Press Releases

Constella Group Appoints Former Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary as Vice President for Global Public Health Preparedness

DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 26, 2006—Constella Group, a leading global provider of professional health services, announced today that it has named Stewart Simonson, former U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) assistant secretary for public health emergency preparedness, as its vice president for global public health preparedness.

In this capacity, Simonson will lead Constella’s internal preparedness programs and launch initiatives to broaden the company’s extensive preparedness expertise and its support of both public and private sector constituents. He will also be actively involved in public health preparedness outreach through speaking engagements, white papers, and various other media.

As assistant secretary, Simonson reported directly to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, and previously served under former Secretary Tommy G. Thompson who chairs Constella’s Advisory Board. He was the secretary’s principal advisor on bioterrorism and other public health emergency matters and coordinated public health preparedness activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. Simonson also represented HHS in negotiations with foreign governments and international agencies on public health preparedness matters. He was responsible for implementing the $5.6 billion Project BioShield Act of 2004 and was instrumental in national preparedness planning for Pandemic Avian Influenza.

“We are extremely proud to welcome Stewart Simonson into Constella,” said Chris LeGrand, president of Constella’s Health Sciences business unit and head of the company’s public sector portfolio. “His extensive domestic and international expertise in public health preparedness and his passion for public health make him ideal for this important role.”

“I look forward to applying my experience and knowledge to create effective solutions for preparedness planning, and to identify ways to better protect our communities, the United States, and the world from natural and manmade health threats,” said Simonson. “I am very pleased to accept the global public health preparedness role for a company genuinely dedicated to making the world a healthier place.”

Simonson recently received The Surgeon General’s Medallion and the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research’s Public Health Achievement Award recognizing his contributions to public health. He holds a juris doctor and a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Wisconsin.

“Aside from his many prestigious accomplishments, what impresses us most about Stewart is his genuineness and his sincere passion for helping others,” said Constella Chairman and CEO Donald A. Holzworth. “He shares our vision of enhancing human health around the world, every day, and we look forward to his leadership to help us fulfill that vision.”