Riemenschneider, Vice President of Advocacy and Policy ” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off”]<\/p>\n Since joining AAFA in 2018, she has played a key role in the passage of critical state and federal laws, including Laura\u2019s Law, Elijah\u2019s Law, the School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act, and the FASTER Act.<\/p>\n Riemenschneider directs AAFA\u2019s engagement on climate and health policy, working to advance clean air standards and promote climate resiliency for people with respiratory conditions. She also leads AAFA\u2019s efforts to improve indoor air quality in schools and other buildings, collaborating with policymakers and stakeholders to advocate for stronger standards and funding for healthier learning environments.<\/p>\n Through strategic advocacy and grassroots mobilization, Riemenschneider helps amplify the voices of people affected by asthma and allergies, ensuring that policies at the federal, state, and local levels prioritize their needs. Her work supports AAFA\u2019s mission to improve the quality of life for people with asthma, allergies, and related conditions and to promote health equity for all.<\/p>\n Riemenschneider holds a Master of Science in Sustainable Development from HEC Paris and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a steering committee member of the National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition and a national advisor to the Healthy Schools Network.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][\/et_pb_accordion][et_pb_code admin_label=”Print” module_id=”print” module_class=”clearfix” _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_module=”5156″ saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”]![\"Melanie](\"https:\/\/aafa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/melanie_carver.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Sanaz](\"https:\/\/aafa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/sanaz-headshot.jpg\")
Sanaz Eftekhari became the Chief of Business Development and Vice President of Research in 2022. Previously, she was the Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Research at AAFA. In her current role, Ms. Eftekhari leads tactical and strategic conversations with business partners and stakeholders across multiple industries, including patient advocacy organizations, pharmaceutical companies, medical societies, research firms and government agencies.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/aafa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/matthew-greenhawt-headshot-2025-e1752523586139.jpg\")
Matthew Greenhawt, MD, MBA, MSc, became the Chief Medical Officer of AAFA in 2025. Dr. Greenhawt is board certified in pediatrics and allergy\/immunology and brings years of clinical and research experience in asthma and allergic conditions.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/aafa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Headshot_Jenna_Riemenschneider_G_2024-scaled-e1752520090645.jpg\")
Jenna Riemenschneider is the Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). She leads AAFA\u2019s advocacy and policy efforts to advance protections and improve quality of life for people with asthma and allergies. Her work focuses on ensuring access to affordable health care and medications, promoting clean air policies, supporting food allergy safety measures, and advocating for healthier indoor environments in schools, homes, and workplaces.<\/p>\n