Jenny Parker served as the Deputy Director for Management and Overseas Operations at the Center for Global Health, CDC from 2011-2016.  In this role, she had management oversight and accountability for a three-billion-dollar budget and 2,800 employees in over 60 countries.  During her career at CDC, she served in a variety of key policy and management roles, including supporting CDC’s Global AIDS Program from 2004-2011.  After retiring from CDC, she served several years as the Vice President for the Infectious Diseases Program Department for the CDC Foundation.

Jenny Parker is currently the Treasurer and a musician at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church.  In addition, she serves as a volunteer at The Friendship Center, a non-profit whose mission is to promote mental, physical, and spiritual well-being of adults marginalized by chronic mental illness, disability and who live in poverty.

Dr. Eugene McCray is an internationally renowned infectious disease epidemiologist and researcher who retired from the CDC on September 30, 2020, where he served as the Director of CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) for 6 years.  In this role, he was responsible for leading CDC efforts in U.S. domestic response for HIV prevention including Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative.  He was the first Director for CDC’s Global AIDS Program from 2000 to 2004 during which he established international HIV/AIDS assistance program in 25 countries and three regions around the world (Africa, Asia and the Caribbean/Latin America regions) and worked closely with Health and Human Services and State Department leaders to develop the blueprint for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.

Dr. McCray is currently serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees for AIDS United, a national non-profit organization in Washington, DC that is dedicated to ending the AIDS epidemic in the United States. AIDS United exists to amplify the voices of people living with and vulnerable to HIV through policy and advocacy, strategic grant making and capacity building. He is a member of the Board of Directors for TruEvolution, a local non-profit organization based in Riverside, California whose mission is to fight for health equity and racial justice to advance the quality of life and human dignity of LGBTQ+ people. Finally, Dr. McCray is a member and former Chair of the HIV Leadership Advisory Council to the U.S. Business Action to End HIV, a growing coalition of businesses committed to ending the HIV epidemic in America.

Gayle Knight is the Program Manager at Furnish with Love, Inc, a nonprofit that furnishes homes for families who have recently experienced homelessness. Gayle has more than twenty years of experience managing projects, conferences, and events for a range of nonprofits including Boston Urban Gardeners, Hands on Atlanta, and the Oral History Association. Gayle worked for four years as the program associate at Villa International and served as interim Executive Director in 2022.
Gayle has a BA in Architectural History from University of Virginia and a MA in Preservation Planning from Cornell University. She worked for the Cobb County Planning and Zoning Department after graduate school and for Community Development Associates writing and administering CDBG grants for communities in west Georgia for ten years.

Julia Nussenbaum is a policy analyst in CDC’s Division of Global Migration Health. She works on partnerships and legislative affairs, and she has served on several emergency responses. Julia grew up in New Jersey and moved to Atlanta in 2021 to join CDC as a Presidential Management Fellow. Julia earned her BA at Oberlin College, where she concentrated on East Asian studies, political science, and economics. She earned her Master of Public Administration at the University of Washington in Seattle. Outside of work, Julia enjoys volunteering as a tour guide at the CDC museum, hosting dinner parties, visiting art museums, and exploring new restaurants on Buford Highway. She’s also active in the Jewish community.

Lorraine is a dynamic leader whose career reflects nearly five decades of excellence in
business, civic engagement, and global connection.
A proud graduate of West Virginia University, Lorraine earned her Bachelor of Science degree
from the School of Medicine and holds an MT(ASCP) certification. She began her professional
journey in medical technology, serving in major metropolitan areas including Washington, DC,
Louisiana, and Atlanta, Georgia—building a foundation of precision, discipline, and service that
would define her career.
For 47 years, Lorraine has been a visionary entrepreneur and respected leader in real estate. As
Owner and Broker of The Caribbean Group, a multifaceted real estate agency, she has built a
reputation for integrity, strategic insight, and long-standing client relationships. Beyond
brokerage, she is also a seasoned real estate investor, bringing depth and global perspective to
every venture.
Her professional success is matched by an extraordinary commitment to community service.
Lorraine has been a lifelong volunteer active in the political arena and numerous nonprofit
organizations. She is a member of GLOBAL ATLANTA and the Georgia Council for
International Visitors, strengthening international ties and cross-cultural engagement. She has
served for many years with the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Department of Aging, advocating
for senior communities, and has dedicated time to the High Museum of Art, the Presbyterian
Council of Greater Atlanta, and the Friends of the DeKalb County Library System. She is also a
long-standing board member of the NANA Northwoods Homeowners Association and has
supported initiatives through the Emory Club and other civic organizations.
Passionate about health and wellness, Lorraine is a certified exercise instructor for the Arthritis
Foundation, leading programs at DeKalb Senior Centers. Her interests extend to competitive
ballroom dancing and scuba diving, reflecting her vibrant energy and adventurous spirit.
Above all, Lorraine is a devoted mother and proud grandmother of two accomplished young
men. Her life’s work is defined by leadership, service, global awareness, and an unwavering
commitment to strengthening both her community and her family legacy.

