FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 18, 2018
MEDIA CONTACT:
Deborah Pelaez,
[email protected]/813-400-2394
FLORIDA EXECUTIVE TO LEAD TOP USA KIDNEY PATIENT GROUP
Washington, DC – The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) Board of Directors announced that it has voted to hire Mrs. Diana Clynes as the Association’s new Executive Director. Mrs. Clynes has been a central player in the launch of cutting-edge development and patient programs for AAKP since 2005 and most recently, served as an Interim Executive Director. The announcement was made before an audience of over 250 people at the AAKP 43rd National Patient Meeting hosted in St. Petersburg, FL at the Vinoy Renaissance Resort. Mrs. Clynes received an ovation from an audience of patient advocates, innovation and policy leaders from the Federal government, non-profit and private sectors. As Executive Director, Mrs. Clynes joins the ranks of the top influencers in national kidney issues as the professional lead for AAKP, the oldest and largest, fully independent kidney patient-lead organization in the United States.
“As a professional who has helped expand AAKP national operations in a series of management roles, this opportunity felt like a natural transition and I am delighted the Board of Directors recognized my skills and ongoing commitment to my fellow AAKP professional staff members and the overall organization,“ stated Mrs. Clynes, “The kidney community is on the brink of many innovations and I’m honored to lead our highly talented team as we execute our national strategy to put the full-force our of membership squarely behind advancements designed to help patients stay fully engaged in life, family and work.”
“Diana Clynes embodies the highest standards of national association leadership – a demonstrated ability to listen to and respond to members, unrelenting focus on mission principles and performance metrics, and a level of creativity and accountability that reassures and attracts an expanding network of new donors and sponsors. Perhaps most importantly, especially to kidney patients, she shares the proven ability to aggressively challenge the status quo in dialysis and transplantation in order to both expand patient choice and access to all treatment options,” stated Paul T. Conway, President of AAKP and a kidney patient who has managed the disease for over 37 years.
Mrs. Clynes holds a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and a Minor in Business from the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. Her professional experiences prior to her tenure at AAKP included government and non-profit sectors.
The AAKP mission is the educate, advocate and elevate the voice of kidney patients on the national level to ensure quality care, improved health outcomes and continued innovations in the renal space. AAKP fulfils their mission through two national centers, The Center for Patient Engagement and Advocacy which focuses on inserting an independent patient voice into Federal agency operations and on Capitol Hill and the Center for Patient Research and Education which coordinates patient involvement in educational programming and national research opportunities including those funded by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
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Founded in 1969, AAKP is the largest and oldest independent kidney patient organization in America. Governed by a patient-majority Board of Directors, AAKP conducts national education programs designed to better inform kidney patients, care-givers and policy-makers about the true impacts of kidney disease, prevention efforts and treatment methods. AAKP executes a national advocacy strategy in conjunction with allied kidney organizations designed to insert the patient voice into proposed policies, research efforts and care deliberations before the Executive Branch and the U.S. Congress.
Follow AAKP on social media at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kidneypatient
Twitter and Instagram: @kidneypatients
