George L. Askew

George L. Askew, MD, former Chairperson of the Board of HEAL Trafficking, is the President and CEO of the Meyer Foundation. He is the former Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Health, Human Services, and Education for Prince George’s County, Maryland, and also the former Deputy Commissioner of Health in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene where he was responsible for overseeing and managing the Division of Family and Child Health. Prior to that he was appointed by the Obama Administration to serve as the first Chief Medical Officer for the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In that role he provided expert advice and consultation to the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families on plans, programs, policies, and initiatives that addressed the health needs and strengths of children and families facing significant social, health, and economic challenges. This included: Affordable Care Act outreach and education, early childhood health and development, and the health of victims and survivors of human trafficking. Of note, Dr. Askew was one of the core developers of the SOAR Human Trafficking Training for Health Care and Social Service Providers. Dr. Askew has a longstanding history of innovative work in child and family advocacy and executive leadership. Prior to joining HHS he was Deputy CEO and Chief Development Officer for Voices for America’s Children, Founder of Docs For Tots, and former CEO and President of Jumpstart for Young Children. Because of his initiative, vision, and national impact, in 2005 Dr. Askew was named an Ashoka International Fellow. He was recognized as a national and global leader for his efforts to link health professionals with early childhood advocacy, embodying the ideals of civic engagement and creative solution-building nurtured by the international fellowship program. Dr. Askew was born and raised in inner-city Cleveland, Ohio. He earned a BA in Psychology and Social Relations at Harvard University, is a graduate of the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, and a member of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Class of 1992 Epidemic Intelligence Service, also known as the “Disease Detectives.”