Doctors Without Borders board member to speak at breakfast series

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A board member of Doctors Without Borders, an international medical aid organization, will be the next presenter at the Mercantile Bank of Michigan Breakfast Speaker Series hosted by Western Michigan University’s Haworth College of Business.

Martha Huckabee, vice president of the board of Doctors Without Borders USA, will discuss "From Average to Extraordinary and Unexpected Life” at 8 a.m. Friday, May 29, in 2150 Schneider Hall.

The event is free and open to the public and begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (269) 387-6059 or at wmich.edu/business/mercantile-rsvp. Free parking is available.

Doctors Without Borders

Doctors Without Borders began amid the Parisian upheavals of May 1968. A group of young doctors set out to assist victims of wars and major disasters. The organization was officially founded in December 1971 and at that time consisted of 300 volunteers.

Today, Doctors Without Borders has offices in 28 countries, employing more than 30,000 people across the world. The organization provides emergency medical care in 80 countries and has treated tens of millions of people, including those who face neglect from their local health systems and populations that are excluded from healthcare. Doctors Without Borders also provides assistance when catastrophic events such as epidemics or natural disasters overwhelm local health systems. The organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999 for its pioneering humanitarian work.

Martha Huckabee

Huckabee began working for Doctors Without Borders more than 20 years ago. She spent 13 years in the field, working primarily in conflict zones including Somalia, South Sudan, Bosnia and Sierra Leone. Huckabee spent one year at the Doctors Without Borders headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, before returning to the United States. She has more than six years of experience on the board of directors for Doctors Without Borders USA.

About the Series

The Mercantile Bank of Michigan Breakfast Speaker Series provides an opportunity for the local community to hear top business leaders and WMU faculty, alumni and friends of the Haworth College of Business discuss current topics of interest.

For more information or to register, contact the Haworth College of Business at (269) 387-6059.

For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.