Meet the Committee

Angela Makris is a social and behavioral scientist focused on developing social marketing strategies that support families and individuals with disabilities. She draws on more than 25 years of experience across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Before entering academia, Dr. Makris held several senior marketing, advertising, and communications positions in Australia and Greece. 

Her academic work focuses on caregiving, social support, digital engagement, and community-based approaches, using inclusive research methods that reflect the experiences of the people and communities involved. Grounded in qualitative and mixed methods approaches, her research examines how daily routines, digital environments, and community settings shape the health and well-being of families of autistic and disabled children and of people living with chronic conditions. Her work aims to translate lived experiences into practical insights that inform equitable, feasible, and sustainable programs, policies, and interventions.

Dr. Makris holds a PhD from the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida.

Daudi Ochieng is a senior Social & Behavior Change (SBC) and Risk Communication & Community Engagement (RCCE) advisor with over 20 years’ experience leading large-scale health communication and advocacy programs across 47 African countries with WHO, UNICEF, RBM, Malaria Consortium, and the World Bank.

Impact highlights:

• Cut malaria incidence in Uganda from 42% → 9% (2014–2019) through nationwide SBC campaigns and universal net coverage.
• Designed 12+ award-winning campaigns (e.g., Get Off the Sexual Network, Good Life Show, Give Malaria the Boot) recognized for innovation and impact.
• Expanded access to life-saving products: drove 70% market share for UHMG health brands, rolled out ORS+Zinc for childhood diarrhea, secured acceptance of mRDTs in drug shops, and increased clean cookstove adoption by 12%.
• Supported COVID-19 vaccine rollout in 47 countries, helping several reach the WHO 70% coverage target.
• Trained and mentored 500+ professionals in SBC, communications, and advocacy across Africa.

Expertise: Linking behaviors, products, and services in HIV, malaria, maternal and child health, WASH, nutrition, reproductive health, and immunization. Experienced in digital health innovation (first health Facebook page in Uganda, SMS/IVR hotlines, virtual call centers).

Daudi is focused on advancing African-led models like the Zooming-In approach, scaling evidence-based solutions, and ensuring African innovations are adopted globally.

Debbie Ellis is a Marketing Professor in the School of Commerce at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Debbie is a graduate of the University of Cape Town, South Africa and KTH, Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. She has over 30 years of consulting, teaching, supervision and research experience.  She is the President of the African Social Marketing Association (AfSMA). She reviews and/or is on the editorial board for numerous international journals. She has published articles, book chapters and books, and performed various roles at local and international conference including conference chair, track chair, reviewer and presenter. Her primary areas of research interest include social marketing, social marketing education, sustainable consumption and eco-consumers, wellness, young consumers, and consumer knowledge. Debbie is also part of the Human Nature Africa Collective addressing social challenges such as mental health and wellness through a reciprocal healing relationship with nature. Her work has been published in the Journal of Cleaner Production, Sustainability Science, Sustainable Development, the International Journal of Consumer Studies, Young Consumers, Business Horizons, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management and  SMQ amongst others.

Paul is a Senior Lecturer in the Marketing Division at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and an active member of the African social marketing association. For the past decades, Paul has been involved in social marketing research projects in Africa with a focus on sustainable consumption, electricity conservation, waste management, green purchasing, eco-labelling, and organic food consumption. His work has been regularly published in a range of established scholarly journals including the social marketing quarterly, journal of social marketing, journal of cleaner production and sustainable production and consumption.

Over the years, Paul has also developed exceptional research skills particularly in developing sound research methodologies and using sophisticated data analysis techniques to inform social marketing and behaviour change interventions. He has therefore honed data analysis skills using complex statistical data analysis techniques and modelling tools.

Dr Lina Khattab is a lecturer of marketing at Cairo University (Egypt) and an AFSMA board member. She received her PhD in social marketing and water conservation from the University of York (UK).

She collaborated with various UK entities, such as the University of Cambridge Interfaith group and South Staffs Water, as well as Northumbrian Water, to help design/deliver more effective behaviour-change/water-conservation interventions and communications.Her current research interests are social marketing, pro-environmental behaviour, and moral decision-making. 

Dual MBA/ Master of Marketing from Melbourne Business School  7years experience in strategy, marketing research and consumer behavior .  . Consultant at World Banks's Mind, Behaviour and Development Unit (eMBeD)  Former Planning Engineer at Kuwait Oil Company. Member of International Social Marketing Association.

Leading behavior change and awareness campaigns in Kuwait & GCC Region Raising awareness on Social Marketing and Behavioural Science for the past 7 years across the Arab World and in International Engagements.