Dr. Kenneth G. Castro is an internationally renowned physician-scientist and Fellow, Infectious Diseases Society of America (FIDSA). He is Professor Emeritus, Hubert Department of Global Health and Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, and Adjunct Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University. He serves as Co-Director, Emory Tuberculosis Center and is former Director, Fulbright Scholarship–Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program at Emory University. Before joining Emory University in 2014, Dr. Castro’s professional career spanned 31 years at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, where he started in the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) and progressed to become Director, Division of Tuberculosis Elimination and Acting Director, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. He attained the rank of Assistant Surgeon General (Rear Admiral), USPHS. He also served as Senior Tuberculosis (TB) Scientific Advisor, Office of Infectious Disease, Bureau for Global Health, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). A native Puerto Rican, Castro speaks fluent Spanish and frequently served as advisor to the Puerto Rico Department of Health, the Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization, and several Ministries of Health in countries where TB and HIV constitute major public health problems. He is a founding member of the global Stop TB Partnership and served as ex-officio member, former Technical Evaluation Reference Group, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. An author and contributor to >200 scholarly reports and policy guidelines, he has received numerous recognitions and awards. He has also provided clinical care to people with HIV and TB at the Grady Health System.

After a 20 year career in administration at Harlem Hospital in the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, Paula Lynn Jarrett-Coleman joined the Georgia Department of Family and Children’s Services (DFCS) in Cobb County in 1990. As an advocate for children, she supervised a unit that provided services to families to help children remain in their homes. Paula worked with agencies, groups and committees that addressed recognition and prevention of child abuse/neglect, child protection, and child advocacy.  She served on several child advocacy boards and committees; received recognition for her work with organizations and churches; and appeared on local television and radio programs that addressed child abuse and neglect. In November 2001, she joined the Department of Human Resources’ Professional Development division where she provided consultation, auditing, and case management intervention; worked as a mentor to and reviewer for staff completing certification requirements; developed curriculum for use in training new case managers and provided workshops; and recommended approval of resource parents in the DFCS’ ten-county metro Atlanta area. Subsequently in 2006, she served as a Program Specialist for Dekalb County DFCS in assuring compliance to the Kenny A Consent Decree that mandates achievement of specific measures that improve positive permanency outcomes for children in care. After retirement in 2013, she worked as a consultant for Dekalb County DFCS, assisting with Kenny A Compliance and mentoring case managers and supervisors concerning compliance.

A member of Radcliffe Presbyterian Church (USA), she is an ordained Ruling Elder and active in several ministries and organizations, notably the Evangelism and Outreach Team (Moderator), the Education Team and the Presbyterian Women of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta at Radcliffe (PW). She received the PW Life Membership Award in 2006 and, since 2017, coordinates the Backpack Ministry, a partnership with Basoline E. Usher-Collier Heights Elementary School where PW provides food supplements on weekends and school breaks for identified students who are homeless or living in unstable housing.  In 2018 Paula began volunteering in ACTS Ministry, Inc. (Anointed, Called to Serve), serving at Georgia Department of Corrections  prisons where she brings the Gospel’s message to incarcerated women.

Laura Croft serves as the Vice President of Advancement at Berry College, where she leads a dynamic team of professionals dedicated to advancing the college’s unique mission of educating the head, heart and hands of students. As the chief strategist and analyst in deepening and broadening external partnerships and resources, Laura collaborates closely with the president and senior leaders to identify opportunities, forge partnerships, and expand networks of benefactors who are drawn to Berry’s distinctive character. She also serves as the primary liaison to the advancement committee of the Board of Trustees.

Laura joined Berry College on July 1, 2024, after a distinguished thirteen-year tenure as Chief Advancement Officer with the CDC Foundation. At the CDC Foundation, she collaborated with CDC leaders and renowned scientists to build public-private partnerships, enhance individual giving, and develop donor relations strategies aimed at protecting the public’s health. Under her leadership, her team raised over $1.7 billion, partnering with prominent corporate and foundation leaders and philanthropists nationwide.

Before her role at the CDC Foundation, Laura held leadership and management positions at the Children’s Museum of Atlanta, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, and the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.

 Laura holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in finance with a minor in Spanish from the University of North Georgia. She is actively involved in various community organizations and currently serves as board chair for Adult Children of Aging Parents. Laura and her husband, Phil, have four adult daughters and one grandchild.

Erick Emde is an IT Specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he leads the technical development and maintenance of WISQARS (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System), a nationally recognized public health data platform.

