Christy Turlington Burns

Christy Turlington Burns is the founder and CEO of Every Mother Counts. Christy’s work in maternal health began after experiencing a childbirth related complication in 2003—an experience that would later inspire her to direct and produce the documentary feature film No Woman, No Cry, about the challenges women face throughout pregnancy and childbirth around the world. Under Christy’s leadership, Every Mother Counts has invested over $20 million in programs in Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and the United States focused on making pregnancy and childbirth safe, respectful, and equitable for every mother, everywhere.

Turlington Burns has been one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People and one of Glamour’s Women of the Year. Christy graduated cum laude from NYU’s Gallatin School of Independent Studies and studied Public Health at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. She currently serves on the Yale Nursing School dean’s leadership council and the Smithsonian Institute’s American Women’s History Initiative (AWHI) advisory committee.