The Peggy Lillis Foundation is thrilled to welcome two new members to its Board of Directors: Emily Alonso-Taub and Shion Chang, MPA, MSPH. Their expertise in philanthropy and health policy strengthens PLF’s leadership at a pivotal moment in the organization’s growth, and we couldn’t be more excited to have them at the table.

Emily Alonso-Taub

Emily Alonso-Taub is a philanthropy executive and strategic advisor with over 25 years of experience driving transformational impact through donor engagement and intentional leadership. Her career has included securing eight-figure gifts and managing revenue portfolios exceeding $30 million across academic medicine, the arts, and food security.

For nearly six years, Emily served as Senior Vice President of Development at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, where she grew annual contributed revenue by more than 80% and led a $40 million comprehensive campaign. She has also held development roles at NYU Langone Medical Center, The Ohio State University, and Ohio Wesleyan University. Today, Emily works as a private advisory consultant, helping individuals and corporations design philanthropic strategies that connect significant capital with community need.

Emily will serve on PLF’s Fundraising Committee, and she has already made clear she’s ready to dig in. “I very much enjoyed our conversation and am equally excited to lend my leadership and expertise to the PLF Board,” she said.

Shion Chang, MPA, MSPH

Shion Chang serves as Assistant Vice President of Policy and Regulatory Affairs at the National Health Council, where he leads federal regulatory policy strategy on issues affecting people with chronic diseases and disabilities. His work brings together national patient advocacy organizations, federal agencies, and industry partners to advance patient-centered policy priorities and translate complex regulatory questions into actionable advocacy.

Before joining the National Health Council, Shion served as Director of Strategic Partnerships and Project Supervisor at Sepsis Alliance, where he oversaw a BARDA-funded cooperative agreement and helped lead a national collaborative focused on sepsis, diagnostics, and public health preparedness. Earlier in his career, he held policy and advocacy roles at the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the National Community Pharmacists Association. He holds a Master of Public Administration and Policy and a Master of Science in Public Health.

Shion will serve on PLF’s Policy and Advocacy Committee, where his background in federal regulatory affairs will be directly useful to PLF’s ongoing advocacy work.

A Stronger Scientific Advisory Council

We’re also thrilled to share that PLF’s Scientific Advisory Council has grown significantly this year. The SAC brings together researchers, clinicians, and public health professionals who work in close collaboration with PLF on education, policy, and research initiatives. Under the leadership of Chair Krishna Rao, MD, we are proud to welcome the following new members: Nicole Coffin, MA (Emory Health), Kerrie Davies, PhD, MBE (University of Leeds), Curtis Donskey, MD (Cleveland VA Medical Center), Jason Goldsmith, MD, PhD (Nestle), Robin Jump, MD, PhD (VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System), Thomas Louie, MD (University of Calgary), Nirja Mehta, MD (Emory School of Medicine), Kelly Reveles, PharmD, PhD (UT Austin College of Pharmacy), Matthew Sims, MD, PhD (Corewell Health East), and Javier A. Villafuerte Gálvez, MD (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center).

Their expertise spans infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention, and clinical research, and they bring deep knowledge of the C. diff landscape from institutions across the country and around the world. Our first full SAC meeting with so many new faces this July was a reminder of what a strong, committed scientific community can do.

To learn more about PLF’s Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Council, visit cdiff.org/who-we-are-new and cdiff.org/scientific-advisory-council-roster.