American Diabetes Association taps Kevin Hagan as new CEO

Following a 6 month national search, the American Diabetes Association has named Kevin Hagan as CEO, according to a news release from the organization.

Hagan was unanimously selected by association’s board of directors and fills the leadership role directly from another CEO position at the large charitable organization Feed the Children.

“I am honored to have been named CEO of the American Diabetes Association and ready to lead this important organization at this critical time for our nation,” Kevin Hagan said in a news release.

Recent estimates indicate as many as one in three adults in the United States will have diabetes by 2050, according to the association’s release.

“The statistics are staggering but the human effect of diabetes is where the real story is told,” Hagan said. “As I have seen in my own family, diabetes is a disease that not only affects the person with diabetes but has a devastating impact on the entire family. We must do everything possible to find a cure.”

Hagan succeeds Suzanne Berry, who has served as interim-CEO since August 2014. Hagan is tasked with reinvigorating the nation’s fight to end the epidemic in the United States.

“I will be leading the charge to increase resources and engage partners — traditional and nontraditional — across the country to join the battle to end diabetes,” Hagan said in the release. “We all have a stake in this fight, and we all need to contribute to the battle ahead.”

Feed the Children experienced remarkable growth following Hagan’s plans to diversify revenue channels, according to the release. Prior to that, Hagan served as chief operating officer for Good360, a nonprofit that fills the needs of other nonprofits with corporate product donations.

Although diabetes and prediabetes incidence has been climbing, the response rate has not. The American Diabetes Association is focused on advocating for increased federal funding, working to grow both state and federal commitment to research, treatment and programs, according to the release.

“The association’s extraordinary 75-year history of fighting for the rights and needs of people with diabetes is unparalleled,” Hagan said. “The task ahead is to build on that record and put an end to diabetes and its deadly devastation.”