Dr. Ellen Mkondya-Senkoro

Dr. Ellen Mkondya Senkoro is a distinguished public health leader with 30 years of experience in Tanzania’s health and development sectors. She is highly skilled in high level policy engagement, diplomatic dialogue, national health reforms, and the management of multimillion dollar donor portfolios. As the founding Chief Executive Officer of the Benjamin William Mkapa Foundation (BMF), she has led the organization for two decades, expanding its reach to more than 25 million people across Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar. Under her leadership, BMF has built over 500 health facilities and facilitated the employment of more than 18,000 health workers. A medical doctor with a master’s degree in public health, Dr. Ellen also holds an Honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc. Honoris Causa) in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the health sector. She has served on several boards, including as former Chair of the Board of Trustees of Muhimbili National Hospital (1500 bed super-specialized Hospital), where she guided major transformation initiatives including the US$468 million hospital redevelopment project. Her career spans clinical service, senior district leadership as District Medical Officer in Dar es Salaam, and program management with UNFPA, where she deepened her expertise in health policy and governance.