Senior Leadership

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Senior Leadership

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Kenneth Mendez, Chief Executive Officer and President
kenny mendez - CEOKenneth 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’s largest medical technology association, where he served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for 12 years.

Mendez’s 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’s 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.

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’s online asthma community. The new strategic plan’s vision is for AAFA to be recognized as the most trusted ally serving the asthma and allergy community.

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’s (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’s review on emerging peanut allergy therapies.

Under Mendez’ guidance, several patient advocacy organizations have joined together to advocate on issues important to people with food allergies – including sesame allergy. He also leads communications with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on ongoing access barriers to epinephrine auto-injectors.

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’s mission as he and two of his children manage asthma and allergies.

Melanie Carver, Chief Mission Officer

Melanie Carver - VP

Melanie Carver became Chief Mission Officer for AAFA in 2020. Previously, she served as Vice President of Community Health and Marketing from 2016 through 2020. She leads the organization’s strategy, community services, marketing and communications, education, and grassroots advocacy.

Her career has focused on community/patient engagement and support. She has extensive experience in patient-centered communications, community-building, data strategy, digital content marketing and social media.

Under her strategic lead, the AAFA organization now has well over 350,000 social media followers and 60,000 registered community members. She has quadrupled AAFA’s online reach and more than doubled the organization’s media presence during her tenure. She has been featured in national and local media outlets including the Washington Post, Newsweek, SELF, USA Today, Parade, Philadelphia Inquirer, Consumer Reports, Chicago Tribune, and Motherly.

Under Carver’s leadership, the organization expanded its work in promoting health equity. She is co-author of the Foundation’s landmark Asthma Disparities in America report and provided strategic leadership in the launch of the organization’s Health Equity Advancement and Leadership program. Carver has also expanded the organization’s library of education programs for patients, caregivers, and allied health professionals. She is a staunch proponent for health literacy and health equity.

She led the development of a digital intervention for underserved adults with asthma as part of a five-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The program, ASTHMA Care for Adults, is available for free online at aafa.org/asthmacare and teaches adults how to manage and control asthma. She is the Principal Investigator for a second five-year cooperative agreement with the CDC for community-based interventions in a project called Community Health Interventions to Advance Self-Management of Asthma (CHI-ASMA).

Carver also leads the organization’s work on environmental control (indoor and outdoor). Carver has raised greater awareness of AAFA’s joint venture, the asthma & allergy friendly® Certification Program, and how it addresses indoor air quality and allergen exposure.  She leads the organization’s support of asthma home visits and assessments as well as climate readiness and resilience.

She has served as a steering committee member for the National Safe and Healthy Housing Coalition. She was also a member of the Climate & Respiratory Health Workgroup for the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.

She lives near Seattle, Washington, with her family. She and her family have firsthand experience managing asthma, eczema (atopic dermatitis), seasonal allergies, eosinophilic esophagitis, and multiple food allergies.

Sanaz Eftekhari, Chief of Business Development and VP of Research

Sanaz Eftekhari- VPSanaz 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.

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.

She works closely with project teams – both within AAFA and with other organizations – to collect patient insights, develop programs and increase awareness of asthma and atopic diseases through a variety of social and communications channels.

Working with AAFA’s 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’s partnership with the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) on studies that help patients make informed health care decisions, such as the AFFORD Study.

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 “More Than Skin Deep” patient-focused drug development (PFDD) initiative is the first of its kind for atopic dermatitis.

Eftekhari has also co-authored several of AAFA’s key research reports, such as My Life With Food AllergyMy Life With Asthma and Atopic Dermatitis in America Summary Report. Research from these reports is shared with researchers, medical experts and policy makers to emphasize patient needs for treatment options, advocacy and support.

In a greater effort to connect patients with vital clinical trials, she has been a key player in the development of AAFA’s upcoming clinical trial database. The database will help people with asthma and allergies easily find clinical trials best suited for them.

She currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform (GAAPP) – 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.

Matthew Greenhawt, MD, MBA, MSc, Chief Medical Officer

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.

Prior to joining AAFA, he served as a professor of pediatrics at Children’s 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.

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. He has over 350 peer-reviewed publications that help elevate the standard of care in allergy/immunology.

Jenna Riemenschneider, Vice President of Advocacy and Policy

Jenna Riemenschneider is the Vice President of Advocacy and Policy at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). She leads AAFA’s 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.

Since joining AAFA in 2018, she has played a key role in the passage of critical state and federal laws, including Laura’s Law, Elijah’s Law, the School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act, and the FASTER Act.

Riemenschneider directs AAFA’s 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’s 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.

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’s mission to improve the quality of life for people with asthma, allergies, and related conditions and to promote health equity for all.

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.