 Erick’s connection to Villa International is both professional and personal. His work at CDC has made him keenly aware of the large number of international professionals and students who come to Atlanta each year, and he is passionate about ensuring they have a welcoming place to call home. As a former international student himself, Erick knows firsthand how meaningful — and how rare — a warm, supportive community can be when you are far from home. He wishes he had had a place like Villa during his own time as a student.

 Erick is a member of Central Congregational Church, UCC in Atlanta. In his personal time, he enjoys reading, traveling, sailing, and hiking.

Sterling Ivey currently works as an Operations & Compliance Analyst at Colonial Trust Company. He has worked in the financial services industry for over 9 years and serves on Villa’s Finance & Personnel Committee. Much of Sterling’s work in the financial industry has been centered on data analysis and integration, and he enjoys applying those skills to further Villa’s mission.

Sterling has a Bachelor of Arts from Presbyterian College and a Masters in Public Administration from Valdosta State University.

In his personal time he enjoys watching baseball, fly fishing, and programming his own applications. He lives in Greenville, SC with his girlfriend, Marianne, and their pets.

Mr. Eric Lucas has joined our team with an extensive background in international project- and interim management and business consultancy.  Currently he is Managing Director of LMP, Inc., a business consultancy.  Eric Lucas held management positions with several international companies and managed the International Business Development function at Hodon-Cemsto BV / Vendex International BV, a multinational service company in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.  He negotiated a complex joint venture agreement with Saudi partners to establish a technical maintenance company with operations in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran.  Mr. Lucas was named General Manager by both Dutch and Saudi partners and secured long-term contracts with the Saudi government and US and European corporations. 

Concurrently Mr. Lucas established and served as Managing Director of Cemsto Cyprus, Ltd. (Nicosia, Cyprus) and coordinated European and Far East workforce recruitment.  He also established and served as Managing Director of Cemsto International NV (Willemstad, Netherlands Antilles) and directed all financial planning and related international corporate tax issues.

He is a frequent guest lecturer on international business, quality management and business strategy issues both in this country and abroad.  In 2001 – 2004 he joined the Board of Examiners of the Georgia Oglethorpe Award – Malcolm Baldrige Criteria with a focus on business process management.

Mr. Eric Lucas holds a BA in International Business from Nijenrode University, Breukelen, The Netherlands.  He also holds a MBA from the University of Georgia (1975) and a MSc in Management of Technology from the Georgia Institute of Technology (1998) and the Six Sigma Transition Black Belt Certification (2008)

Mr. Lucas is an active member of several professional organizations including American Society for Quality, Atlanta Council on International Relations and the SME Consultancy Registry (Zurich, Switzerland).  Mr. Lucas is based in Atlanta USA and a member of the Decatur Rotary Club (President-Elect 2026-2027).

Dr. Deborah A. McFarland is a professor in the Department of Global Health and the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University. Her specialty is international health care financing and health systems research and practice.  Dr. McFarland has been involved in health policy and health financing issues for the past 35 years with particular interest in the interface of disease control programs and health systems, and the ethics and economics of resource allocation for public health priorities. She is a Returned Peace Corps volunteer (RPCV), Liberia 1968-70. For 12 years prior to pursuing her PhD, Dr. McFarland worked for the United Mine Workers Health and Retirement Funds in Central Appalachia, and as the director of a health systems agency in East Tennessee. She is, or has been, a member of the World Health Organization Neglected Tropical Diseases Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG), the WHO technical consultative committee for the Africa Programme on Onchocerciasis Control (APOC), the WHO/UNICEF Tropical Disease Research Special Advisory Committee and the Mectizan Expert Committee for neglected tropical diseases.  She was a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow on Capitol Hill, 1990-92. She is one of the three founders of the African Religious Health Assets Programme, a group of scholars and practitioners who are engaged with the intersection of health systems and religious structures. She is director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation endowed Foege Fellowship program, and the Global Field Experience Program. She is an Open Society Foundation International Scholar supporting the development and strengthening of public health graduate education in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Dr McFarland has been awarded numerous teaching awards including the highest honor for teaching at Emory University, the Emory Williams Distinguished Teaching Award and the 2017 Teaching and Mentoring Excellence Award from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, the  highest teaching award in U.S. Schools of Public Health  Dr. McFarland holds a PhD.in strategic management and industrial organization economics, MSc (Econ), MPH in health policy and management, and BA in biology.    

Mustapha Oloko-Oba is a computer scientist and applied data scientist focused on using AI and real-world health data to improve healthcare outcomes. He has over 10 years of experience in analytics, evaluation, and data-driven strategy supporting public health and mission-driven work. As a Board Member of Villa International, he is committed to strengthening the organization’s “home away from home” model by supporting a welcoming, affordable living environment for international professionals training in Atlanta. He enjoys soccer and traveling, and values building community across cultures.